Does it matter that the PS4 outsold the Xbox One in January (by a lot)?

Today was a big day for news. There was the Titanfall beta, Little Mac joining Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS, and a release date for Mario Kart 8, but the biggest bomb ended up being some surprising US sales figures for the last month. January’s NPD results for the states showed that the PS4 was the top seller for the month, with rumors circulating that it nearly doubled the Xbox One’s sales.

[Neoninja]

I don't really think it matters so early into the new generation. I mean we're not even half a year yet. If this was year 2 then I would say it matters, but right now I don't think so. I say congrats to the X1 and PS4. Both in their own way are doing good, and for gamers that's a giant win!

@Abash This is going to sound like a comment from a conspiracy theorist, which I'm not, but how do we actually know they're scarce and it's not a marketing ploy? At the end of the day the goal is to make money and you do it anyway you can. That aside I still think it's to early to really go by sales. Look at the 360/Ps3. Early on the 360 had a nice lead, but the Ps3 caught up even though the 360 had a year head start. Right now they're (360/Ps3) about equal in sales I think. I'm not 100 percent. Last I checked 360 was at 80 million in Oct and Ps3 80 million in Nov. Going off of that is why I say they're about equal in sales.
That's also why I believe early sales don't matter. Over the coarse of a consoles life cycle you'll have games that influence sales, special deals, and price drops. That goes for both sides. So like I said above if this were year 2 and not just a few months in my opinion would be different.

I sense a plethora of disagrees coming my way. It's all good though. I just hope all sales lead to good games regardless of what you game on.

[Abash]

It definitely matters. The PS4 is scarcely available and pretty much selling itself, while the Xbox One is being promoted heavily with a plethora of advertisements and not selling nearly as well as the PS4

[Kayant]

Add to that multi-plat are essentially what is selling PS4 right now compared to XB1 which has a broader range of retail exclusives. I have asked this a lot what happens when they announce the big hitters? That gap only gets harder for them to catch up.

"how do we actually know they're scarce and it's not a marketing ploy" - If you looked online you could see PS4 was not as readily available as XB1 in fact if you check now it's not in stock in most places now whilst Xb1 is available almost everywhere. This is also echoed by people in the comments. It simply was not as easy to get as a XB1.

http://www.nowinstock.net/v...
http://www.nowinstock.net/v...

The only thing that can get XB1 back on track IMO now is a price drop because TF is not going to help MS that much, there are hints that Halo 5 is indeed not this year.

[Eonjay]

The people that report on gaming news are so far removed from the average consumer that they are beginning to look foolish. They want to perpetuate a console war by overexposing exclusives but in reality, people just want to play games. They don't have to play certain games to be considered a "real gamer" nor do they have to make a purchasing decision based on hype.

[otherZinc]

@Abash,

That's not true at all. SONY was advertising the PS4 during the NBA Playoffs last year, M$ didn't run 1 commercial till fall.

And no, January nor February matters as they will be even again or M$ will lead after March NPDs when TitanFall releases. This is the same hype you were claiming when the PS4 won November, only to have the XBOX ONE win in December.

This is going to happen until PS4 owners realize they actually have no exclusives to play, nor any blockbusters arriving in 2014.

It's a long way to go.

[theXtReMe1]

I agree with Abash. It is pretty telling when a system you can't find is outselling a system that is commonly available. There are no less than 10 Xbox One systems sitting in my local Walmart, while I've never once seen a PS4 on the shelves.

I think that Sony succeeded in advertising their systems power advantage. Which, by sales numbers, seems to indicate gamers care about more than Microsoft wants you to believe. I don't think that their unveil did them any favors either, by advertising the Xbox Ones multimedia capabilities and leaving gamers feeling as if games were now less of a priority.

While Sony pushed their system as a Games machine, by gamers, for gamers. It also helps that Sony has a bunch of first party hits on their hands. Something that Microsoft seems to be shying away from, by selling or dissolving all of their first party studios.

Microsoft has been on the defensive since there unveil, and I don't think any sort of press is really going to pull them out of it. I believe they know they screwed up by making their system more multimedia oriented and are doing to best to cover their tracks and make the best out of a bad situation. I wouldn't doubt seeing Microsoft release a new game system in the next four or five years, a lot sooner than they had originally planned, to combat Sony's advantage and bring gamers back over to the Xbox brand. It's either that or offer an upgraded version of the system, which would leave the original adopters with a less powerful alternative. Basically, like the PC market.

Whatever they do, they are in a bind. Competition is always good for the game industry, but I think Microsoft rested on their laurels with the next generation of their brand and weren't taking gamers and gaming seriously enough. It's only going to be by financial loss that they see the error of their ways. Unfortunately, Xbox gamers are some of the most passionate in the industry and I think that alone will probably pull Microsoft through and make them a hefty profit, enough to make themselves feel like they did just fine and the original negativity was just corporate backlash for their success, from their competition.

I'm still a firm believer that Microsoft got into the games market only as a way to Trojan horse their way into Apples multimedia profits. They tried in the tablet market and failed, tried in the phone market and failed, tried in the media device market and failed. The only way they saw as an in was the one market where Apple wasnt. By gaining gamers trust and brand loyalty, they could slowly but surely introduce multimedia into the game environment and slowly convert gamers into digital multimedia loyalists, breaking into the iPad and iPod market through a back door and taking away some of the market share that Apple all but wholly owns. But... I think with the Xbox One unveil, they showed all their cards too soon and gamers called them on it. Seeing that Microsofts futures lied not in games, but in home automation and digital multimedia distribution via their Live services. Games were now not the focus. Which is why Sonys system is now a new home for many Xbox brand refugees, like me.

Let's just hope, like Sony, that Microsoft learns from its mistakes this generation and brings an incredible machine for the next. If there is a next.

[LostDjinn]

http://www.gamesradar.com/x...
It sure seemed to matter then Abash. Even given the fact they admit the figures are just rumor.

Oh there's nothing like the smell of hypocrisy.

[devwan]

@Neoninja Of course it matters. Sony bumped up ps4 stock via air freight, leaving us expecting January to be slower than the usually slow January (it wasn't until the end of the month before any serious amount of stock came through the regular channels).

Microsoft didn't take advantage of this with their freely available stock. In fact, their channel stuffing in order to "win" December only exacerbated a very slow January's sales.

And now we're in the era of Xbox*

...

*Xbox family

Which was previously something they've never had to resort to.

@otherZinc Looks like you're going for a touch of heart over head stuff there. It's difficult to see a March explosion of xboxone hardware sales... a bump, sure, but nothing earth-shattering seems on the cards when you take all factors into consideration, but this isn't the place for that discussion.

[medman]

Sure it doesn't matter...some fools were quick to point to Microsoft "outselling" Sony WHEN THE PS4 WAS SOLD OUT AT RETAIL AND NOT AVAILABLE IN DECEMBER!!!!! See otherzinc above for the type of misinformed individual I'm talking about. So the xbone actually sold more consoles on those days and Microsoft pointed it out. Now all of a sudden when they start to get buried it suddenly isn't important and they try to make it seem like they aren't getting their arses kicked by grouping sales for all xbox systems and games together? And some of the less intelligent can't seem to discern that. Talk about dazed and butthurt.

[Plasticgearsolid]

yes

[DanielGearSolid]

Cool username

[B-radical]

MS wont care just as long as its turning in a profit

[thrust]

I do not care because titanfall is only on one of them

[Eonjay]

Do you even like Titanfall or do you just want it because its not on the PS4. Honestly, if they announced today that the game was coming to PS4, I bet there would never be another article about the game before it released.

[medman]

Titanfall will be forgotten completely once Sony reveals their wonders at E3. #Truth hurts #Best first party developers on the planet Hell, TitanFall may be forgotten by Sony gamers when the embargo on The Order:1886 lifts next week. Then xbots will truly see what a next gen "exclusive" is supposed to look like. A true exclusive. Not just one available on multiple systems including pc (which will be the superior version) and 360. It's hard for me to understand how some folks get so bent out of shape for a game that is multiplayer only and filled with bots. Doesn't make any sense. Give me a story and get out of my way. My enjoyment of a game should not be determined by bots or the online community and players who often go out of their way to destroy the experience for others online by cheating, glitching, and twerking on their controllers.

[chrissx]

It matters because it shows that sony has set the standard of what next gen gaming should be like

[Stedron]

It mattered in 2006,2007 why would it not matter in 2014??

[Megaton]

When is Sony's success going to start to matter to GamesRadar? They've been pretty determined to undermine and downplay the beating Sony has been laying on Microsoft since launch.

[OrangePowerz]

It will matter to MS being outsold bybquite a lot by a console that has limited stock on their home turf.

I hope that this continues and pushes MS to release a kinect less cheaper SKU since this is the requirement for me before I buy one.

[MasterCornholio]

It just proves that demand isnt slowing down for the system which is an extremely good thing to see.

22/02/2014

[D-riders]

yeah last gen everyone was talking how games are being made for xbox and the ps3 getting a port so hell yeah it matters. and its not so much that it matters for sony vs MS it matter more that MS numbers are shit right now.

[HomerJDog]

does it matter that xbox sold more software than sony

[Godmars290]

It should.

More so because when the 360 was selling great, it seemed to be a big deal.

[LexHazard79]

I'll answer this ? at end of yr. I know PS4 selling very well and the gap is only gonna get bigger. But I just want to get an overall picture of Xbox brand when its finally released in all regions! Im expecting xbox to do maybe half of what Xbox 360 sold and PS4 surpassing PS3 numnbers easily!

The numbers should def make MS nervous!

[jacksjus]

In the end yes it does matter.

In Sony's case the larger the user base the more investment risk they are willing to take moving forward.

In MS' case being behind will force them to make sacrifices in order to keep up.

Competition is always good. If people didn't complain MS wouldn't make the effort to alleviate those complaints.

I expect great things from both companies moving forward.

[Shane Kim]

If it matters? Did it matter 8 years ago whit all the PS3 are doomed articles?

Revenge is freaking sweet, and I'm going to make sure all the bots know it matters.

[Godmars290]

No, this is freaking confusing all the more because circumstances have changed and the supposed "neutral" gaming journalist community is showing obvious bias.

I mean they're suppose to be about consumer trust but are only exposing themselves to be little more than advertisers. Their opinions ad integrity not only for sale but prejudging even before that.

[NeoTribe]

It matters to investors. Fact.