One example of how Microsoft and partner websites abuse data:
Platform 1 and Platform 2, let's assume for both consoles the average person buys only 2 game per year. And for illustrative convenience let's assume they all buy these games and consoles in January of the year.
Platform 1 (healthy console sales for 10 years)
Year 1 - 10 million users - 20 million software units sold for the year
Year 2 - 10 million new users - 40 million units software sold for the year
Year 3 - 10 million new users - 60 million units software sold for the year
Year 4 - 10 million new users - 80 million units of software sold sold for the year
Year 5 - "" - 100 million software units
Year 6 - "" - 120 million software units
Year 7 - "" - 140 million software units
Year 8 - "" - 160 million software units
Year 9 - "" - 180 million software units
Year 10 - "" - 200 million software units
Total console sales: 100 million units
Total software sales: 1100 million software sales
Attach ratio (using Microsoft's definition): 11 software sales per user.
Now a less successful platform (Platform 2) sell a lot less hardware in upcoming year:
Year 1 - 10 million users - 20 million software units sold for the year
Year 2 - 0.001 million new users - 20 million units software sold for the year
Year 3 - 0.001 million new users - 20 million units software sold for the year
Year 4 - 0.001 million new users - 20 million units of software sold sold for the year
Year 5 - "" - 20 million software units
Year 6 - "" - 20 million software units
Year 7 - "" - 20 million software units
Year 8 - "" - 20 million software units
Year 9 - "" - 20 million software units
Year 10 - "" - 20 million software units
Total install base 10 million hardware sales.
Total software sales, 200 million software units.
Attach ratio 20 games per sold console.
Looking at the (PR) attach ratio it may look software sells much better for platform 2, but if you look closer per person people buy just as much software. I think everyone would agree platform 1 performed much better and is financially far more attractive.
Just wanted to demonstrate, how the figures are abused by PR is rather meaningless if you want to determine the amount of games people actually buy.
