Man, who knew the console war would end so quickly?
Here we are, closing in on a month since the next-gen war began, and we’re already prepared to declare a winner. Who knew it would be such a clear and decisive victory for Microsoft and its Xbox One? You could certainly call this a come from behind victory (as many projected the PS4 would run away with the opening round in this fight) but it seems that the tortoise in this race just blew past the hare. With recent sales numbers from both Black Friday and launch day, the Xbox One is a true underdog story that has planted its flag atop its fallen opponent. It truly was the “little console that could,” as this upset will forever be remembered in the history books of gaming. Now release the doves.
Did you buy any of that? If you did, CheatCC has some ocean front property we’d like to sell you in sunny Arkansas.
If what you read above seemed farfetched, then congrats, you’re not a sheep. However, based on some reports (many with questionable sources and motivations), it’s easy to believe that the Xbox One has overtaken its PlayStation 4 counterpart in the early stages of the next-gen fight. Now, I’ve been a proponent of not writing off any one console too soon. In regards to Microsoft’s next-gen entry, some already had it with one foot in the grave, which I never believed for a second (http://dispatches.cheatcc.com/dispatches/576 ). However, reports in recent days suggest Xbox’s superiority during the huge holiday sales weekend from Black Friday as an important shift. Not to mention, both companies are in a back and forth game of “one-upmanship,” where one company touts a sales figure and is immediately followed by their opponents releasing comparable data (in an attempt to seem on par). Although, I have to admit, things have gotten a little weird on the Microsoft side of things. For example; Sony recently released a statement via the PlayStation.Blog touting record breaking sales figures due to the PS4’s success. President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Andrew House stated that “…the PS4’s North American debut on November 15th was PlayStation’s largest ever, with more than one million gamers picking up a PS4 in just 24 hours…It’s an impressive and record-setting accomplishment for our company and for our industry, and we couldn’t have done it without you.” In response, Microsoft naturally threw out some equally impressive sales figures of their own right? Actually, their response came in the form of a strange breakdown sighting that over 3 billion zombies were killed in Dead Rising 3, an estimated 90 million miles was driven in Forza Motorsport 5 and as many 186 million enemies have been defeated in Ryse: Son of Rome.
Seriously?! You’re quoting in-game stats as your accomplishments? That’s like asking for a heavyweight title shot against Mike Tyson because you beat him once in Punch-Out!! for the NES.
The great thing about numbers is that they don’t lie. They can cut through the fog of the hype and half-truths, so let’s use them to help get some real clarity on what the lay of the land really looks like. Firstly, the Xbox did achieve the same release day stats as its Sony counterpart, with both stating they sold over 1 million consoles at launch. However, to put that in perspective, the PS4 was only available in two major markets (U.S. and Canada) where the Xbox One was initially released in 13. Also, the UK sales strongly favor the PS4 over the Xbox One, crushing previous Sony records in the process. Of course, the higher price point has to be factored into these sales, as dismantling the Xbox One recently illustrated how the console is more expensive to manufacture than its rival (thus the $100 difference). However, the biggest “smoking gun” that analysts have pointed to recently is that the Xbox One seemingly outsold the PS4 at retailers like Wal-Mart and Target during Black Friday. Even the PS3 apparently sold better than the PS4 over the holiday, but some reports suggest that this could be due to the PlayStation 4 experiencing shortages at some locations, while other stores supposedly still had launch day editions of the Xbox One on-hand.
My thing is, I’m all about a fair fight. I came to Microsoft’s defense when people were basically burying them before they even had the chance to get out of the gate. However, I also have a very short tolerance for BS and spin. I start to lose my patience when someone starts dropping questionable facts and figures just to make themselves look good, without giving all the details so we can keep things in proper perspective. I’m glad to see Microsoft doing well, but let’s face it; Sony is the cock-of-the-walk right now. They just doubled their console sales figures to over 2 million, which leaves Microsoft needing to play catch up. There’s nothing wrong with that mind-you, as it’s still very early, and I believe Microsoft can and will do just that. In the meantime, would it be possible to stop spinning these figures like a damn top?
Just be who you are Xbox One. We’ll still love you for it. Promise. XoXo