How to sell next-gen consoles, Marketing, Positioning, and Pricing [2020]

I definitely think the SSD size increase will be the first ‘cost reduction’ move. I guess if it’s not selling then that might change the story...
 
Well, we're saying the same thing really. I meant $249 Black Friday 2021 and then eventually $199 in maybe 2023 or 2024. Possibly with a larger storage option for $50 more.
 
The first 18mths are early-ish adopter territory. I think they may pricedrop, but not because they have Series S's sat in the warehouse. It's a natural move to hit the next tranche of potential customers. I think they'll have a $250 500GB and $300 1TB on offer in 2022.
The ps4 or switch or the wii etc didnt have a pricecut in the first 18months.
You cut the price when the sales start to flag otherwise you're leaving money on the table, but you know this already
 
Well, we're saying the same thing really. I meant $249 Black Friday 2021 and then eventually $199 in maybe 2023 or 2024. Possibly with a larger storage option for $50 more.
I just think the main reasons to price cut has been mitigated by the XSS already being the price it is.
I also expect xcloud to take up the sub $200 market in some form for them.

Add the fact that MS has said price reduction is getting really hard, I would expect them to instead of lowing price, to actually stop making a loss on the hardware instead.

What could force it is Sony price cutting, but I see little reason for them to do so.
 
The ps4 or switch or the wii etc didnt have a pricecut in the first 18months.
You cut the price when the sales start to flag otherwise you're leaving money on the table, but you know this already

I'm just saying that MS is probably expecting to have to have $249 2021 Black Friday sales.
 
I don't.
I expect them to increase storage size on XBSX|S before reducing price.

Black Friday and other sales will bring the XSS close enough to impulse territory as it is.


I expect XSS will underperform at retail (it already did so around the edges in places Xbox demand is less, such as not selling out preorders for weeks and months in UK and Germany). Rather than admit they were wrong about it (and executives HATE to admit they were wrong) I think the immediate thing they'll blame it on is XSS lack of storage (never mind any idiot could have seen that coming).

So basically yeah I'd expect a 1Tb XSS to be pushed out pretty fast after the holiday. Wont IMO change that it's a undesirable product though.

I think a lot of the PS5 already capturing the zeitgeist is that the XSS has had it's expected corrupting, confusing effect on the Xbox brand. Now Xbox is not clearly the most powerful as it should be. Now it's all just confusing and hey let me just buy a PS5. I resold a few and PS5 was in much higher demand. It shouldn't be this way, Xbox is run by people who dont think they can win, who are resigned to 2nd (3rd if you count Nintendo) place and I'm starting to wonder if Phil is part of the problem (even though I 90% like him)
 
I don't.
I expect them to increase storage size on XBSX|S before reducing price.

Black Friday and other sales will bring the XSS close enough to impulse territory as it is.


I doubt there will be any sale this year as everything sells out during Covid and the first two months of console launches holiday. You can barely even get any laptop at Wal Mart...Now if you meant next year BF ok.

It should be 399 XSX DE and there's really no need for XSS. PS5 has it right.
 
I expect XSS will underperform at retail (it already did so around the edges in places Xbox demand is less, such as not selling out preorders for weeks and months in UK and Germany). Rather than admit they were wrong about it (and executives HATE to admit they were wrong) I think the immediate thing they'll blame it on is XSS lack of storage (never mind any idiot could have seen that coming).

So basically yeah I'd expect a 1Tb XSS to be pushed out pretty fast after the holiday. Wont IMO change that it's a undesirable product though.

I think a lot of the PS5 already capturing the zeitgeist is that the XSS has had it's expected corrupting, confusing effect on the Xbox brand. Now Xbox is not clearly the most powerful as it should be. Now it's all just confusing and hey let me just buy a PS5. I resold a few and PS5 was in much higher demand. It shouldn't be this way, Xbox is run by people who dont think they can win, who are resigned to 2nd (3rd if you count Nintendo) place and I'm starting to wonder if Phil is part of the problem (even though I 90% like him)

They probably gonna expand gamepass, theyve announced their plan for web browser. In the future maybe even xcloud to Nintendo Switch. AFAIK Nintendo already allows 2 games to be played via cloud. So MS would need to release each gamepass games as independent tittles.

Btw it seems game pass is not well promoted enough. It should have more marketing move to say something like, for 1 dollars you can play a bunch of XSX games and a bajillion Xbox games.

Slap a sticker on Xbox series box...

Because the next gen game price is currently really ridiculous. Some region more ridiculous than other.
 
I doubt there will be any sale this year as everything sells out during Covid and the first two months of console launches holiday. You can barely even get any laptop at Wal Mart...Now if you meant next year BF ok.

It should be 399 XSX DE and there's really no need for XSS. PS5 has it right.
I wasn't talking this year.
Also disagree with XSS underperforming sales wise, not the imprison I get.
It was always expected to sell slower at the start.
 
I'm starting to believe MS should have dedicated more resources to produce XSX over XSS. Local MediaMarkt

upload_2020-11-21_0-9-50.png
 
Same thing here in the local mediamarkt (and one other electronics store). They even give discount on an extra controller if you buy the package before 31dec.
Searching for other stores across the country, they have them in stock everywhere. See for yourself by filtering on 'Finns i lager'
Was to the shopping centre yesterday, no one is even looking at the damn console.

https://www.mediamarkt.se/sv/product/_microsoft-xbox-series-s-512gb-spelkonsol-1327968.html
 
I'm starting to believe MS should have dedicated more resources to produce XSX over XSS. Local MediaMarkt

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In the launch period, definitely yes. But over time I don't think we'll see much difference what what many estimated to be the sale ration between One S and One X (and PS4 and Pro).
 
In the launch period, definitely yes. But over time I don't think we'll see much difference what what many estimated to be the sale ration between One S and One X (and PS4 and Pro).

I am curious, not sure the I wait til it drops in price segment actually are only price sensitive. My gut feeling is that its not that simple (i know very scientific). I seem to recall PS3 20GB and X360 without HDD only sold because the other models where not available. And did the lower end XB last gen sell that well?
 
I am curious, not sure the I wait til it drops in price segment actually are only price sensitive. My gut feeling is that its not that simple (i know very scientific). I seem to recall PS3 20GB and X360 without HDD only sold because the other models where not available. And did the lower end XB last gen sell that well?


I think the better number to look at is the xbox one s vs one x sales, because they had the same price difference, and the same stated goal (gaming at 4k or 1080), the one s still significantly out sold the one x even though they were both available at the same time. The people who preorder are almost by definition hard core game players. And by hardcore I dont necessarily mean that they have a high playtime, just that they are really excited about console gaming. Hardcore gamers are going to gravitate to the best of the best system.
 
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