110°

Could the PlayStation 4 Have Sold Better?

John Finch writes: "The caveat here is that the PlayStation 4 did sell those units while being available in more international markets, but the Xbox One was available in all its usual big hitters, such as the U.S., Europe and Australia. That leads me to believe that even if we adjusted Microsoft’s numbers, it would still be behind. Even more so when we consider the PS4 is still not available in its largest market, Japan. 7.2 million consoles were sold, which bodes well for home consoles as a platform. Those numbers are both impressive and exciting. There are a few things we can take away from these sales numbers."

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spawnfirst.com
miyamoto3756d ago (Edited 3756d ago )

If Sony had the money like M$ does, to crank up PS4 production two folds more there will be no shortage of supply.
I hope Sony uses the money they made during the last two months to crank up PS4 production and supply this January.

M$ has the money to make Xboxes many times over, but does not have the demand the PS4 has. Sony needs to loan some money to make moar PS4s to keep up with the demand because its not good for the chances they are loosing to make more money because tons of boxes are just sitting there taking advantage of the situation.

xX-StolenSoul-Xx3756d ago

That would be nice if their was a bigger supply of consoles.

Hatsune-Miku3756d ago (Edited 3756d ago )

sony has a lot of money and are following a strategy just like theyve planned. the lack of ps4s in shops at the moment is creating more of a demand which will lead to more sales over time for sony.

avengers19783756d ago

They could have sold more if they had them available. They have huge deman, if they made 6 million they could have sold 6 million. PS4 is set to have a huge 2014-2015 provided they can keep up production.

Jdoki3756d ago

@miyamoto

This has nothing to do with Sony having the money to produce more units. As far as I know Sony produce their own devices and can outsource if needed. MS outsource all manufacturing.

Right now the PS4 is in a perfect position. Having demand outstrip supply is a good thing for a business. It creates word of mouth. People want what they can't have. It shows the PS4 is popular and in the news compared to its competitors. And looking at the sales numbers it's pretty clear that the people are waiting for a PS4 instead of buying a more readily available XB1 or WiiU.

Right now, Sony have no reason to massively increase production. They need to stay on track, keep the units flowing and wait for the Japan launch. After that I think we'll start seeing some stability. The only time Sony should consider upping production is if the average wait time for a consumer to get a unit starts to become too long - at the moment it appears to be approx 1-2 months which is fine.

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stuna13756d ago

That's a crazy question to ask! Going by hype alone I still think the PS4 would still be able to push another 1 to 1.5 million before people would start to see the slowdown of associated with normal early adoption buyers, but that's not even taking in the 1.5 to 2 million back orders/pre-orders. If Sony had been able to keep up with production I believe the gap between the Xbox1 and the PS4 would at least be twice as big! Perhaps 2 1/2 times bigger.

Jdoki3756d ago

Exactly.

I believe that shortly after the Japan launch is over we'll start to see stabilisation of stock globally. Sony have to be stockpiling units for that launch which is going to mean less units for every other territory.

It's hard to gauge the numbers they will sell in Japan - conservatively I would hope for at least 500,000 in the first week or so (going by population size and the numbers in other markets). But considering that the XB1 is unlikely to gain any traction in Japan, I could easily see Sony taking a more commanding lead in the sales numbers after the end of Feb

MysticStrummer3756d ago

Sony is obviously not keeping up with demand, so of course PS4 could have sold better…?

Hicken3756d ago

Obvious things and common sense conclusions matter less in the gaming industry than anywhere else I can think of... except maybe school(cuz kids just do dumb stuff).

If the demand for the thing is through the roof, and the supply is far from able to keep up with it, then even if the numbers were just in the hundreds, it's evident that it(whatever IT is; it could be socks) could have sold better.

As has been said for quite some time now, it's hard to sell more when you're out of stock to sell. Yeah, it's outselling the competition by a pretty significant margin- despite many that try to downplay such a lead after less than two full months on the market- and there are pockets here and there of a handful of systems available. But if the product could reach everyone that wanted to buy one right now, that difference would be significantly larger.

MysticStrummer3756d ago

Yeah around launch I was in the Dallas/Ft Worth area of Texas and there were no PS4s around while XB1s were plentiful. Now I'm down in the Austin area and it's still the same story. Sony could have built a much bigger lead by now.

Eonjay3756d ago (Edited 3756d ago )

Microsoft's ability to manufacture more consoles only matters if they can sell more consoles.

Companies have to pay up from for manufacturing costs so they pay attention to demand and try get to a situation where they are only creating systems that retailers will purchase. To much production create a pile of liabilities.

Sony is in a great situation because it can convert its purchased stock into sales at a faster rate than Microsoft as evidenced by both companies global sales totals. Sony can order more supply from the manufacture without worrying about the cost because each unit created is essentially sold before if gets off the assembly line.

It will be within Microsoft's best interest to decrease production to meet current demand. Eventually, Sony will have to do the same thing.

Triella3756d ago (Edited 3756d ago )

Lack of preorders/demand is probably part of the reason why MS lowered their target figures for end of fiscal year of nearly one million.

But still, by the look of it, they are producing a lot more than they can actually sell-through and resort to channel stuffing, although it has never been a problem for MS : they just pour money down the drain, tend to over manufacture their products to pass them off as successes and then store the unsold stock into warehouses. It has been the case with Surface RT 6m tablets unsold : http://www.idownloadblog.co... , with the Zune, with Windows Vista, etc.)

miyamoto3756d ago

So that is why the giant is able to post such "huge" figures. Now I know why. Thanks for the info.

devwan3756d ago

@Eonjay "Sony can order more supply from the manufacture without worrying about the cost because each unit created is essentially sold before if gets off the assembly line."

I don't recall a console launch where, if you missed out on the pre-order, there were pre-orders for later and later batches of release from multiple retailers. Maybe it's just wording and they're technically back-ordered, but managing large lists of potential customers, every bit as big as the original pre-order lists, it seems the demand coming into this new year is still incredible.

wonderfulmonkeyman3756d ago (Edited 3756d ago )

*Looks at their success so far*
The better question is, did they really need to? They're rolling in green as it is.
Even if launch sale momentum doesn't last forever, they still got quite a bit of success out of this launch.

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260°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

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theverge.com
darthv7223h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle10h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18817h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio7h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning772h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga9h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff21838h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga7h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan3h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

romulus232h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv722h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

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purple10112h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos12h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-1h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac11h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10110h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic8h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead2h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

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150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos1d 12h ago (Edited 1d 12h ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers1d 8h ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos17h ago(Edited 17h ago)

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken19h ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g1d 4h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing1d 4h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H91d 4h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola1d ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn6691d 3h ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle1d 3h ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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300°

Microsoft Seemingly Closes Bethesda France

As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people

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insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere1d 19h ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN1d 17h ago

If they are let go, they can be whatever they want. They ARE 3rd party now... 🤦

Barlos1d 14h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN1d 7h ago

They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".

peppeaccardo1d 9h ago

"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)

ChasterMies1d 5h ago

I think Microsoft and other game publishers are letting people go because they think ai will replace them. Doesn’t matter how much profit they make. They were always going to be let go.

PassNextquestion1d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h ago )

Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much

Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region

blacktiger1d 17h ago

that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.

Mr Logic1d 3h ago

What a stupid thing to say. The elites give 0 fucks what we say on an obscure website in the comments section.

Crows901d 2h ago

You can always reach out and give them jobs at your company man. Don't wait

Profchaos1d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h ago )

Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.

I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games

Tacoboto1d 19h ago

It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.

Profchaos1d 18h ago

Possibly guven all the leaks we know the Xbox brand is really struggling in the region.

Yi-Long1d 15h ago

Well, if your consoles and games are barely found in any stores any more, of course you're gonna struggle finding consumers ...

XiNatsuDragnel1d 18h ago

Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo

Profchaos1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers

TheColbertinator1d 17h ago

The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.

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