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[Roufianos]

Really not bad considering they had as barren a 1st party spell as you're likely to see.

 

[Mr Moose]

I'm not throwing myself on any sword! But it's interesting to see that Sony actually shipped twice as many PS5 during the famously 'supply constrained' year - it's a rather different narrative than many Gaffers were expecting, Sony were better supplied than Microsoft.

For all we know BOTH Microsoft and Sony could have sold significantly more if supply hadn't been challenging.

This is Q4, not the whole year. Sony improved their stock in the second half of 2022, a little after the Series X started to increase their stock. Series S had been available throughout 2022.

 

[diffusionx]

So Sony was outselling MS over 2:1 before Sony’s stock issues totally cleared and they surged, it might be 4:1 by now.

 

[jroc74]

There were also people on this forum saying this wouldn't be like last gen as far as sales are concerned, but it is looking fairly similar to me.

Damage control already in this thread.

Exactly.

Gap is looking similar to worse than last gen...

"hmm, not that bad"

I can't....lol.

 

[twilo99]

FYI -- this is exactly in line with my calculations.

According to which, Microsoft is selling roughly 8.5-9 million consoles every year. On the contrary, Sony is selling ~24 million PS5s every year now.

That's a ratio of 3:1.

Sony’s install base is enormous.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

“The business is not how many consoles you sell." - Phil Spencer


Now I understand the 180 pivot in how Xbox measures success.

This has always been the case though. Consoles are only a vessel through which a revenue stream will hopefully be established between the consumer and the company by way of subscriptions, game purchases, in-game purchases (DLC, cosmetics, expansions), etc. If you can make money on each console sold, that is a definite plus, but not how you keep the doors open. The only company that is able to completely disregard this rule is Nintendo as they sell outdated tech at a premium.

 

[Three]

All of sudden audio has become crystal clear

 

[twilo99]

The only company that is able to completely disregard this rule is Nintendo as they sell outdated tech at a premium.

Which in my eyes is more impressive than anything the other two companies are doing..

 

[Matt_Fox]

This is Q4, not the whole year. Sony improved their stock in the second half of 2022, a little after the Series X started to increase their stock. Series S had been available throughout 2022.

Yes, it was the period when more PS5 units became available - XSX there's less info on availability - but look 2022 was a tricky year to get a gauge on with significant supply constraints for both Microsoft and Sony.

Being only privy to Q4 numbers we dont have the full picture, but given the context of Microsoft wanting an acquisition to pass it could be that this particular quarter is being shown because of the big disparity.

 

[KU_]

Solid, if not spectacular.

Spoiler

 

[jroc74]

This is Q4, not the whole year. Sony improved their stock in the second half of 2022, a little after the Series X started to increase their stock. Series S had been available throughout 2022.

Thank you.

You said it better than I was going to. Also, both announced an extra dry period:

Sony - Jan- Mar 2022, didnt get fixed until summer 2022.

MS - Aug or Sept 2022.....still not fixed?

Meanwhile the Series S has been available the whole time.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

Which in my eyes is more impressive than anything the other two companies are doing..

Different consumer bases each looking for different types of experiences. There will always be an overlap of course since the final product is of course video games, but for those who are only interested in the latest technologies and best-looking visuals, Nintendo is not on their radar at all.

Also, as consumers I don't think we should celebrate being sold 6-year-old tech for $300.

 

[THE DUCK]

Not great, not horrible. Should probably be a big star next to it when comparing to ps5 due to pc. A price drop would probably help, I do expect one this fall despite the recent increaes.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Not great, not horrible. Should probably be a big star next to it when comparing to ps5 due to pc. A price drop would probably help, I do expect one this fall despite the recent increaes.

I'd say this is a little bit horrible, considering it's now selling slower than Xbox One.

They invested so much in Xbox (bought 18 studios, including Zenimax), introduced Game Pass, and introduced a $299 Xbox Series S that sold for $239 for a long period of time.

If they are still selling less than Xbox One after all that, I doubt Microsoft would be happy with that performance at all.

 

[Robb]

Exactly.

Gap is looking similar to worse than last gen...

"hmm, not that bad"

I can't....lol.

But doesn’t this only look bad relative to PlayStation?

If they’re selling 10M per year and the gen is 7-8 years long they’ll be at around 60-80M lifetime. That’d still put them among the top 20 best selling consoles of all time.

 

[zedinen]

How much did Nintendo ship?

FY
PS5 19.1 M
NSW 17.97 M

FYI -- this is exactly in line with my calculations.

According to which, Microsoft is selling roughly 8.5-9 million consoles every year. On the contrary, Sony is selling ~24 million PS5s every year now.

That's a ratio of 3:1.

4:1 in (Jan -Mar) 23

PS5 6.3 M
NSW 3.06 M
X/S ≈ 1.5M

 

[M1chl]

I would say that's pretty good, given the output

 

[Diddy X]

Microsoft isn't focused on selling more consoles as they see that even selling way less consoles than Nintendo they still manage to get more revenue, console sales is just a part of the equation.

Now they want to beat Sony, we'll see the panorama after all the acquisitions.

Selling more consoles is complicated as Nintendo and Playstation are more popular in the world, Xbox can gain popularity and the way is by releasing memorable games which they haven't been too successful so far.

 

[Fafalada]

Ouch. Still, lots of PC gamers have access to everything day 1 and don't have to buy a system for it.

I literally have two PC Handhelds now (on top of other windows devices). I wouldn't even know what to do with an XBox console anymore with the way GamePass is setup...
I guess I could play OG XBox or 360 games on it... PC still doesn't do that so well.

But yes - their strategy of getting us to pay for services but not for hw is... working I guess.

 

[Fafalada]

FYI -- this is exactly in line with my calculations.
According to which, Microsoft is selling roughly 8.5-9 million consoles every year. On the contrary, Sony is selling ~24 million PS5s every year now.

Are you sure those numbers are right? Because in X1 days I remember Q4 was like 50%+ of their annual sales - sure - they were doing insane holiday promotions in that period - but how do we know 30% is the ratio now? Could be lower/higher?

 

[Morrie’s wig shop]

Honestly, I thought it’d be less then 2.5

 

[Daneel Elijah]

But doesn’t this only look bad relative to PlayStation?

If they’re selling 10M per year and the gen is 7-8 years long they’ll be at around 60-80M lifetime. That’d still put them the top 20 best selling consoles of all time.

I always says that the Xbox series are not a failure like the Wii U was. So you are right in a sense. But you have to remember that the market is bigger than it was in previous generations. 60 millions is close to the NES final number. But back then it was huge, and basically 90% of the market at some point. Now it is just the third place. If Sony does more than 120 millions(bullshit number just to give a sense of scale) you can understand how much of a difference it will make in terms of exclusives, level of care ported to multiplats in the weaker console base...

We are still early in the generation, as it has been slowed down by Covid. Games like RE 4, hogwarts, Armored Core 6 will still be on PS4 this year, the soon to be decade old console. The Xbox One is probably closer to be dead than the PS4 is. Some of us anticipate a crash / huge slowdown of the Xbox Series consoles, and if they do not get Activision I can see that happen. Nintendo is the wildcard as always, but it would be hard to fail a Switch 2. Not a critique by the way, as the Xbox series have their fans, and have some advantages against the PS5. The dreamcast and Gamecube too were good consoles, but the PS2 was just inevitable. As a Playstation fan, I would love for such a golden age to happen again. As for Xbox, if their studios finally get their games ready on time, do their 4 AAA a yer on Gamepass, and those games are good, it will hopefully end up pretty great for their customers. And that is what we all want, for Xbox to give us great games.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Are you sure those numbers are right? Because in X1 days I remember Q4 was like 50%+ of their annual sales - sure - they were doing insane holiday promotions in that period - but how do we know 30% is the ratio now? Could be lower/higher?

Not overall / since launch day - because of PS5 supply shortage and the core fan group buying XBox early on.

But recently the ratio has increased to 3:1 in favor of PS5. Since the start of H2 2022, it has been like more or less 3:1

 

[Fafalada]

Not overall / since launch day - because of PS5 supply shortage and the core fan group buying XBox early on.

But recently the ratio has increased to 3:1 in favor of PS5. Since the start of H2 2022, it has been like more or less 3:1

Not the console ratio - I meant the ratio of holiday to non-holiday sales.
I distinctly remember X1 had holiday quarters that were 50% of its annual take. 3.2M / 9M would be roughly 30%.

 

[Robb]

But you have to remember that the market is bigger than it was in previous generations.

That’s true, but that doesn’t seem to matter much since these systems always end up at around the same numbers. Ps2 should’ve been outsold long ago otherwise.

I’m just saying a user base of 70/80M is nothing to scoff at. Especially when you’re not even adding the users they’ll also have on PC (and other platforms).

With how things are going you’d expect WiiU number by now.

 

[twilo99]

Different consumer bases each looking for different types of experiences. There will always be an overlap of course since the final product is of course video games, but for those who are only interested in the latest technologies and best-looking visuals, Nintendo is not on their radar at all.

Also, as consumers I don't think we should celebrate being sold 6-year-old tech for $300.

People won't find the latest tech and visuals on Sony or Microsoft hardware either, that's reserved for personal computers, which are in turn always at a generation ahead of the console curve.

I agree, we shouldn't celebrate it, but from a business stand point, what Nintedo are doing is very impressive.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Not the console ratio - I meant the ratio of holiday to non-holiday sales.
I distinctly remember X1 had holiday quarters that were 50% of its annual take. 3.2M / 9M would be roughly 30%.

Oh okay.

Sony sold 7.1 million, not 9 million from October to December. But yeah, this split seems like higher than ever before.

By the way, Sony's next aim is to sell 10 million consoles in 2023 holiday season, and if they do, they will likely outsell Xbox by 300% in that quarter alone.

 

[mckmas8808]

FYI -- this is exactly in line with my calculations.

According to which, Microsoft is selling roughly 8.5-9 million consoles every year. On the contrary, Sony is selling ~24 million PS5s every year now.

That's a ratio of 3:1.

With these numbers where do you have the Xbox Series consoles at now? 21 million?

 

[Heisenberg007]

With these numbers where do you have the Xbox Series consoles at now? 21 million?

Off the top of my head, I think they would be between 22-23 million as of now.

 

[Batiman]

That’s a lot better and closer than I expected.

 

[mckmas8808]

Off the top of my head, I think they would be between 22-23 million as of now.

So 22 million to about 38 million right?

That’s a lot better and closer than I expected.

Yall need to keep in mind that Sony also sold 6.3 million PS5s in Q1 of 2023 also. It's very possible that MS only sold 1.5 million during that same time frame. So 3.2 during Christmas time isn't good.

 

[Heisenberg007]

So 22 million to about 38 million right?



Yall need to keep in mind that Sony also sold 6.3 million PS5s in Q1 of 2023 also. It's very possible that MS only sold 1.5 million during that same time frame. So 3.2 during Christmas time isn't good.

No, not 23 vs. 38.

PS5 sold 38 million units by end of March 2023. The 22-23 million figure I shared for Xbox is an estimate until June 30, 2023 (as of today).

Sony sold 6.1 million in Q1. Let's assume they sold 6 million again in Q2, then the total figure would be 44 million PS5s as of June 30, 2023.

So 22 Xbox Series X|S vs. 44 million PS5s.

 

[Pelta88]

This has always been the case though.

Really?

I mean, XBOX sales were always reported in their quarterly reports. In 2013 they stopped. Coincidence? I can show you tweets and statements from XBOX leadership not only boasting, but lauding console sales over their competition.

And again, in 2013 that stopped.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

That’s true, but that doesn’t seem to matter much since these systems always end up at around the same numbers. Ps2 should’ve been outsold long ago otherwise.

I’m just saying a user base of 70/80M is nothing to scoff at. Especially when you’re not even adding the users they’ll also have on PC (and other platforms).

With how things are going you’d expect WiiU number by now.

Absolutely. It is not a bad number at all. Just that 70/80 millions now and 70/80 millions in 2000 do not mean the same. It does not have the same impact in terms of sales, revenue, mindshare... Still, it would be really weird for the Series consoles to do factually better than last gen, but to be considered worse because the PS5 and the Switch 2 will probably(hopefully) both do 120 millions+. I can admit that.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

 

[Banjo64]

3.2m is still respectable, and keeps them in the game. I expect this year to be solid for them.

They’ve spent $10b on acquisitions since 2018, launched with 2 SKUs (price and power), spent 5 years trying to cultivate a ‘cool’ image with feel good messaging, Game Pass and programs like backwards compatibility.

The needle hasn’t shifted at all from the disaster that is the Xbox One.

How is that respectable.

 

[THE DUCK]

I'd say this is a little bit horrible, considering it's now selling slower than Xbox One.

They invested so much in Xbox (bought 18 studios, including Zenimax), introduced Game Pass, and introduced a $299 Xbox Series S that sold for $239 for a long period of time.

If they are still selling less than Xbox One after all that, I doubt Microsoft would be happy with that performance at all.

Probably true, though I don't think we have really seen the fruits of the Bethesda acquisition yet, the heavy hitters such as elder Scrolls, Starfield, Doom, etc haven't even been released yet as exclusives.....so nothing expected from that just yet. Same will go for Activision if they can get it still, take a few years and COD exclusives before it would make an impact directly on xbox sales.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Spectacular...

Spoiler

...-ly bad... lol

 

[NickFire]

You realize that's 69% to 31%, right?

Sure, but Gold costs about twice as much as PS+. So in terms of online access revenue the split is very small, and the propriety storage costs vastly exceeds that difference. Plus, you can get 2 entire 31s into 69 with room left over. People forget that but its true. Maybe not on case by case basis, but generally square roots are fairly consistent. And since you brought up sale splits, why have you neglected to mentioned Nintendo's share. Oh that's right, the Sony guys pretend Nintendo isn't really competing with Sony. But it's Thursday, and Nintendo is part of the competition on Tues, Thurs, and every other weekend. People forget that too. And none of this matters anyway. The IGN guy is pretty sure that competition is finally heating up. So

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

These number estimates are inaccurate for Sony and Nintendo, according to a post in the source that compared them from what Sony and Ninty released.

So likely the whole thing (numbers) are off.

 

[yazenov]

And that is why ladies and gentlemen Microsoft hides sales numbers.

Whatever happened to this time will be different, and the only reason why Sony was successful last gen with the PS4 was that the competition was weaker and MS/Nintendo shot themselves in the foot.

I seem to recall people claiming Gamepass is a "disruptor" for the gaming industry, the best value in gaming, and the series S will sell like hotcakes because of the cheap price tag and the Gamepass machine is for casual gamers that only play multiplatform games.

A lot of concerned posts for Sony to emulate the Gamepass business model or they will be left behind.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

Really?

I mean, XBOX sales were always reported in their quarterly reports. In 2013 they stopped. Coincidence? I can show you tweets and statements from XBOX leadership not only boasting, but lauding console sales over their competition.

And again, in 2013 that stopped.

Oh, I was talking about console hardware profits.

 

[DJ12]

You realize that's 69% to 31%, right?

Also this will be shipped vs sold as I don't believe ms do sold through numbers where as that is what Sony reports I believe

 

[Fatal Chuck Yeager]

Actually these numbers would put Xbox closer to 24-25M. PS5 should be at 40M or close by now.

Numbers aren't bad given 2022 and it's still not falling behind for the brand yet so i guess it depends on how the rest of this year goes for where the trajectory will end up. The folks saying it's behind the Xbox One are confused because Xbox One was dead Q42015.

According to these, Xbox One did 1.34M in December and at the highest end of a range 1.4 (likely less but it's under 300k of the PS4 number) which if combined is 2.74M max.

 

[Fatal Chuck Yeager]

Really?

I mean, XBOX sales were always reported in their quarterly reports. In 2013 they stopped. Coincidence? I can show you tweets and statements from XBOX leadership not only boasting, but lauding console sales over their competition.

And again, in 2013 that stopped.

Microsoft stopped in 2015.

Sony first stopped in 2013, and than came back with the PS4, Microsoft never stopped until Nadella settled in and Phil and his new staff placements were finally fully transitioned. Microsoft hasn't lauded sales since except for that one time Nadella got mad in a conference call.

 

[{insert code here}]

How many of those 3.2M are S owners upgrading to the X? A good portion of Xbox owners probably own both models therefore artificially padding their install base.

/derp

 

[NeverYouMind]

If PS3 could recover from its abyssal launch, so can Xbox Series S/X.

Personally, I do not see any benefit in upgrading to X from S as it would perform subpar relative to my PC and still play the same titles as S.

 

[Thief1987]

Seems like we have more data


21 million Series consoles
58 million XOne

 

[Physiognomonics]

Not the console ratio - I meant the ratio of holiday to non-holiday sales.
I distinctly remember X1 had holiday quarters that were 50% of its annual take. 3.2M / 9M would be roughly 30%.

this is exactly what I was thinking. The holiday to non-holiday ratio has always favored Xbox (selling more games during holidays thanks to insane deals). This 31/69 ratio during holidays (with basicaly the only easily available console for most of the period, XSS) is disastrous for MS.

 

[Luminoth-4545]

This is pretty much in line with what i expected, i estimate that XBS sold around 8.2m last FY (below) so 3.2m for the holiday sounds about right. While sales are not Wii U levels of terrible they are still not great. At this rate it will end up selling similar to Xbox One.

- All yearly and lifetime totals for Xbox console's are estimations from vgchartz
- Playstaion Vita yearly and lifetime totals are estimations
- Quarterly data for the final three years of PSP and PS3 are estimations.