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Microsoft’s Strategy is Actually Working

Microsoft’s Strategy is Actually Working

Congratulations Xbox… you knew what you were doing.

If you were to ask me back in the summer how the upcoming 2014 holiday was going to shake out, I would have easily predicted another easy Sony win. As we saw the year before (and every month since), the PlayStation has become the hot piece of tech that is a must-have for most gamers and the definitive choice of the current hardware generation. Yup, there was no doubt in my mind that Team Blue had it locked down.

And boy would I have been wrong! It seems those behind the big green machine have set their sights on making this Christmas all about them (and have a pretty good start so far). When I heard about the ridiculously priced Assassin’s Creed and Sunset Overdrive bundles, I simply wrote them off as gimmicks. Then, after learning they were offering an additional $100 off for 360 trade-ins, that’s when I realized just how serious Microsoft was this go ‘round. As a result, it’s only taken two short weeks for an upswing to occur. Yusuf Mehdi (who is Corporate VP of Devices at the company) recently took to Xbox’s official blog to tout the positive swing of the sales needle in their favor. “The response to this wave of blockbuster game releases and new bundles has been amazing, and sales have skyrocketed since the new price took effect on Nov. 2. Compared to the previous week, Xbox One sales in the US have more than tripled, which is exciting as more and more friends will be playing together this holiday. As we head into the busy holiday season Xbox One led generation 8 console sales in the US for the past two weeks.  Shortly, we will have sold in to retailers more than 10 million Xbox One consoles.” He said.

But there is one thing I find incredibly confusing about all this. Where the hell is Sony while this craziness is transpiring right under their nose? I figured when Microsoft set out to steal the spotlight away from its rival, gamer’s would see through the tactic as nothing more than a slick ruse (thus keeping the PS4 at the top of the heap). It’s easy to assume that, because of the reputation and name value it brings to the table, the PlayStation would have no problem selling itself (even in the face of their competitor offering a slightly lower price point). The problem is, Black Friday sales have thrown even more fuel on that fire and helped widen the gap between the two in consumer’s minds. When you factor in some of the door-buster deals (like Meijer, Walmart and Target offering gift cards with purchases), the cost of the Xbox One continues to sink like a freakin’ rock, where the PlayStation stands firm at an unattractive $399.99. Naturally bundles featuring the remastered GTA V and The Last of Us certainly look appealing, the cash at the register in comparison to the One simply does not.

Microsoft’s Strategy is Actually Working

What’s so surprising to me is Sony’s sluggish response, as they’ve always had the ability to pivot on a dime. When it comes to industry innovation, this is the group who’ve stayed ahead of the curve in most cases. That’s why it’s odd to see them strangely dragging their feet here. I’m still waiting for a price adjustment of their own to follow in the aftermath, yet nothing seems to be happening on that front. If they continue to stay the course, it’s very likely they’ll lose this round.

It seems the cocky hare has allowed the unassuming tortoise to pass him during the final leg of the console race. Better come up with a better gameplan soon Sony… the finish line is in sight and Microsoft’s victory is at hand.

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