170°

Can, And Will, The Xbox One Catch Up To The PS4?

Currently in the gaming industry there are three observations that you can make about the 3 major consoles. One is breathtaking, one is embarrassing, and the other is sad. The success of Sony’s new PlayStation 4 is breathtaking. The suffering sales of the Wii U are sad. But the observation that this piece will focus on is the embarrassing first months of the Xbox One.

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nextingaming.com
AGaryColemanClone4127d ago (Edited 4127d ago )

Nope.

The PS4 is outselling the Xbox One worldwide by their current Japan sales alone of 65k/week 260k/month.

The PS4 is around 6.4 to 6.5 million worldwide now.

The PS4 outsold the Xbox One 2-1 last month in the US.

The PS4 is outselling the Xbox One 5-1 in Europe.

While the Xbox One was only at 3 million sold at the end of 2013 and only sold 140k in the US in January, some very small amount in Europe and none in Japan putting its current installed base at maybe 3.3 million at most.

The PS4 is selling at a rate of roughly 1 million a month right now while stores everywhere are constantly sold out with new stock getting sold almost immediately.

The PS4 is on track to hit 10 million worldwide around May this year. And can easily reach the 17-18 million range by the end of 2014.

The Xbox One right now will have a hard time even reaching 5 million sold by the end of 2014.

None of this should be shocking to anyone. I don't know how many people have talked about over the past few years about how the next Xbox wouldn't have the luxury of the RRoD to massively inflate sales and anyone expecting it to do much better than the first Xbox was in for a harsh dose of reality.

Abash4127d ago

I don't think so really, MS can do big and expensive things to try and get the Xbox One off the shelves but it wont stop the PS4 from selling so incredibly well.

Drewidian4127d ago (Edited 4127d ago )

The Xbox One has far greater market reaching potential than the PS4 for a number of reasons, but for time sake I'm going to keep it short. Any one of these uses could push the Xbox One over the PS4 and have it outsell it.

First.... MS could/should partner with cable and satellite companies to sell subsidized Xbox Ones for say $99 down on a 2 year contract with free Xbox Live Gold and Halo 5 (I think we will see this happen in the fall). Why? Because everyone wins. The cable companies are loosing the cord cutting war and have tried everything under the sun to stop it, but many are just leaving anyway. The TV audience is just a much bigger audience than the console gamer market is. If MS did this not only would they see huge numbers of customers being pulled into the ecosystem, but they could see use of Skype, Windows, Windows Phone and Onedrive skyrocket. For us gamers, there is going to be a Halo TV show in the fall. Imagine winning or even just placing in the top 5 and having YOUR Spartan show up in the TV show with your tag! Instant Immortality. There's more but I'm going to move on.

Second... MS could partner with schools for distance learning and even just build a program where not only could you get tutoring around the world via Skype, but earn real college credits and earn a degree without having to step a foot onto a campus. If they partnered with a Major University and you could attend lectures/classes and even ask questions to the presenter while taking notes on your Surface, it could revolutionize education by bringing the classroom into your living room. $500 is a small price for this kind of access.

Third.... Partner with a national Gym chain like LA Fitness and build exercise routines where a personal trainer can work out with you privately or in a Skyped Group class. Schedule it for any time of the day and have the personal trainer be able to look over your data, provide live motivation, and even make live recommendations without having to leave your living room. A number of people I know just don't like going to the gym. They could even offer the same subsidy deal as the cable companies. Add Fitbit or other device compatibility and you can get that data incorporated as well, which could be added to the next option...

Fourth... Partner with the VA to offer Physical therapy to injured Veterans. A nurse could make a house call to an injured vet, take readings, upload them with her surface, have a doctor look over it and call them via Skype to answer questions. Hell partner with any hospital system to provide the same service at homes for those post surgery or elderly patients who need to talk with a nurse if they need more close attention. If there is a problem call the hospital's helpdesk. Again paid for by your health insurance once it is listed as a medical device.

There's a number of other ideas, but any one of these could tilt the Xbox One in number of sales and once those sales are there, there's no reason to believe that the developers won't make apps and services that can do any of the things listed above. None of which the PS4 can do as well if at all.

The point is that this can fit into a broader community lifestyle and not just gamers. Will it and should it do gaming? Yes, can it do a ton of things else that the PS4 can't do and potentially reach a much broader audience??? Yes.

I know this will get a ton of disagrees and down bubble votes, but if you disagree, say why. I will read every comment and where I can I will reply. I will agree MS doesn't have the best track record on fulfilling visions or the promise of any tech they have produced, but I still see the Xbox One as having a lot of potential.

PONTIAC08G8GT4127d ago

Do you just cut and paste the same comments all over? Second time I've read this same response.

On topic, no, the X1 won't catch the PS4, but so what? Why do they need to sell evenly?

"Have a hard time reaching 5 million sold by end of 2014." Seriously? You seriously believe that? Closing in on 4 million and we are in March, not to mention the Titanfall bundle that will move systems, and the slew of exclusives. If Halo makes it out in 2014, that's going to add to hardware sales. From March until the end of the year, to reach 5 million sold they would have to average 100,000 a month. Going to surpass that when the games start to roll out. Plus I believe the X1 launches in additional countries this year.

VENOMACR12274127d ago

Yup, I read his same post in another article.

@GaryColeman, I hope you aren't responsible for predicting company yearly forecasts. Your assuming the numbers stay the same and no games come out. Both systems are going to increase in sales as games come out. The PS4 is going to run away with this generation but that doesn't mean the Xbox One is going to be bad. Over 3.5 million systems sold in 3 months ain't bad. Problem is, PS4 is over 6 million. By the end of the year, one system or possibly both might have a price cut so that will increase sales. To say they will have a hard time hitting 5 million is absurd.

Mikelarry4127d ago

the xbox one isn't doing so great now but personally i will wait till after e3 before i can say whether to abandon ship

GamersHeaven4127d ago

No chance Sony has this generation on lock down.

Neonridr4127d ago

No, I don't think the Xbox One will sell as much as the PS4. But then again I don't think it has to in order to be successful. The Wii sold more than the 360 or PS3 did but that didn't necessarily mean the console was better, just that it was more popular.

The Xbox One still has some great games coming out for it, and sales will definitely improve. E3 is a chance for MS to generate a lot of buzz for their machine. Maybe show people why it wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up their console.

But that being said, Sony is just killing it right now with the PS4. They made a lot of mistakes with the PS3 and it just seems like everything they are doing is based on really smart decisions. And this says a lot coming from me since I only recently joined the Sony family back in November.

But there is no reason why both machines can't be successful and have a healthy future in this generation of gaming.

Mikelarry4127d ago

this is the second common sense comment you have made today. STOP IT!!

Neonridr4127d ago

lol.. I got a fever! And the only prescription... is more cowbell!

mmcglasson4127d ago

I wouldn't say the Wii was more popular, it just attracted a much wider market. Especially people that thought they could lose a ton of weight and get in shape playing the Wii (it's called a gym lol). It also attracted older (elderly) people for physical therapy purposes. For most gamers (besides younger games) it sat and collected dust after the newness wore off.

Sony has been top dog every generation since the PlayStation brand came out. Last generation was a close battle between the X360 and the PS4 (PS4 pulling ahead at the end). The PS3 will continue to be on store shelves for years (just like the PS2).
People also forget PS3 came out an entire year after the X360 and still passed it in sales World Wide. Yes, Nintendo did beat the PS3 in console sales with the Wii but they weren't in the same market. The N64 was the same market as the original PlayStation, the Gamecube was in the same market as the PS2/Xbox, the Wii was not in the same market at the PS3/X360.

Neonridr4127d ago (Edited 4127d ago )

well by definition of what you just said, the Wii was in fact more popular. Because people of certain demographics that wouldn't normally purchase video games did so. There was more appeal to the Wii because of its perceived "ease of use".

And the Wii was still a video game console, no matter how you break it down, so it was in competition with the PS3 and 360. Are you now going to say that the Wii U isn't in competition with the XB1 or PS4?

GameSpawn4127d ago

"For most gamers (besides younger games) it sat and collected dust after the newness wore off."

Yep. It did for me. The only game for my Wii that actually saw some serious playtime was Super Paper Mario (fun as hell). I played Galaxy for a while and even tried to get into Galaxy 2, but both lost their lust very quickly in comparison to SPM. I even tried to give Smash Bros. multiple goes, but it didn't have the same fun-factor Melee had.

For at least 2 years now my Wii has just been sitting there doing nothing. All it has is the slim chance I'll catch nostalgia fever and want to go back and play the few Wii games I have for it.

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260°

AMD CEO Shares Vision Behind Xbox Partnership and Next-Gen Chip Roadmap

AMD CEO Lisa Su talks about the Xbox AMD partnership, next-gen Ryzen + Radeon chips, and AI rendering tech coming to all Xbox devices.

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clouddosage.com
Obscure_Observer4d ago

AMD is really building hype around their unique partnership with Microsoft to help and build an advanced and seamless Xbox ecosystem across all Xbox consoles and devices.

I wonder what she meant by "full roadmap of gaming optimized chips" though? Seems ambitious.

Next year´s Xbox Showcase already looks promising and exciting. Here´s hoping they deliver.

InUrFoxHole4d ago

They had best show 3yrs in a row. Heading for another

VenomUK3d ago

Obscure_Observer said “I wonder what she meant by "full roadmap of gaming optimised chips" though? Seems ambitious.” To me, I interpret this to mean rather than having a couple of X/S products for launch and a handheld there is a longer term plan to release new products with higher specs at timed intervals. I’m speculating of course, but this could mean a spec bump every year or two, so that even if the PS6 or Steam Deck Home is released a year after ‘Xbox’ Microsoft can release an updated model that has a higher spec.

Agent753d ago

But Microsoft forgot the games.

KwietStorm_BLM3d ago

It's X3D chips for console. Everyone knows this. And it's been rumored in the PS6 forever.

Ganif3d ago

Correct.

"Sony's PlayStation 6 reportedly will feature an AMD semi-custom APU with a Zen 5 CPU and UDNA GPU, capable of 4K 120FPS and 8K 60FPS gaming. The console will include X3D cache and advanced AI upscaling technology."

https://www.tweaktown.com/n...

Obscure_Observer3d ago

"It's X3D chips for console. Everyone knows this. And it's been rumored in the PS6 forever."

I doubt that AMD´s CEO would waste her time making this huge and important partnership announcement over a tech that will be 7 years old by the those next gen consoles will be released.

Notellin3d ago

You should have just lead this comment with the fact that you have zero understanding of technology in the consoles and instead have a Toms Hardware online forum level of education.

Obscure_Observer15h ago

"It's X3D chips for console. Everyone knows this. And it's been rumored in the PS6 forever"

I´d told you were on some bs

https://www.pcgamesn.com/wp...

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 15h ago
Agent753d ago

But Microsoft forgot the games

Obscure_Observer3d ago

@VenomUK

"I’m speculating of course, but this could mean a spec bump every year or two, so that even if the PS6 or Steam Deck Home is released a year after ‘Xbox’ Microsoft can release an updated model that has a higher spec."

Very interesting theory. Still not sure how MS would actually make it work.

KwietStorm_BLM3d ago

"I doubt that AMD´s CEO would waste her time making this huge and important partnership announcement over a tech that will be 7 years old by the those next gen consoles will be released."

How old is the tech in consoles? It's not a huge announcement. It's marketing and you know it is.

Obscure_Observer2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

"How old is the tech in consoles? It's not a huge announcement. It's marketing and you know it is."

Dude, what I know for certain is that a tech as old as X3D chips which is actually *older* than both PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, is hardly the reason behind this new partnership between AMD and MS to build new *custom silicon* for next generation of consoles.

And yes it´s a huge announcement since AMD is working closely with MS to co-develop custom SoC which will allow backwards compatibility across all MS´s next gen devices allowing seamless integration between devices and full backwards compatibility across all generations of Xbox consoles.

I also know is that this announcement don´t have anything to do with Playstation and their strategy with AMD for the PS6, so stop comparing the two pretending that you know what´s going on, because you clearly don´t.

If Sony is working on something remotely similar, that´s remain to be seen.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 15h ago
Fishy Fingers4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Some odd, deliberate wording, no branding, not 'Xbox consoles, Xbox handhelds' specifically, feels and sounds like they're building towards hardware that anyone can be used or licensed to/by themselves and other manufacturers.

Multiplatform software and hardware 'Xbox/AMD APU'.

Obscure_Observer4d ago

I guess you missed Sarah Bond´s next generation Xbox announcement this week, were she clearly states:

"I´m thrilled to share that we´ve established a strategic multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices, including, *our* next generation *Xbox consoles*."

But hey, I don´t think you´re entirely wrong, maybe MS will build their own Xbox consoles while licencing other manufactures to build and sell their own Xbox branded consoles. Who knows

BeHunted4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I think you watched the wrong video. It's below the description, or you can watch it directly on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/kprpRvsOua...

HyperMoused4d ago

Shares vision....we provide chips for money, this deal will sell many chips, we will make lots of money...good vision

Christopher4d ago

The marketing behind this is so heavy that I worry about the actual outcome. Why are they just not showing us the product, why all this talking in market speak?

Lightning774d ago

Probably because the next xbox isn't ready to release yet?

The marketing and rumors seem to be heavy out of no where. The rumor was a 27 release but it maybe it could be 26 new console launch instead.

Who knows.

Eonjay3d ago

There PR is alrways super heavy handed. No one is acutally buying an Xbox as is.
Also it is very early to be talking so much about a next gen console.

Obscure_Observer3d ago

There´s a lot of people interested on Xbox Next and its ability to run games from major stores like Steam.

We know that the PS6 is just around the corner as well, but so far, no news on what it might improve over the PS5 or PS5 Pro.

However, Sony already made public that their priority and actual focus is the PS6. So its not "very early" to talk about next gen when the very console manufactures are talking about it.

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210°

Activision Forces Adverts into Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Warzone Loadouts

With the launch of Call of Duty Season 4, Activision quietly put adverts inside loadouts for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, sparking a backlash in the process.

23d ago
23d ago
lukasmain23d ago

Putting Ads in a pay-to-play Premium title? Well done Microsoft. Well done /s This is really scummy.

jjb198122d ago

This game will never change because these sweatlords love buying up all the skins and bundles that become obsolete the following year. They're the ones perpetuating Activision's greed.

VenomUK21d ago

If Microsoft introduces adverts into its other games I hope it can do them without disrupting the immersion of the game world. So for example in the new Fable game it would look out of place if there was a billboard advertising Cadillacs.

A far better way to do it would be to have a wizard conjure a 'dream cloud' in front of your character and then in the cloud you can see the Cadillac car and see the text with price and availability and hear a booming sales voice promoting the car. That would work so well as it wouldn't be a billboard and completely, 100%, fit in with your character's adventuring in Albion. Doesn't that sound so much better?!

crazyCoconuts21d ago

@venom, or how about our of 100 farts in Albion, 1 of them has a Cadillac pop out

VenomUK21d ago

@crazyCoconuts That’s undeniably off-beat - but it could really work!

22d ago
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410°

Xbox's first-party handheld has been sidelined

Xbox's handheld ambitions continue unabated, but the focus is shifting towards improving Windows 11 for third-party handhelds — for now. The Xbox Series X 'Melrose' successor is safe, with development continuing at full pace.

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windowscentral.com
25d ago
25d ago
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shadowT25d ago

Is there really a market for handhelds next to mobile?

Vits24d ago

If they run the same games as the main home console, then yeah, sure.
But if they need specially tailored games just for them? Probably not, unless there isn't a home console for comparison (see Switch).

RaidenBlack24d ago (Edited 24d ago )

I am kinda low-key happy this happened.
Dont want another Series S situation (games to be designed from 4 to 12TF scale and not 10 to 12TF).
Hope PS follows suit as well. Tablet SKU sharing with console for 10th gen, will just continue the cross gen -esque development/design phase/nature.
Want a proper 20+ only TF rasterized next-gen plz (+ frame-gen and the lot).
If anybody wants to continue the cross-gen, the Series S|X, PS5 will remain for that. And Switch 2, if you gotta go even lower in the TF range.

ABizzel124d ago

Yes and No. All of the PC handhelds combined have struggled to sell 7 million units, which would be a flop for any “console”. So the market is extremely niche because of price and target market (the informed hardcore gamer / casuals aren’t picking these up).

These handheld PCs are $500 or more, and offer at best Xbox Series S performance levels, so it’s best for MS specifically to just partner with ASUS, instead of investing millions if not billions.

Sony can make their own with custom AMD hardware due to their partnership, and stronger global brand for hardware. But even then it brings the question, of being a lower resolution PS5, and what does that mean for PS6 cross-gen (likely another generation where the first 3 - 4 years are just upgraded last-gen games).

Kosic24d ago

Imagine a Wii U style console, where the tablet doesn't rely on the console it's self, you download the game on the console under the TV and play in 4k glory, then you can remote play, get some unique game features if using both console and handheld in tandem. Then you can download the games in 720-1080p to play on the go, continue your progress, and continue on the TV when you get back.

Sony could get away with this due to exclusives, and that would be a reason for sales. Look at the portal.

I can picture seeing new hardware having some sort of GPU dock, where the handheld runs 1080p, and the dock has additional hardware to bring in 4k/60 specs.

I do think handheld gaming is going to be a strong future, imagine Nintendo release a new upgraded GPU dock for the Switch 3, every 2 years. More frames, sharper graphics on the same game for an extra £150 for a dock with a built in GPU chip. Console cycles doesn't have to be renewed, just the hardware can be improved by them reselling docks to us again and again with small/yearly upgrades like mobile phones.

GamerRN24d ago

Did you just imply that Sony can make a better stronger handheld than Microsoft? You do realize we are talking about Microsoft, the tech giant, right? If Microsoft can't make one that's cost effective, Sony definitely can't...

Brand and market share means nothing when you are a trillion dollar company

ABizzel123d ago

@GamerRN

It has nothing to do with what company can do it, or what company can spend.

For anyone taking a basic business class there is a term called ROI, and Xbox home consoles are selling at an all time low, meaning their ROI on a handheld is a risk that doesn’t make sense, even if they can afford it. Businesses are there to make money and it doesn’t make sene for MS to invest in a handheld that’s a companion device when their current home consoles they’ve spent 20 years working on are at an all time-low, when they can invest with little risk with what ASUS already has to offer.

This is why Sony can build a better device, because they have less risk involved, meaning they can invest more in their own product, and they already have an exclusive partnership with AMD on creating features and hardware. So in this specific case, YES Sony can built a better handheld, due to custom hardware, customer tools, low level APIs, compared to an off the shelf product running Windows or a Window Xbox kernel =.

TheEroica24d ago

I play steam deck primarily... Don't play consoles or mobile. The deck covers it all.

badz14924d ago

@shadowT

The Switch is a handheld, so will the Switch 2. what are you on about?

Cacabunga23d ago

To run native games offline? Anytime

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 23d ago
CrashMania24d ago

Funny to see the alt already damage controlling and having a meltdown with multiple accounts in the comments already.

Sad for MS if true, a dedicated handheld would go down a lot better than a rog ally 2 with an Xbox sticker on it I think.

crazyCoconuts24d ago

It couldn't have succeeded for a number of reasons. Now they've retreated to the Windows front and trying to keep that relevant for gaming. How long before Windows Central realizes there won't be a real console successor to Series X either?

Lightning7724d ago

Except there is. That project is reportedly full speed ahead.

Outside_ofthe_Box24d ago

@Lighting77

So was the handheld until today...

Lightning7724d ago

@outside obviously not since they sidelined it and they wanna see how the Asus does. Are you saying they're gonna cancel the next console?

crazyCoconuts24d ago

@lightning - I'm admittedly trying to box you in here - Do you think the next Xbox console will have Steam on it?

Outside_ofthe_Box24d ago (Edited 24d ago )

@Lightning

Here we go with having to spell everything out.

If I told you yesterday that Xbox was going to sideline the handheld console what would your response have been? Probably something along the lines of "I doubt that since Phil has been talking about it for some time now"

My point is just because they are "full speed" ahead now does not mean that will not change in future. As we have seen with the handheld. Do you understand what I'm trying to say now?

Lightning7724d ago (Edited 24d ago )

Box me in? No you said the same thing you've always been saying for years now. Those are the rumors to have Steam integration.

What about it

If you told me they were gonna cancel it tomorrow it would nothing more than fanboy talking points. I only wait for credible sources not what someone else says.

Also this is the handheld not a full blown new console. The Asus is yet to release and they're waiting to see how that thing does. Critical thinking is my strong suit you should try it some time if you can. But Ok cool well you hang your hat on that I guess. Main New console is gonna get cancelled even though the handheld is a different marketing device than the main the console itself.

__y2jb24d ago

I think there is a 75% chance there will not be another Xbox. There is zero reason to buy one now. No way it can possibly sell more than 10m units after Xbox went third party.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 24d ago
BLow24d ago

That's what they do. Goalposts shift like the wind.

I'm really confused on why they are making a "first party" device and also have a Rog Ally with their sticker on it. Make this make sense. How is their own device going to be any different?

Your console doesn't sell and they expect a handheld to?

RaidenBlack24d ago (Edited 24d ago )

The Rog Ally one is gen agnostic ... as you deciphered, it was to be the updated Rog Ally but just with Xbox branding. PC handheld with some Xbox features.
The handheld Xbox is/was supposed to be sharing the same gen/ecosystem with the next-gen (10th gen) Xbox. Think Series S but handheld ... it'll run the Xbox OS or whatever the next Xbox will run.
...
As for anybody wondering/confused why MS is doing another Xbox console ... coz mainly its the 10th gen of home consoles next, which started wayy back in 1972 for the 1st gen. And MS wanna be part in it, in the 10th anniversary gen of consoles. If they gotta bow out, they can't do that at 9th i.e just before 10th. They wanna stick around till the 10th or the X-th gen and check what the fuss happens.

Outside_ofthe_Box24d ago

Curious as to what excuses the spam was saying. Because prior to this news, the Xbox handheld was used as proof that Xbox is still committed to the hardware space. This handheld being scraped is not a good sign...

24d ago
Outside_ofthe_Box24d ago (Edited 24d ago )

@Spam
You can replace scrapped with pushed back if you like. It's not a good sign either way.

24d ago
1Victor24d ago

asq3= obscured: “ What’s your source on the handheld being scrapped? “
Read the article from Microsoft own website and one of your favorite quotations site when it’s something bad about Sony.
Oh BTW good luck with your next SPAM account.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 24d ago
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