The next-gen console war. It’s a battle fought not just in living rooms, but also in online forums, analyst reports, and the hushed whispers of industry insiders. While official sales figures remain shrouded in corporate secrecy (because, of course, they do), a narrative is starting to emerge, a narrative that paints a less-than-rosy picture for Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S. Are these just rumors, or is there something more to the whispers of disappointment?
Let’s be clear: I’m not claiming the Xbox is a failure. Far from it. But the initial hype, the promises of a gaming revolution, seem to have quieted somewhat. Where’s the fire? Where’s the overwhelming sense of “I must have that console”? Anecdotally, at least in my circles, the PlayStation 5 still seems to be the console of choice, the one everyone’s scrambling to find. (Though, admittedly, finding any next-gen console has been a Herculean task for the past few years.)
However, reporting from Thurrott.com tackles the gaming elephant in the room using Take-Two’s recent number gathering from the industry, to paint a rather bleak picture for Microsoft’s Xbox hardware efforts this console generation.
The nuance Thurrott seizes on is that by posting 94+ million consolses sold through November 2024, that console number inadvertently reveals the number of XBox Series consoles sold that Microsoft takes great pains to obfuscate.
Here’s the math. We know that Sony sold 65.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles through September 30, 2024. Take-Two’s 94+ million figure is as of the end of November 2024. Given how late we are in this console cycle, it’s unlikely that either company sold many consoles in that two month gap, or that the sales delta changed much. So we can roughly estimate that Microsoft has sold, at best, about 29 million Xbox Series X|S consoles.
Paul Thurrott – Thurrott.com
Perhaps it’s the lingering effects of chip shortages, a challenge that has plagued the entire industry. Or maybe it’s the somewhat staggered release of truly “killer app” exclusives. While Game Pass is undoubtedly a compelling value proposition, has it translated into hardware sales the way Microsoft hoped? Apparently not.
However, it’s still s a question worth asking. Is a subscription service, however excellent, enough to convince gamers to shell out hundreds for a new console anymore?
Then there’s the competition. Sony, with its established brand loyalty, growing inertia of online community play, and impressive lineup of exclusives, continues to be a dominant force. Nintendo, meanwhile, dances to the beat of its own drum, carving out a unique space in the market with its innovative hardware and beloved franchises. The Xbox, caught between these two giants, seems to be fighting an uphill battle.
Of course, Microsoft hasn’t been sitting idle. They’ve made significant investments in Game Pass, acquired studios to bolster their exclusive offerings, and pushed the boundaries of cloud gaming. But has it been enough? Has it resonated with gamers in a way that translates into strong console sales?
No.
The silence from Microsoft regarding concrete sales figures only fuels the speculation. Why the secrecy? What are they trying to hide? (Or, perhaps more charitably, what are they waiting to announce?) Without official numbers, we’re left to read between the lines, to rely on anecdotal evidence, and to interpret the whispers circulating within the gaming community.
And those whispers, at least for now, suggest that the Xbox Series X|S, while not a flop, might be falling short of the lofty expectations set for it. Whether this is a temporary setback, or a sign of a larger trend remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the console war has effectively been won by Sony this generation.
