This is such low-tier level reporting on ars technica and venture beat's end. Ars actually used to be really good (we're talking 5 years ago), so it's always sad to be reminded of how far they've sunk. Oh well.
Anyway, the great thing about this is that the answer is already available for all to see in the document they specifically linked. It's just that absolutely no thought went into it, or alternatively they chose to ignore it for the clicks. You see on literally the same page the region breakdown is included too. Most will have already gotten it by now, but let's assume you didn't.
| Region breakdown of sales | Q1-3 FY16 | Q1-3 FY15 |
| Europe | 43% | 43 % |
| North America | 47% | 47 % |
| Rest of the World | 10% | 10 % |
Now, let us think about the differences in install base. Where is it for the XB1, and where is it for the PS4? Notice how the PS4 is only ahead by about ~10% in US. If we assume Canada and Mexico are about the same, we should purely by install base only expect 10% more revenue on PS4 than XB1. In Europe the difference should be a little bigger because the ratio heavily slants PS, but even then it should be noted Ubisoft games are not quite as popular in mainland Europe (well, beside Assassin's Creed) as they are in America and Britain. Also Eastern-European markets, where the xB1 barely exists, have significantly lower prices. That doesn't necessarily that these costumers are worth less, because the market is growing in other regions, so it represents an investement/future revenue growth (applies beyond Eastern Europe, of course). And the PS4 presence helps Ubisoft reach markets they wouldn't otherwise (because XB1 is often not even officially sold there!), whereas the costumers in Western markets would be reachable with or without Sony and Microsoft. So the XB1 and PS4 aren't substite goods in this market. That's precisely why they're willing to lower prices in emerging markets too. (Note that they are still worth less, but that is more the nature of the market than anything else. Though for investors it'd be important to note that these are new possible markets for Ubisoft to engage, so that's significant for their shareholders beyond revnue: they want growth, not steady revenue.)
The reality is that Ubisoft games are extremely laser focused on Western gamers and that's not where the ratio is 2:1. People in the Middle East, South America, Africa, and most importantly Asia have different taste in games Ubisoft doesn't cater to. Hence the difference in sales in the region and the platform associated with it. But you know what, let's try something else. Let's try to turn the argument on Ars. Let's tell the story they don't want you to read! Cue the conspiracy music: click.
| Game | PS4 | XB1 | Ratio | Market Adjusted sales (2:1 WW, 11:10 USA) |
| FF Type-0 | .88 | .22 | 4:1 | 2:1 |
| Resident Evil Origins Collection (NPD Jan 16) | 73:27 | 74:30 | ||
| Life is strange (NPD Jan 16) | 75:25 | 76:28 | ||
| Tomb Raider | 1.26 | .56 | 9:4 | 3:2 (release ratio/Jan 2014) 9:8 (current ratio/2016) |
| Dark Souls II | .46 | .17 | 46:17 | 46:31 (release ratio/April 2015) 46:34 (current ratio/2016) |
Purely looking at these games, it seems that PS4 costumers are worth about 2 times as much as XB1 costumers. Like the article, definitely not misleading!
Note that this hides an essential part: a lot of Asian games would sell so bad on XB1 they aren't even released! Looking at more niche Japanese we can get PS4 owners are worth about 20 times as much as XB1 owners, for some of the they're actually worth ∞ as much E.g. for devloper/publisher Atlus, PS4 owners are worth ∞ as much as XB1 owners. YIKES!
