The holiday season 2016 has already started and shoppers are looking out for deals for themselves and for gifting. Gaming consoles are one of the top picks every holiday season. Analysts predict that this holiday season, Sony PlayStation 4 (PS4) will be ahead of Microsoft Xbox One in terms on sales.
Global PS4 Sales Surpasses 50 Million
On Wednesday, Sony announced that PS4 sales have surpassed 50 million units, thanks to the "best ever Black Friday week in the history of PlayStation."
Sony launched the PS4 Pro, a thinner version of the PS4 that supports 4K, in September and the console hit the shelves in November. The console maker confirmed that the 50 million figures also include sales of the said console.
Apart from the solid hardware sales, Sony also witnessed strong software sales.
"With tremendous support from our fans and partners across the globe, this year we were able to deliver an unprecedented lineup of hardware, including the new slimmer PS4, PS4 Pro and PlayStation VR. We will continue to provide the best gaming experiences available through our ground-breaking software lineup and network services, as we focus on accelerating our business and expanding the PS4 ecosystem," says Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Xbox One Sales
Microsoft has stopped announcing sales numbers of its gaming consoles. Microsoft also released a refreshed version of the Xbox One called Xbox One S, which is 40 percent smaller and supports 4K, in August 2016.
Although, the redesigned Xbox One S has attracted many customers, analysts at DFC Intelligence claim that the overall global sales of the Xbox One will be lesser than the PS4 sales. According to the analysts, Xbox One sales will close the holiday season with sales of about 30 million units, which is far less in comparison to the sales of the PS4.
Even though the PS4 has better sales than Xbox One, DFC Intelligence has lowered its sales forecast for both the consoles.
Nintendo Switch
Analysts at DFC Intelligence are optimistic about the upcoming Nintendo Switch, which is expected to arrive in March 2017.
There's "significant excitement about a new game system from Nintendo and lots of talk about Nintendo among both the older generation and their kids," says DFC Intelligence analysts.
Market observers are of the belief that the success of Pokemon Go and the NES mini has also contributed to the increased popularity of Nintendo; however, Nintendo management is not fully prepared to take advantage of the goodwill.
