Do you know what’s happening in the PlayStation Store this week, to welcome all those new console owners who picked a PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, or PlayStation Vita up over the holidays? If you guessed a huge sale, you’d be right. Sony’s running an Essentials Sale, with tons of great games at good prices. Do you know what Microsoft’s doing to welcome all the new Xbox One owners to the Xbox Store? Nothing, really. It wrapped up its outreach last week.
It’s indicative of a disturbing and outdated trend on Microsoft’s part. The Xbox 360 and Xbox One storefronts don’t do a very good job of luring people in with deals. There are sales from time to time, sure. From week to week, we get a handful of Deals with Gold or Everyday Values , but they’re never as bright, shiny, or enticing as offers from other online retailers. Microsoft can’t compete. The Xbox Store had its 17 day Countdown deal from December 22 to January 7, but that hardly compares to Sony’s three week event in December, which has been followed by a week of Essentials.
Especially since the usual Sony sales often outclass the Microsoft ones. If you own a PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, or PlayStation Vita, you’re ready at a moment’s notice when Friday rolls around, because there’s a good chance of a Flash Sale. Flash Sales mean a great assortment of game at ridiculous prices. Even better ones, if you have PlayStation Plus. Microsoft needs to offer the same.
Sony’s actions aren’t an anomaly, either. Steam constantly has a running list of Midweek Madness titles, to lure people to the distributor. GOG holds impromptu sales. Even the Nintendo eShops are pretty good about having at least one or two major games on sale every Thursday, and Nintendo typically trails behind other retailers when it comes to online offerings.
It isn’t just about benefitting customers either. These sales bring people into the online storefront. It givesthem an excuse to log in and browse. They might end up spending more time looking through the catalog and spending cash. Microsoft would benefit from bigger, more publicized events.
The Xbox Store is a great place. It’s well-organized and has a lot to offer. Microsoft needs to do a better job of making it more enticing. There needs to be more buzz surrounding it. It needs to follow Sony’s, and even Valve’s, lead and work on providing more sale opportunities for shoppers.