It’s been another successful year for the gaming industry, whether it’s the phenomenal success of the Nintendo Switch, Microsoft’s release of the Xbox One X or Sony’s continued dominance with the PlayStation 4. Even a generally niche medium like VR gaming has seen some pretty decent responses, again thanks in part to Sony’s PlayStation VR.
With the Holiday season happening (a very Merry Christmas to all of ye), what will the NPD numbers for December 2017 in the United States look like? The results will come in January 2018 but we thought of speaking to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter about his take on which console would emerge victorious.
“You know, I’d say that Sony will sell more PS4s in November and December in the US, but not by a ton, I think Xbox will be close. I think Switch is not supply constrained, but you know, it looks like PS4 outsold Switch by a healthy margin, and the Xbox as well. In December, I think PS4 wins again – I don’t think Nintendo has the capacity to ship that many units.
“Sony meanwhile can sell 3, 4, 5 million consoles in December alone. And I don’t think Switch will sell below 3 million, I think that’s impossible, I don’t think Nintendo would ship that few.”
Does that mean the Xbox One will surpass the Switch in sales even while it comes below the PS4? Pachter notes that even with the Xbox One X having limited supplies, the discounted Xbox One S is a pretty good deal.
“Xbox, the problem is the Xbox One X is expensive and in tight supply. The Xbox One S is remaining discounted at $189, which I think works in its favour. If I am buying the first console for my household, it’s hard for me to justify buying a Switch for $300 plus two games for $120, when I can buy an Xbox One S for $189, and two older games for cheaper, and walk out the door for $250.
“It’s a significantly lower entry point. I just don’t know how I can tell someone with a straight face, ‘your 8 year old boy needs a $300 Switch with Mario and Zelda’; that’s a lot of money.”
That doesn’t mean the Nintendo Switch can’t potentially outperform the Xbox One but it’s not too far-fetched based on Pachter’s reasoning. Regardless, this Holiday season caps off an excellent year of gaming with awesome releases across all platforms. Which games did you enjoy this year and why? Let us know in the comments.