Microsoft claims 17.7 million global installed base

[NJ5]

DMeisterJ said:
@ celticlonewolf

You're new here, so I'll go easy on you.

There is no way for a console maker to know how many units are sold. Console makers *always* give numbers that are shipped to retailers such as Wal-Mart/Best Buy/GameStop, but VGChartz tracks sold to consumers. That means me and you. So Microsoft has shipped 17.7 million units to retailers, but only ~17.45 have been bought, so ~250k units are sitting on shelves.

Of course there's a way for a console maker to know approximately how many units are sold. Console makers have a lot of connections to tracking agencies, retailers and even vgchartz (for which they just need an internet connection). Of course, studies made using those sources won't be as precise as shipped numbers, so they'll never be used in fiscal reports, but in PR it's perfectly acceptable to talk about the installed base.

Accounting for error margins, 17.7 million installed base seems plausible. The real number can't be very far from that one right now.