Zanten said:
Anyway, on the topic! As has been pointed out, this is a different generation, especially when, as also mentioned, the U.S. is behaving so differently this time around. The 360 kicked butt in the region, continues to kick the PS3's butt I believe, including in the summer months, and then even MORE in the Winter months. At one point their NPD win streak was over thirty months, heck, it might still be going now. My point is that, if anything, the 360 generation suggests that the console that sells more in the summer months ALSO sells more in the holiday season. (That being said, God knows the Xbox One might win; for one thing, Sony's average sales have been a great deal higher, so ironically they might have more trouble keeping a proper stock level in the U.S., especially if the Destiny launch results in a feeding frenzy. I'm just saying, the Xbox 360 really isn't proof that 'One sells more in the summer, the other in the winter.') However, I think outselling the PS4 2 to 1 is reeeeeally unlikely. Like, borderline impossible. Because, let's face it, both consoles are likely to sell very, very well, and I doubt Microsoft is even going to have moved enough stock TO outsell the PS4 2:1, because regardless of who outsells who, both sides are going to be moving big numbers. Even if the 'winner' in the holiday outsells the other by half a million units, which is a BIG gap, still wouldn't be 2:1. I do agree that the bundles are a good move, especially given I think Microsoft is pricing them a lot more cut-throated than Sony is; it's understandable, at this point Microsoft NEEDS to work harder to regain lost ground, whereas Sony has breathing room to stretch the profit margins, which is why their console bundles don't usually go the 'Free Game' route, just the 'Slightly Discounted Game' route. But again, like I said above, both sides will move big numbers during the holiday. As for the rest of the markets, while it'll help a liiiittle (maybe at least let it pull ahead of the Wii U,) keep in mind the usual 'Most Of Those Markets Are Sonyland,' BUT also consider that users in the non-launch countries have had months to import a console from one of the launch countries. So we're not going to see the same Zero To Sixty rush that the Xbox One and PS4 saw during their initial launches last year; demand in the new countries will at least partially have been satisfied already. As for China, ehhhhr, the pricing, region locking, existence of a VERY prominant game 'black market' (keep in mind, even though consoles have been banned there for many years, it hasn't stopped people from playing them) is going to make it an extremely tough nut to crack. The region locking ESPECIALLY, because honestly, what would you be more inclined to get? A 'Legitimate' console that only plays 60% of the available Xbox One titles, or a 'Gray Market' unit that plays ALL of them? Folks are already quite accustomed to using the gray market to satisfy their gaming needs, unless Microsoft is finding a way to be extremely competitive in terms of pricing (because they can't win the 'variety of titles' battle against an un-locked illegal console,) then they're going to see a lot of customers going rogue. Now, this is a challenge both Sony and Nintendo would face whenever they release there, but a few polls in the region suggest that, ironically, Sony might already HAVE a stronger brand presence over there (keep in mind, aforementioned gray market means Chinese gamers HAVE had access to console games,) and though obviously polls aren't conclusive, if they turn out to be right, China might benefit the PS4 when it eventually launches more than the Xbox One. x_X |
Agree with you on almost all of it, But I read somewhere that nintendo will have a lot less baned titles and considering that almost all third partys will be banned, the wii u will thrive in the regular market, allowing for better pricing and deals and bundles, while the others will benefict from grey markets wich will make it harder for bundles and other deals. So the wii u might have the advantage pricing wise by a long shot and will have less banned games. So wii u might do the best.
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