The Xbox One X is allegedly the fastest pre-ordered Xbox system ever- and as per another report, it is already outselling the PS4 Pro for the entire year this year too on Amazon (at least in the US and UK). This is good news all around for Xbox- given that Xbox hasn’t been having the best time of things of late on the sales front.
However, Wedbush Securities’ Michael Pacther, speaking on his YouTube show (via NeoGAF), has said that the numbers are not necessarily as positive as they seem. “Xbox One X is ranked on Amazon in the pre-orders a year to date, last I looked number 66,” Pachter said. “I believe the NES Classic was at number 23. It sold 2.3 million units lifetime, and you know that the bulk of those units were sold last year, so this year maybe a million, so if Xbox One X is ranked 48th bellow that, it’s not even close to a million, and of course the Amazon allocation is probably five or ten thousand units, so don’t fall for the bullshit that comes out of Windows Central that tells you that this is the fastest pre-ordered console and Xbox history. They only have a couple. The original Xbox didn’t have big pre-orders. The Xbox 360, maybe, but honestly, who was pre-ordering consoles back then, so of course this is the most pre-ordered.”
Now, a few things- Pachter’s words were harsh, and he has since apologized on Twitter for inadvertently antagonizing Windows Central, stating that he has no problems with their report itself, but from the conclusion people are drawing from it, especially out of context. The other thing is, Pachter’s final remarks are true- the original Xbox didn’t have big pre-orders and didn’t sell well, the Xbox One didn’t have good pre-orders, and the Xbox 360, while hugely successful, was a slow starter, with sales picking up after Gears of War launched in 2006. So Xbox One X being the fastest pre-ordered Xbox system is, while impressive, also something you would almost expect by default.
Let us hope the final system gets the kinds of sales people project from these early reports, however.