The PS4 will easily win the United States

[NightDragon83]

CGI-Quality said:

NightDragon83 said:

Considering how bad the 360 spanked the PS3 in the States last gen and the fact that the current gap between the PS4 and the X1 is at a mere  500k units despite the X1's slow start compared to the PS4, I wouldn't be so sure. The PS4 might eventually win North America in the long run, but it definitely WILL NOT be easy.

This ain't like a couple generations ago where the PS2 was dominating due to all the 3rd party exclusives and the original Xbox was the Halo machine and not much more.

If nothing else, the US should be a reminder that the slate starts clean each new gen. The PS2, "spanked", the Xbox in the States, and it's as if that never mattered last gen. Though the gap is a lot closer, right now, there's no doubt that Microsoft lost a lot of 360 customers to the PS4. I agree that it won't be easy, but what the 360 did last gen, for the most part, doesn't really matter. The current gap is where it is because Microsoft threw a whole lot at the situation, not because the 360 lead the gen prior. 

While that's somewhat true (except in PS1 and 2's case which both led North America in back to back gens), on the flip side of that the current gap is also where it is mainly due to M$ shooting themselves in the foot with all the negative PR and choosing to launch the X1 at $100 more than the PS4, not because of how much better the PS4 is perceived to be than the X1 in terms of hardware and software.

Had M$ not tried to push the "always connected" aspect of the X1 and launched it at $399 sans-Kinect alongside the PS4, odds are it would have been in the lead in North America even before the holiday sales, especially when you consider the fact that despite the higher price point and PR controversy, the X1 was still neck and neck with the PS4 just after launch at the beginning of 2014.

M$ has done a pretty good job of weathering the PR storm and making the X1 more competitive, and going forward both the X1 and PS4's sales will be very even in North America on a week to week basis, with the difference being whenever a high profile exclusive is released on either console, and only then the difference will be moderate.  You won't see a difference of more than 20k-30k or so between the two consoles in the NA region.  Even for the first two weeks of January so far in the dead of winter, the X1 has still been either even or ahead of the PS4 in weekly sales, and since then M$ went back and dropped the X1's price back to $350 permanently, so it will have a perpetual $50 price advantage over PS4 for the forseeable future.