All purpose sales and sales rumors/anecdotes thread next gen+
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Can it be that Xbone is still not profitable? Sony announced they achieved profit at each hardware sold back at May 2014.
49min 20sec mark
I fully expect that MS [and to some extent Sony] will eat a lot of money during holiday sales just to expand their userbase, but it is weird that MS did not manage to release any redesign of the console yet [while MSRP went down a long time ago]. They are still rocking the launch configuration of console parts. On the other hand, PS4 got profitable long ago and now uses redesigned internals with CUH1200 line [less RAM chips, smaller mobo, smaller cooling, smaller PSU].
49min 20sec mark
I fully expect that MS [and to some extent Sony] will eat a lot of money during holiday sales just to expand their userbase, but it is weird that MS did not manage to release any redesign of the console yet [while MSRP went down a long time ago]. They are still rocking the launch configuration of console parts. On the other hand, PS4 got profitable long ago and now uses redesigned internals with CUH1200 line [less RAM chips, smaller mobo, smaller cooling, smaller PSU].
Honestly, we will never know. The Xbox division as a whole (Surface, PC gaming, XBL and the kitchen sink) is more than profitable.
Given the unaggressive XBO pricing, and that it uses cheap DDR3 RAM, and the fact they keep churning out $399/$499 editions, I would guess MS is trying pretty hard to maintain break even on the hardware (at least for 360 I recall them giving this as their strategy, to be lifetime break even on hardware).
At least dont forget they were down to $349 a year earlier than PS4, so they were not completely non aggressive. If this pattern held we might see them go to 299 for holiday 2016, while Sony wouldn't follow until holiday 2017.
The XBO design does scream to me "money sink" compared to PS4 though. The size alone, the apparent emphasis on near silent operation, etc. I've always said if I was Phil Spencer my NUMBER ONE priority would be to get a smaller (hopefully cheaper, but at least tidier) redesign out. However, who knows what the behind the scenes spreadsheets look like. Evidently it may not make fiscal sense to do a redesign just yet (when I say redesign I mean slim style, not just internal stuff).
At least dont forget they were down to $349 a year earlier than PS4, so they were not completely non aggressive. If this pattern held we might see them go to 299 for holiday 2016, while Sony wouldn't follow until holiday 2017.
The XBO design does scream to me "money sink" compared to PS4 though. The size alone, the apparent emphasis on near silent operation, etc. I've always said if I was Phil Spencer my NUMBER ONE priority would be to get a smaller (hopefully cheaper, but at least tidier) redesign out. However, who knows what the behind the scenes spreadsheets look like. Evidently it may not make fiscal sense to do a redesign just yet (when I say redesign I mean slim style, not just internal stuff).
Well the temporary price has evolved into a temporary ~100$ gift (free game including COD + 50$ gift) with every XB1 sold. At amazon for 339$ you can get XB1 + gears + latest COD + 50$ amazon credit, similar thing at bestbuy.
That's already the XB1 + gears for ~239$ which seems aggressive. There is a similar deal at amazon.fr, XB1 + Fifa + Halo 5 for 349€ for basically the whole November month (too bad it's fifa instead of gears). I am ready to pull the trigger on that offer...need the latest Halo in my home...I miss Halo.
So it remains to be seen if X1 could eclipse the PS4 installed base in the US.
But worldwide, it seems unlikely:
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/...-widen-its-console-sales-lead-over-microsoft/
Now would MS trigger the next generation early to reset the marketshare battle? That's what I'd like to see, with 4K adoption increasing, the current generation is looking really dated. It can't even do 1080p, the games are mostly at 900p.
But worldwide, it seems unlikely:
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/...-widen-its-console-sales-lead-over-microsoft/
Now would MS trigger the next generation early to reset the marketshare battle? That's what I'd like to see, with 4K adoption increasing, the current generation is looking really dated. It can't even do 1080p, the games are mostly at 900p.
MS made early bet on large DDR3 memory pool with 1.5B transistor 32MB ESRAM. That probably sounded just fine on paper few years before launch of 8th gen, but then Sony managed to craft better package and price it lower.
I'm saying both consoles are inadequate.
So if the sales disparity is great enough, maybe the one losing out on market share will try to reset the game and put out next generation sooner than later.
That's assuming MS is interested in developing and selling new consoles. Remember, they thought they were going to sell X1 like Apple was selling iPhones, some crazy number in the hundreds of millions of units.
So if the sales disparity is great enough, maybe the one losing out on market share will try to reset the game and put out next generation sooner than later.
That's assuming MS is interested in developing and selling new consoles. Remember, they thought they were going to sell X1 like Apple was selling iPhones, some crazy number in the hundreds of millions of units.
RancidLunchmeat
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I don't see it that way, with Kinect removed (NSA SPY DEVICE!!) and both consoles priced identically with game pack ins, the playing field is completely leveled at this point with only existing momentum giving the PS4 an edge.
PS4 has totally failed to capitalize on all the early "PS4 is more powerfulz!" internet buzz when both consoles launched. Meaning that they've gotten the edge in sales currently because of that knowledge and the $100 cheaper price tag, and the anti-MS policies. But in terms of being able to show consumers that the PS4 actually is more powerful enough to base a purchasing decision on? Nope. Not yet.
So I think it comes back down to Ford vs Chevy or anything else. Comparable products, identically priced. It'll come down to friends lists, familiarity with ecosystem, and system exclusives at the time of purchase. If somebody wants to play Planet Killer XVI - Kamakazi's Revenge and it's being released on Dec 7, and only on the PS4, then that will be the purchase for the holidays. If somebody is just buying a console to play COD, then it will come down to purchasing history, familiarity with the ecosystem/interface, and what real or virtual friends have. Except for the Wii phenomenon, I really don't believe consoles purchased as gifts to be a significant part of the sales demographic. The end user is actually the buyer, and since PS4 hasn't been able to visually leverage their superior hardware, with both consoles selling at identical price points, I call it a push.
Of course, the PS4's momentum shouldn't be discounted, but I'm not under the impression it is great enough to have already reached critical mass. At least, not in North America.
$100 cheaper? The PS4 has been $50 more for over a year. Whether you, as a a XB1 owner, appreciated the power difference makes no difference. People has been paying more for that power for the last year. PS4 has won 8 of 9 NPDs in MS's home territory with a higher price in 2015, sounds like they capitalized fine.
Please define what you mean by totally failed to capitalize, they have one of the fastest selling consoles ever, lead their competition in sales and market share, what exactly would qualify as a non-failure?
Sony never really had to mention gpu power in publicity or interviews, outside of some "most powerful console, blah blah.." in trade shows intoduction scripts. For all the tech news, gaming news, and other media, resolutiongate was easy click money.
If sony had decided to constantly talk about the resolution differences with third party games, it would have looked like a cheap shot at competition, and they would have veered off-message. This gen sony is capitalizing on their newly found reputation as a more humble company, trying to forget the kutaragi era, and they have a perfect track record since E3 2013 unveiling. They sell more playstations with that attitude.
If sony had decided to constantly talk about the resolution differences with third party games, it would have looked like a cheap shot at competition, and they would have veered off-message. This gen sony is capitalizing on their newly found reputation as a more humble company, trying to forget the kutaragi era, and they have a perfect track record since E3 2013 unveiling. They sell more playstations with that attitude.
cheapchips
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They didn't with the 360 did they, even after die shrinks?
Nintendo have stayed with external bricks since the gamecube too.
Once size and heat no longer make an external psu a necessity wonder why you'd do it. I'd have thought an internal one would be cheaper?
It's not just consoles either. My cable box, which is customised for the UK, also has an external supply. It's only ever going to run at 240v.
Major benefit is replacing PSU only in different SKUs for different markets. The console hardware can be identical.
Actually, is there evidence of this in model numbers? I know PlayStations have lots of different model numbers for different regions. Are there less on devices with external PSU's that don't need to record the specifics caused by varying internal PSUs? Or are things like the PS4 PSU advanced switchable ones that'll work on any power system?
Actually, is there evidence of this in model numbers? I know PlayStations have lots of different model numbers for different regions. Are there less on devices with external PSU's that don't need to record the specifics caused by varying internal PSUs? Or are things like the PS4 PSU advanced switchable ones that'll work on any power system?
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