All purpose sales and sales rumors/anecdotes thread next gen+

[Shortbread]

These NPD PR battles are quite funny at times... most of the time I just want to hear the spin for a good chuckle. If worldwide sales were tracked on a monthly bases and data released, I would think knowone would bother or care, because every month would be the same (Sony wins!!!!!!). And since competition is relatively close in the US, everyone wants to see a good fight... even though half-the-times it feels like a pro-US view of how sales should be around the world. "If you ain't winning in the US...we don't care about how well/better/outperforming/dominating you're doing in other countries".

But like I said, no one wants to see a onesided beat-down (worldwide sales), but rather a rock-paper-scissors match of US NPD PR.

 

[Shortbread]

Israel

Canada

 

[Rangers]

These NPD PR battles are quite funny at times... most of the time I just want to hear the spin for a good chuckle.

I think the stupid thing about NPD at times is so much import is attached to the winner, when it could be by an irrelevant number of units. Lets take November, does it really matter if PS4 sells 1.3 million and Xbox One 1.2 million, or vice versa? Which is probably how it's going to be. Yet whichever one finishes first people will act like that has huge importance, the other guy was defeated, crushed, etc. And I'm guilty of it just as much as the next guy....

 

[Rangers]

My bad. I assumed it was 51 as the stars on the flag are arranged in a funky pattern suggesting a non-regular number to my mind. At least I was close - I've no idea how many counties there are in the UK!

Hah! And here I was assuming you were mentally assigning Puerto Rico as the 51st state (although it's not, it's closest). Who doesn't know the US has 50 states??!! We are important!

 

[Rangers]

Every month since launch is a Sony PR win.

It becomes obvious when we look at all the discussions about sales across the internet, they keeps moving by abstracting more and more data. It used to be "MS is winning if we ignore all countries except the one where MS is doing fine". Then it was "if we also ignore all months where it didn't"... now it's in the last corner with "it's not winning but it's close in those two months, in those two countries".

Ehh? all you have to do is some simple math to see that XBO is selling much closer to PS4 in the first 10 months of 2015 than it did in the first 10 months of 2014. It's improving standing in the USA, not declining.

That said some relative XBO decline is now likely in November and December IMO due to PS4's price cut while XBO had none.

 

[MrFox]

I think the stupid thing about NPD at times is so much import is attached to the winner, when it could be by an irrelevant number of units. Lets take November, does it really matter if PS4 sells 1.3 million and Xbox One 1.2 million, or vice versa? Which is probably how it's going to be. Yet whichever one finishes first people will act like that has huge importance, the other guy was defeated, crushed, etc. And I'm guilty of it just as much as the next guy....

So true, I think it's because we're gamers at heart, we want a winner.

The last gen Wii, PS3 and 360 were all healthy platforms overall. I still think having different sections of gamers rooting for a platform as if it was a sports team is actually healthy, and promotes some stability and enthusiasm in the market. Any bad move from a company makes them lose market share (Sony with the PS3, or MS with XB1, or Nintendo with WiiU), but the wide spread fanboyism prevents the platform from being outright killed, and they can recover the next gen with a better offering (or even mid-gen).

 

[DrJay24]

Ehh? all you have to do is some simple math to see that XBO is selling much closer to PS4 in the first 10 months of 2015 than it did in the first 10 months of 2014. It's improving standing in the USA, not declining.

That said some relative XBO decline is now likely in November and December IMO due to PS4's price cut while XBO had none.

I don't think that is true, the gap widened in 2015 back to pre-holiday 2014 numbers. Except this time XB1 isn't going to own Nov/Dec to close the gap like last year. So in effect the gap grew steadily all year long and now it won't shrink at all, maybe even grow. Zhuge should have a plot for the gap, not sure if he has one including October.

 

[djskribbles]

What's interesting is how long the PS4 Uncharted Bundle has held the number one position in the U.S. Amazon hourly best sellers. As of today, the bundle is #22 in the Best Sellers for 2015 category (up from the #28th position from a few days ago).

jumped to 10.

I don't think that is true, the gap widened in 2015 back to pre-holiday 2014 numbers. Except this time XB1 isn't going to own Nov/Dec to close the gap like last year. So in effect the gap grew steadily all year long and now it won't shrink at all, maybe even grow. Zhuge should have a plot for the gap, not sure if he has one including October.

Not quite: https://zhugeex.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/3.jpg
That is the latest graph I could find, which does not include September/October sales AFAIK. PS4 won September NPD and XB1 slightly outsold PS4 in October, so the gap is slightly larger than that graph shows.

With that said, as you mentioned, XB1 isn't going to dominate the holiday season this year. The PS4 will (IMO) actually end up on top. So if you compare the full calendar years, the gap will be bigger by the end of 2015 vs 2014.

 

[wco81]

At this point, sales don't matter because even if X1 was down 2 to 1, it's got the critical mass to get third party support from every major publisher.

It's not like the situation with Windows Phone which can't get the apps. that iOS or Android gets.

Only thing to care is if X1 is profitable enough for MS to continue to invest in it and the next generation. Sony has to invest in PS because it's one of the most profitable businesses that it has.

But gaming isn't a core business to MS so they may not continue with it, especially if some activist shareholders get their way.

 

[dobwal]

But gaming isn't a core business to MS so they may not continue with it, especially if some activist shareholders get their way.

Its is.

http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-on-xbox-one-and-smart-homes-2015-12

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talked about how Windows 10 has the potential to become the hub of a connected home, in response to an investor question.And Nadella says that the Microsoft Xbox One video game console is a big part of those efforts, given its central status right in customers' living rooms."The Xbox is just another Windows computer," Nadella says.

It's a sticky position from Nadella — Microsoft's official party line is that while it's moving the Xbox closer and closer in to the world of Windows 10, it's still a dedicated games console and a different beast entirely. The goal is to distance itself from both the expectations and the baggage of the PC. The overall thinking in regards to the Xbox and the smarthome here, Nadella says, is that Microsoft is pushing Windows 10 onto everything, from laptops and desktops to tablets to, eventually, connected home devices.

Microsoft even has a special, low-overhead version of Windows 10 designed exactly for smart appliances.

Basically the Xbox is windows 10 in another form factor and interface dedicated to the playing games and other entertainment media instead of a desktop enviroment.

 

[Shortbread]

jumped to 10.

Insane. The PS4 Uncharted Collection Bundle has been on the market since the 9th of October, correct? That's pretty f-ing incredible...

I'm going to predict XB1 will have a temporary price cut ($249) during the final Christmas Season week. As of now, price parity isn't where they want to be...

 

[wco81]

Well W10 is for devices which are no longer growing in sales. Maybe even declining.

 

[dobwal]

Well W10 is for devices which are no longer growing in sales. Maybe even declining.

No. Read the quote, they even have a W10 version for smart appliances. Basically they don't Windows to be attached at the hip to the growth or decline of the PC anymore. Whether they will be successful in doing so is another question.

 

[wco81]

Which smart appliances?

These days, there aren't too many OEMs signing up for licenses from MS.

 

[Rangers]

Microsoft finally gives some BF PR. Headline is XBO sales up 22% for BF week over last year.

http://majornelson.com/2015/12/03/x...-10-gaming-continues-to-rise/?linkId=19295212

• Xbox fans around the world spent a total of 325 million hours gaming on Xbox Live this past week. Hours spent playing games on Xbox One last week were up 196 percent compared to Black Friday week in 2014, and time spent using Xbox apps increased a whopping 321 percent.

• Worldwide Xbox Black Friday sales in the Xbox Store broke records with an increase of 57 percent across Xbox One and Xbox 360, global Xbox Live Gold subscriptions were up over 40 percent, and U.S. Xbox One console sales at retail were up 22 percent over the same period last year, making it the second biggest Black Friday week in 15 years of Xbox history in the U.S.

• Total paid unique users in the Xbox Store also broke records with an increase of 55 percent across Xbox One and Xbox 360 compared to Black Friday week last year, with 88 percent growth on Xbox One alone.

• Hardware is hot this holiday – the Xbox One 500GB Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Bundle was the best-selling Xbox console bundle. The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller has been met with high demand and was sold out at most major U.S. retailers since launch and we are working hard with retailers to replenish stock.

• Gamers have logged more than 4 million hours playing Xbox 360 games on Xbox One since Backward Compatibility launched on Nov. 12.

If the 22% increase held for the whole month (big if), it would put XBO around 1.5 million (1.23 million for November last year)

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Ehh? all you have to do is some simple math to see that XBO is selling much closer to PS4 in the first 10 months of 2015 than it did in the first 10 months of 2014. It's improving standing in the USA, not declining.

When one console consistently sells less than another console then the number of absolute sales will continue to widen. When the monthly differential thins that just means the gap is widening at a slightly slower pace. For the "standing" in the USA to improve, Xbox One needs to consistently sell more than PS4.

 

[DrJay24]

They had a fresh price drop before BF last year. I think things were very slow for the first 3/4 of November.

 

[Rangers]

When one console consistently sells less than another console then the number of absolute sales will continue to widen. When the monthly differential thins that just means the gap is widening at a slightly slower pace. For the "standing" in the USA to improve, Xbox One needs to consistently sell more than PS4.

Sure, but the percent difference matters too, eventually more than the absolute gap. It's better to behind by 3 million at 33-30, than two million at 4-2. The former case is close to even install base when looked at big picture.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

That's utter nonsense. The difference is exactly the same but by representing the difference as a percentage you remove any frame of reference such a previous or potential sales relative to capita or market size. The goal being to make the difference look as little possible.

Your post reminds me of this.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Microsoft finally gives some BF PR. Headline is XBO sales up 22% for BF week over last year.

http://majornelson.com/2015/12/03/x...-10-gaming-continues-to-rise/?linkId=19295212

That likely means that PS4 sold more during Black Friday otherwise they would have said it was the best selling console for BF.

Regards,
SB