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Teeqoz on 20 November 2016
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thismeintiel said:
Teeqoz said:

I believe some people are influenced by the inclusion of a UHD drive, if only because it allows Microsoft to say stuff like "Only console that can play 4K blu-rays". I mean, the fact that the XBO outsold the PS4 in september and october alone is proof that Microsoft did a better job with the XBO S than Sony did with the Slim. As for the Pro, I personally feel (though that's just me personally) that Sony would've been better off with having a stronger Pro releasing later. Now, yes, if the Pro has a kick-ass NPD in november, I'll gladly admit that I was wrong, and that the september and october win could be written off as people waiting for the PS4 Pro. (and I hope that's the case. My Sony stocks will rise more by Playstation doing well than my Microsoft stocks will rise by Xbox doing well simply because Playstation is a much bigger part of Sony's business than Xbox is of Microsoft's. :-3)

OR it could be people were holding off for the Pro.  You look at any online retailer, currently, and I believe only Walmart has the Pro under any XBO SKU on there Bestsellers list.  Heck, on many of them the Pro is the first console on the list.  October also saw the launch of one of XBOs biggest exclusives, GeOW4.  Add in a bunch of firesales and you have yourself a nice few months of wins.

Releasing a mid-gen upgrade later is a double edged sword, though.  Is the Scorpio going to be more powerful than the Pro?  Sure.  But, how long after the Scorpio launches are we going to start getting rumors of the PS5 and XB2 (if there is one)?  I think it's safe to say that the PS5 will launch in 2019.  It makes the most sense.  Not only is it 6 years after the PS4 launched, a normal generation for consoles, but it's also 3 years after the Pro launches, just enough so those buyers don't feel ripped off.  Maybe more importantly, it marks the 25th anniversary of the PS brand.  25th.  PS5.  The ads write themselves.  I mean just write P25, but flip the 2 and you're done. 

Anyway, we started hearing about the PS4 and XBO in early 2012.  It may have even been late 2011, but I can't quite remember.  Even if it was only 2012, that means we are most likely going to be hearing rumors about the PS5 in early-mid 2018, just a few months after the Scorpio launches.  You'll have a $399-$499 6Tflops Scorpio on shelves as there are rumblings of a ~9-10Tflops PS5, which will most likely launch for $399 the very next year.  That cannot be good for sales. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the PS5 rumors are controlled leaks from Sony.

Basically, because MS is coming late to the party, the Scorpio is not a mid-gen upgrade.  It is a late-gen upgrade.  A very risky thing to do with next gen around the corner.  It could become MS's 32x.  The only thing I can think they may do is just call the Scorpio the XB2.  But, even that wouldn't be very wise, as Sony will have once again have the more powerful next gen system for a great price.

I mean, yeah, I did say that it could also be because people are waiting for the pro, but that I'd reserve judgement on that until november's NPD is out. It's right there in the post you quoted. But I still feel like Sony dropped the ball on the Pro personally, and no amount of sales are going to convince me otherwise in that regard.