IHS: Xbox One at 39.1m consoles sold globally

[McFly]

This is why the PS3 struggled so much

Took years to recover from that pricing blunder

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This is a narrative that refuses to die. The PS3 did not struggle to sell, it outsold the Xbox 360 launch aligned worldwide. The 360 had a year head start. But of course cutting the price also helped it sell better during the later years just like cutting the price of any consumer product does.

 

[Omnistalgic]

My guess seeing all the numbers (which are all estimates) and Zhuge's post, is that the low end estimates are around 35m and the high end around 39m, as of April 2018.

If we pick a middle ground estimate, it is probably around 37m sold through as of April.

Edit: though with 21.1m sold in the US as of April, that means an approximate ratio US/ WW of 54%... Which is much lower than any reasonable estimate due to how the console sells in rotw.

So... It's weird.

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Yeah, we just need official numbers from MS at this point, which ain't happening.

 

[Aokiji]

Yea 4.1M from 1.1.18 to 4.1.18, MS would've shouted that kind of boost from the rooftop

 

[flkRaven]

When compared to the 360 yea it's about the same . I'm not sure if it will have the legs of the 360 considering Microsoft might come out with a new system in 2020

I probably shouldn't be comparing it to the PlayStation brand because those expectations might be to high . When I think about it Sony is the only one of the 3 that has never had a console sell less than 80mill LTD

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Sony's PS4 is out of this world. An unquestionable success. Most every console next to that looks like it's failing. But in reality the XB1 has outsold the Wii U and Gamecube combined. Outsold the N64. Outsold the Genesis. Likewise, these numbers might not matter soon (and the 'legs' discussion may have a different context) if Microsoft's next console is still part of this Xbox One family (or at the very least is forwards and backwards compatible). Then what numbers do we measure? I guess MAU actually makes sense.

 

[Diarrhea Day-Lewis]

Didn't EA say 30M were sold by end of 2017? I doubt 9M were sold in 3 months.

Somehow I imagine it's closer to 35M. Also, aren't Xbox One sales down YoY in US or am I mistaken? (I reallt could be)

My guess is by end of 2018, XB1 is close to 40-42M and PS4 is at 90-93M.

 

[Fredrik]

I'm starting to think the 360 success was because of Sony's failures more than anything Microsoft did.

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Yup that's my thought as well. Same thing with PS4 this generation, MS's failure with the XB1 launch (DRM PR, 1 year delayed launch outside of US/UK, price, etc) definitely helped PS4 to snallball into a success.

It's a wonder they've actually turned things around as well as they have.

It'll be interesting to see if MS can gain some ground among the mainstream with the enthusiast's positive word of mouth about XB1X's multiplat advantage and Gamepass etc. Lots of people on the enthusiast boards has swapped to play multiplats on the X but so far I don't think we've seen anything of that lead to increased sales big enough to matter.

 

[Deleted member 437]

Yeah, probably right around there. It's been 2:1 with the PS4. Obviously as time goes on, that 2:1 gets more and more devastating. 10 million vs 5 million is not huge. 80 vs 40 is. 120 vs 60 is massive.

The PS5 is Sony's to lose. Sony has to come out of the gate strong as fuck.

Push backwards compatibility like hell. Like, 100% BC. All your games, PSN games, DLC, fucking everything, transfers over. And its all right there waiting for you DAY 1. And those games look EVEN BETTER on the PS5. Like, 4k and extra detail or whatever. So you pop in GOW 4, and flawless 60fps, native 4k, maybe some extra bells and whistles.

Because I can see MS is hungry. Sony is killing it for sure. And MS this year didn't do a lot for me tbh. Gears looks cool, but not really interested. Halo has potential because it looks like they are doing something new with it. But other than that, ehhh. But I can see the seeds being planted.

Dunno, we'll see. But Sony got lucky MS fucked up big time in the start. America is Xbox home territory. They should have never lost it. But they did. And Sony came in a fucking scooped it right up, and now they pretty much dominate everywhere.

 

[AmFreak]

Sony's PS4 is out of this world. An unquestionable success. Most every console next to that looks like it's failing. But in reality the XB1 has outsold the Wii U and Gamecube combined. Outsold the N64. Outsold the Genesis. Likewise, these numbers might not matter soon (and the 'legs' discussion may have a different context) if Microsoft's next console is still part of this Xbox One family (or at the very least is forwards and backwards compatible). Then what numbers do we measure? I guess MAU actually makes sense.

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Since when are Gamecube, N64 and WiiU (really?) successes?
The One is far, far away from what was expected of it.
Lowered expectations i guess.

 

[flkRaven]

Since when are Gamecube, N64 and WiiU (really?) successes?
The One is far, far away from what was expected of it.
Lowered expectations i guess.

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Not really saying those are successes. I'm saying that people calling the XB1 a failure are lumping it in with real failures, like the Wii U etc. When in reality it has sold far more than those consoles. It's definitely lowered expectations from the Xbox 360, but thankfully there was no red-ring situation so the failure/rebuy rate is far lower. Expectations had to be drastically reduced after the borked the launch so bad. Hoping that continued commitment to backwards compatibility, game pass, hardware, and a renewed focus on first-party leads to a greater turn around.

 

[The_R3medy]

Is it bad that I don't really think this is that bad? They started out kneecaped by Dom Mattrick and Phil Harrison, and Spencer and company have done their best to right the ship.

Their major multiplayer titles have been given dream-like support from their devs and pumped full of free content for years post launch. This is a good sign for how they'll continue to support their games for years to come. They also, consistently, have the best racing series in video games in Forza and Forza Horizon, which are deep as hell games for their price. Obviously they've stumbled single player game wise, but I suspect it took Spencer and company a while to convince the higher ups and MS to invest in more studios and what not. Glad they're coming around now.

Gamepass and Play Anywhere are awesome initiatives and will continue to grow in the future, to the benefit of all players.

In all, about 40 million is nothing to shake a stick at, but not the greatest thing possible. They have a good foundation now for the future and I can't wait to see where it goes.

 

[N.Domixis]

Yeah, probably right around there. It's been 2:1 with the PS4. Obviously as time goes on, that 2:1 gets more and more devastating. 10 million vs 5 million is not huge. 80 vs 40 is. 120 vs 60 is massive.

The PS5 is Sony's to lose. Sony has to come out of the gate strong as fuck.

Push backwards compatibility like hell. Like, 100% BC. All your games, PSN games, DLC, fucking everything, transfers over. And its all right there waiting for you DAY 1. And those games look EVEN BETTER on the PS5. Like, 4k and extra detail or whatever. So you pop in GOW 4, and flawless 60fps, native 4k, maybe some extra bells and whistles.

Because I can see MS is hungry. Sony is killing it for sure. And MS this year didn't do a lot for me tbh. Gears looks cool, but not really interested. Halo has potential because it looks like they are doing something new with it. But other than that, ehhh. But I can see the seeds being planted.

Dunno, we'll see. But Sony got lucky MS fucked up big time in the start. America is Xbox home territory. They should have never lost it. But they did. And Sony came in a fucking scooped it right up, and now they pretty much dominate everywhere.

Click to shrink...

It's pretty easy for Sony, just lock up
NA and the rest of the world follows. As long as the PS remains competitive or equal in NA Xbox will never catch up.

Next gen the battle will be in the US. The rest of the world is already Sony's. Except Japan. They killed themselves in Japan.

 

[James Whiteneck]

Sony will have the lead not necessarily thanks to services they offer, but because the majority of their sales come from outside the US. It's a big world out there that Microsoft just kind of ignores.

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What should Microsoft do differently next generation if they want to compete globally?

 

[khamakazee]

This is a narrative that refuses to die. The PS3 did not struggle to sell, it outsold the Xbox 360 launch aligned worldwide. The 360 had a year head start. But of course cutting the price also helped it sell better during the later years just like cutting the price of any consumer product does.

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This is another reason why the Xbox brand has such an uphill battle against PlayStation. People were willing to spend $200 more on a system with less online features (at the time), inferior third party ports, plus a lack of compelling launch exclusives other than maybe Resistance.

What should Microsoft do differently next generation if they want to compete globally?

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Nobody really has the answer. Microsoft tried to create a new Japanese studio, plus moneyhat other Japanese games and that had little impact.

 

[Deepthought_]

It's pretty easy for Sony, just lock up
NA and the rest of the world follows. As long as the PS remains competitive or equal in NA Xbox will never catch up.

Next gen the battle will be in the US. The rest of the world is already Sony's. Except Japan. They killed themselves in Japan.

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I don't really follow the media create thread but doesn't it still sell ? They are guaranteed at least 5 to 6 million in Japan. They are more handheld focused which the Switch plays into.

 

[BigWinnie1]

What should Microsoft do differently next generation if they want to compete globally?

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They lost that fight ages ago, Like Japan, they are never going to make up the lost ground. They just have to get into emerging markets and compete now. Sony is in China getting Developers and studios there up and running to support their console and are also trying to get the same thing in South America. Xbox doesn't have that type of pull or global reach and I'm not sure they ever will because they never had a ps2 to saturate the market to such and extent to even reach markets where they didn't have official support in it.

 

[mejin]

Yeah, probably right around there. It's been 2:1 with the PS4. Obviously as time goes on, that 2:1 gets more and more devastating. 10 million vs 5 million is not huge. 80 vs 40 is. 120 vs 60 is massive.

The PS5 is Sony's to lose. Sony has to come out of the gate strong as fuck.

Push backwards compatibility like hell. Like, 100% BC. All your games, PSN games, DLC, fucking everything, transfers over. And its all right there waiting for you DAY 1. And those games look EVEN BETTER on the PS5. Like, 4k and extra detail or whatever. So you pop in GOW 4, and flawless 60fps, native 4k, maybe some extra bells and whistles.

Because I can see MS is hungry. Sony is killing it for sure. And MS this year didn't do a lot for me tbh. Gears looks cool, but not really interested. Halo has potential because it looks like they are doing something new with it. But other than that, ehhh. But I can see the seeds being planted.

Dunno, we'll see. But Sony got lucky MS fucked up big time in the start. America is Xbox home territory. They should have never lost it. But they did. And Sony came in a fucking scooped it right up, and now they pretty much dominate everywhere.

Click to shrink...

PS5 will surf on PS4 sucess. Pretty much like PS2 did with PSone.

2017 and 2018 is years to forget for xbox, lame first party support. They are doing their homework for next gen, but it will take years for them to catch up with Sony WWS.

Although this gen is over, the next one will be much more interesting, we will have competition once again.

 

[dbcyber]

Yeah if both Xbox2 and PS5 are firing on all cylinders it will still be MS's gen to lose simply because of how strong of a global brand PS is. MS needs Sony to fuck up, focus on online refund, BC, cross play which Sony refuses to do and watch how it's a repeat of 2013 but in favour of MS.

 

[Adam802]

40M is pretty good

 

[Snake Eater]

Yeah, probably right around there. It's been 2:1 with the PS4. Obviously as time goes on, that 2:1 gets more and more devastating. 10 million vs 5 million is not huge. 80 vs 40 is. 120 vs 60 is massive.

The PS5 is Sony's to lose. Sony has to come out of the gate strong as fuck.

Push backwards compatibility like hell. Like, 100% BC. All your games, PSN games, DLC, fucking everything, transfers over. And its all right there waiting for you DAY 1. And those games look EVEN BETTER on the PS5. Like, 4k and extra detail or whatever. So you pop in GOW 4, and flawless 60fps, native 4k, maybe some extra bells and whistles.

Because I can see MS is hungry. Sony is killing it for sure. And MS this year didn't do a lot for me tbh. Gears looks cool, but not really interested. Halo has potential because it looks like they are doing something new with it. But other than that, ehhh. But I can see the seeds being planted.

Dunno, we'll see. But Sony got lucky MS fucked up big time in the start. America is Xbox home territory. They should have never lost it. But they did. And Sony came in a fucking scooped it right up, and now they pretty much dominate everywhere.

Click to shrink...

If Sony isn't on the BC train that Microsoft started (which I'm happy they did) then PS5 will take a big backseat to the next Xbox console

 

[borghe]

If Sony isn't on the BC train that Microsoft started (which I'm happy they did) then PS5 will take a big backseat to the next Xbox console

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the BC myth has never shown success. ever

a) early adopters (the ones who sell out the new systems) don't care about BC. They literally want every new shiny game.
b) by the time those who are most likely to consider BC in their purchase decision are ready to buy (at a lower price), there are enough current gen games on the market for them to no longer care about BC.

If you look at BC through the ages..

2600->5200 - didn't help in the slightest
SMS->MD - peripheral solution. largely ignored
fast forward ELEVEN YEARS
PS1->PS2 - hard to say, though there was a clear explosion in sales with GTA3.. so it is easy to say that BC didn't account for why PS2 was so successful
GCN->Wii - I mean... it's barely worth discussing. GCN install base was tiny by comparison, and the big driver was Wii Sports
PS2->PS3 - PS2 games don't seem to have helped the lowered sales of PS3 from the previous gen.
XBOX->360 - BC support was terrible and limited. Clearly not behind the console's success.

Now there could possibly be a correlation in the handheld market.. but as that's an entirely different market with different purchase patterns.. not sure there is validity in talking about it here.

if EITHER console does BC next gen... it will be because it was probably easier to do it than not (something very possible if they continue sticking with x86-64 hardware..). If they switch hardware (ARM), I can almost promise you that the only BC you'll see is streaming.

 

[Jade1962]

Why is everyone saying X1 had a terrible launch? It had an amazing launch. One of the biggest ever. Problem was post launch sustainment. PR had no effect on launch once they reversed course. X1 problem was that people around the world had the option this generation to purchase a Playstation right from the start and didn't have to wait so X1 didn't have a chance to sustain momementum.

 

[Kerozinn]

EA said they are 30m and now suddenly someone i never heard of claims its 40?
looking spooky to me.

 

[Deleted member 36708]

It's on track to exceed last years sales so far, and last year already had it's launch with Zelda and didn't have the 3rd parties it has this year like Fortnite, which is certainly a bigger system seller than say rocket league. There is also likely going to be bundles and a black friday sale is possible this year, unlike last. Until the Switch has real competition on the market, I think it's sales will continue to grow.

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Again we will see what happens. Would be great if they hit it.

 

[grosbard]

What should Microsoft do differently next generation if they want to compete globally?

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• Marketing - Microsoft needs to up their marketing budget for non-US territories.
• Availability - The next Xbox needs to launch world wide same day.
• Price - The price needs to be a 1:1 conversion of the US price (or even cheaper in some areas imo).
• Features - The next Xbox needs to have all features available day 1 for all territories. There doesn't need to be features that are only available in the US or major western countries.

 

[Mudo]

curious if this massive lead Sony has will continue in next gen. they have the popularity on their side and are pretty solid with the games lineup and advertising too this gen.

but they've also been lame as shit in terms of console features and their services. Microsoft been doing a much better job of their infrastructure (xbox games pass, backwards compatibility, UHD Discs in their upgraded console etc.). I really hope Sony doesn't continue to rest on its laurels and actually considers upgrading PSN and their console features in the future.

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All I can say is if they don't get on board with Crossplay, and get a real backward compatibility solution, then MS is going to start next gen in a stronger position. For BC, MS has been investing time and work into it for years and at this point it's just incredible. I feel like if Sony does start giving a shit, they will be years behind the curve. I really dislike PS NOW and it is NOT a sufficient solution for PS1/2 much less PS3/4 BCgoing forward.

Arrogant Sony - you can just watch them go in waves through the generations it's sorta crazy. All that said I love my XBOX and PS4 for different reasons and MS turning up the heat can only be a good thing for gamers.

 

[BillyMays]

Mods aren't gonna change the title ? Since it's super misleading

 

[Starlatine]

• Marketing - Microsoft needs to up their marketing budget for non-US territories.
• Availability - The next Xbox needs to launch world wide same day.
• Price - The price needs to be a 1:1 conversion of the US price (or even cheaper in some areas imo).
• Features - The next Xbox needs to have all features available day 1 for all territories. There doesn't need to be features that are only available in the US or major western countries.

Click to shrink...

What xbox console feature is only avaliable for US or major western countries?

Bing rewards is not a console feature

 

[ps3ud0]

Actual NPD sales at end of April 2018.

XB1: ~21.1M

US being 55%: ~38.3m
US being 60%: ~35.1m
US being 65%: ~32.5m

For this estimate be true US needs to be lower than 55% of the sales and it wasn't at launch neither it is today when US is UP YoY whike rest of the world is DOWN YoY.

I stick with my own estimates that right now XB1 sales are near 35m (it was around 33m at end of 2017)... US sales being a little over 60% of WW sales.

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Pretty much my assumption.

Not a chance RotW has increased its sales compared to US since its launch, much more the opposite...

ps3ud0 8)

 

[grosbard]

What xbox console feature is only avaliable for US or major western countries?

Bing rewards is not a console feature

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I don't know off the top of my head and maybe not any currently. I thought that there were some features not available in all territories when the X1 launched. I could be wrong though.

 

[TitanicFall]

I wonder if total sales for PS4 and XBox One, will get close to PS3 and 360 when comparing a 7 year period. Console gaming is still strong, but it seems like the total numbers to date should be even higher at this point.

 

[gcwy]

So they should finish the gen with 60 million or so. That's pretty good actually.

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Somewhat of an optimistic estimate. I think it'd be lower than that since unknown variables could affect its growth at any time. MS has to keep the current YoY growth consistently for the entire year. I think it'd be more along the lines of >55.

 

[Dizagaox]

This may very well be true, but a good chunk of that could also be down to it being the cheapest 4K Blu-ray player.

 

[RevenantAxe]

Around 40m is respectable install base for games to make profit on.

Ofcourse it looks bad compared to PS.

 

[RevenantAxe]

Wow. Higher than we thought.

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Some people were purposely trying to release low number to make it look bad but Xbox One is great value machine for consumers.

 

[RevenantAxe]

IHS is a publicly listed firm. I dont think they produce misinformation.

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Yes they are listed firm

 

[Hey Please]

That's a very respectable number. Would be interesting to see what percentage of that consists of "X".

Some people were purposely trying to release low number to make it look bad but Xbox One is great value machine for consumers.

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Not when it was launched. It has become a great one now, even the X if one can be had at a small discount.

PS: Would be nice if you stuck all your responses to a single post.

 

[martinstraka8282]

Wow thats more than I thought, good on em!

 

[Precious Tritium]

What xbox console feature is only avaliable for US or major western countries?

Bing rewards is not a console feature

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At launch a lot of the TV stuff only worked in the US.

 

[Anthony Hopkins]

PS5 will surf on PS4 sucess. Pretty much like PS2 did with PSone.

2017 and 2018 is years to forget for xbox, lame first party support. They are doing their homework for next gen, but it will take years for them to catch up with Sony WWS.

Although this gen is over, the next one will be much more interesting, we will have competition once again.

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While brand name does hold some value.
Its whichever brand has has the least negatives, which translates to media image and word of mouth.
Next gen will be a closer battle because MS will not repeat the same mistakes and have a more competitive exclusive line up.
Also unless sony do somthing MS will have the upper hand in services, things like game pass and EA access.

 

[see5harp]

I don't even care about who sold more consoles last gen "launch aligned." The PS3 was a garbage ass system that took over a year to get an OS that was never even on par with a launch day 360 in terms of features. People legit were sending messages using the warhawk invite system which was similarly shitty.

 

[RevenantAxe]

Wow thats more than I thought, good on em!

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Numbers more impressive than Sony and switch for two reasons -

1. They managed to reach 40m even with that disastrous launch

2. Not single console only exclusive. All games on PC and still they somehow convinced 40m people to buy Xbox lol.


I challenge Sony to release all ps games to PC and let's see if u can reach over 50m with PS4 sales. .

 

[opticalmace]

Thanks for posting this.

You know, I think MS has rebounded pretty well from the launch of the XB1. They obviously took a huge wallop this generation but I think they're in a good place going into next gen. The game pass stuff is pretty cool. I haven't bought an XB1 yet but a good sale on the X might convince me.

 

[KrigareN-]

curious if this massive lead Sony has will continue in next gen. they have the popularity on their side and are pretty solid with the games lineup and advertising too this gen.

but they've also been lame as shit in terms of console features and their services. Microsoft been doing a much better job of their infrastructure (xbox games pass, backwards compatibility, UHD Discs in their upgraded console etc.). I really hope Sony doesn't continue to rest on its laurels and actually considers upgrading PSN and their console features in the future.

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Playstation is the most global console brand. I wouldn't be surprised if their sales floor is 40 million.

 

[Knight613]

Numbers more impressive than Sony and switch for two reasons -

1. They managed to reach 40m even with that disastrous launch

2. Not single console only exclusive. All games on PC and still they somehow convinced 40m people to buy Xbox lol.


I challenge Sony to release all ps games to PC and let's see if u can reach over 50m with PS4 sales. .

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What is this lol.

The PS3 launch was basically as disastrous as the Xbox One and Sony still sold 80 million.

Also the Xbox One does still have console only exclusives. It doesn't going forward, but there are still a handful of really good ones.

 

[RevenantAxe]

What is this lol.

The PS3 launch was basically as disastrous as the Xbox One and Sony still sold 80 million.

Also the Xbox One does still have console only exclusives. It doesn't going forward, but there are still a handful of really good ones.

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Console only exclusive ?new ones ? What?


Sony ps3 launch was not as disastrous as XboxOne . Issue with ps3 launch was just price but issue with XboxOne was price, underpowered hardware, NSA using Kinect to spy on people, always online DRM against used games along with really bad brand damaging PR statements by their executives.


Phil saved Xbox from certain death.

 

[Knight613]

Console only exclusive ?new ones ? What?

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Rare Replay, Sunset Overdrive, Halo 5? Those are still console only exclusives. And I said it doesn't going forward but they still have a few that people really like or got an Xbox One for at the time of release.

 

[RevenantAxe]

Rare Replay, Sunset Overdrive, Halo 5? Those are still console only exclusives. And I said it doesn't going forward but they still have a few that people really like or got an Xbox One for at the time of release.

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New ones bro. Come on now there are none. Everything is on PC as well.

 

[Knight613]

New ones bro. Come on now there are none. Everything is on PC as well.

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So what, you think the majority of those Xbox One sales came AFTER Microsoft started putting all their games out on PC too?

 

[B.O.O.M.]

Console only exclusive ?new ones ? What?


Sony ps3 launch was not as disastrous as XboxOne . Issue with ps3 launch was just price but issue with XboxOne was price, underpowered hardware, NSA using Kinect to spy on people, always online DRM against used games along with really bad brand damaging PR statements by their executives.


Phil saved Xbox from certain death.

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ugh this is some revisionist history. PS3 launch was a much bigger disaster than the xbox one. PS3 was coming after PS2, the highest selling home console of all time and PS3 put Sony in the red big time for many years.

 

[ElNino]

Numbers more impressive than Sony and switch for two reasons -

1. They managed to reach 40m even with that disastrous launch

2. Not single console only exclusive. All games on PC and still they somehow convinced 40m people to buy Xbox lol.

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To be fair, they had a number of exclusives (and arguably better than Sony's) at launch. Also, when most PC users are running laptops, I don't think availability of their games on PC has the negative impact that people suggest.