Sony announced today that their Playstation 4 has sold an astounding 5.4 million units as of February 8th. This number is incredible, especially given the fact that Microsoft, the company responsible for the Xbox 360 that dominated last generation’s console war is expected to have sold far under that mark, selling only 3 million Xbox Ones by the end of December, with sales slowing down ever since.
Sony, a Japanese company has yet to release their new gaming machine in their native country of Japan, waiting first to get an idea of how the console would do globally. Well it’s doing quite well, far ahead of the expected 5 million consoles Sony predicted it would sell by the end of March. And with more numbers coming in, the PS4 is at last to be launched in Japan in less than a week, on February 22nd. One has to think that if George Washington were still alive today, that he’d be demanding his staff acquire him a Playstation 4 for his birthday on the same day (OK, maybe I’m stretching a bit with that one).
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“I am thrilled that so many customers around the globe have continued to select the PS4 as the best place to play”, an elated Andrew House, chief executive of gaming operations was quoted as saying. It would seem that Mr. House’s smile won’t be fading away soon, either. As console sales tend to level out after the initial opening months, meaning it will be a hard road to recovery for Microsoft should they hope to catch their staunch rival in the war that has brought out the best of both companies in the last decade.
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However, when taking into account the profit advantage that the Xbox One enjoys over the PS4 per-sale ($28 vs Sony’s $18, a 64% difference), Microsoft isn’t as behind as one would think, and has plenty of time to change people’s minds. But with a price tag topping $500 after taxes, will the task before Microsoft prove too daunting? As the Xbox One stands to lose money per-sale if prices are dropped even $29, much-less the $100 that most consumers would like to see it level out to.
One thing to keep in mind, though is that not everyone will buy only one of two consoles vying for dominance. Meaning that things could take an interesting turn once those who initially purchased the PS4 start acquiring Xbox Ones, and vice-versa, as there are a multitude of exclusive titles and features that make both systems a must-have for serious gamers world-wide.
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Microsoft has to be sweating these latest projections, but if there’s one thing Microsoft has taught us over the years, it’s that they can surmount any obstacle; having entered into the console fray in 2001 against a company in Nintendo that had sat at the top of the mountain for over a decade, only to topple its Gamecube in sales with their first attempt at a successful console.
What do you think? Is Microsoft doomed? Or is there still time for the company behind the Xbox One to pull a rabbit out of its hat and rebound in this war? Let us know in the comment section below, or start a discussion regarding the war in our new forums! We look forward to seeing what you have to say.