Video game industry analyst for Niko Partners, Daniel Ahmad, says the current install base for the PlayStation 4 is a massive 91.6 million units. At least a year before the 9th generation is introduced, the PS4 has already surpassed the whole-life shipments of the PS3 and Xbox 360. Sony may even be pushing towards 100 million units before the PS5 is launched. As for the Xbox One, Ahmad says the console has shifted 41 million units. That is far from impressive considering the Xbox 360 shifted 81 million units. Microsoft has made a lot of good decisions in recent years but has paid a price for a frankly shoddy launch window for the Xbox One. At the time of its launch six years ago, Microsoft attempted to sell the Xbox One as a do-it-all living room box. Some dodgy decisions alienated gamers, who flocked to the more straightforward PS4. The PS4 was $100 cheaper than the Xbox, which Microsoft sold with the ill-fated Kinect bundled.
Mixed Strategy
Microsoft has done a lot right to correct the situation in recent years. Indeed, I have often said Microsoft has been innovating far more this generation. Perhaps those technological leaps will help the company win the 9th generation. It is worth noting, Ahmad’s numbers may not be complete accurate. However, it has been clear from the beginning of this generation that the PS4 has vastly outsold the Xbox One. Not least because Microsoft has declined to publish its sales figures while Sony has been all to happy to release data. As for Nintendo, the company started this generation in free-fall as the Wii U failed to connect with gamers. However, Nintendo has since bounced back with the hugely popular Switch.
