I think you have misspelled depressing. Half the posts in this thread are digs at users based on their previous expressed opinions about a brand rather than what is being mentioned or talked about in here be it pro MS or anti them users comments are being disregarded based on the author rather than the content.

As for the topic at hand though, MS is doing wonderful, every area they have success they're learning how to turn that success into profit in a fantastic way, even something so small as those advert blocks within the Win10 OS or in certain area's of the X360/X1 Menu are all ingenious ways of creating money from their customers without ever holding out a hand to the user. It's almost blueoceanesque but they've created their own artificial oceans to profit from.

Great stuff really for a well run company, can't say a bad word against how they run their business.

Some people hate those ads on things they paid a lot for =p (but sure it's added revenue)

And it's a management golden rule to find a niche where you can be blue ocean =] and no one can claim MS as a corporation doesn't know how to make money

I don't think anyone is going to not use the brand because of those little advert box things though, 99.99% of users will happy just ignore them and you might even get the odd person who finds the advert for something useful or interesting to them, but because of things like those advert window then MS is keen to get the Win10 OS (for better or worse) to more and more people, they've even been super lax about cracking down on pirate copies of the OS because they'll still reap income from those adverts over time from people using it, as well as data collection from usage to sell to advertising companies.

I just look at it like this. MS create a OS which would cost 150, but they work out a way that by customers having said OS and using it they'll get MS more than that amount in value of data to sell to their partners and in direct advertising funds. For me... good on them, they get their money and I amn't the one who directly has to hand over cash for it. It's Win/Win/Win at the end of the day.

DonFerrari said:

1) Sure it isn't, but it's the main reason, one you are sure to dismiss in every sales discussion.

2) Which also talks about their gaming division and as already explained always have had HW sales discussed within it. So if you don't want to talk about it just don't reply to the posts talking about it.

3) I bet MS is very interested in the information about Xbox sales, publishers also are. If you mean Xbox fans, them you have any poll or research proving it or you just consider yourself the statistic for this one? Because up until MS not talking about sales anymore a lot of Xbox fans talked and wanted to know the sales, but when Xbox was losing by big margin a lot of Xbox fans on this forum just left.

4) Strawman much? I didn't say you care so why is this being a point?

5) So are you admitting you discuss people asking for it to cause attriction and claim hating?

6) Already replied in previous answers. But it's normal that the group on the losing side would not like to discuss it.

7) Without the HW there isn't a lot of the money on SW, subs and royalties so yes it matters a lot. If it didn't NPD group wouldn't even earn money selling that data. And we wouldn't have this site and the core of discussions.

8) Nope, get to VGC at the time I entered and sales discussion were always had, be it when all 3 were selling close, or when Wii was selling almost X360+PS3, to when PS3 was shrinking the gap (and X360 got kinected and was recovering strong), etc. You thinking myself and others that want the numbers is just to bash MS is more telling of yourself. Switch isn't selling more than PS4 and we still discuss it's sales, actually MS not releasing any numbers open a lot more bashing here than they releasing numbers that are losing. Seems like you forgot the MS post about "will have almost shipped 10M at the end of holiday" a totally spin out post to try and have numbers close to what Sony had disclossed some time before. But I think you like to remember that Halo revenue one that you got confused what was Halo, what was HW and that it all was profit right?

9) skipped one?

10) Sure they don't care about console sales, this is why they keep manufacturing it, doing major discounts, celebrating when they win a NPD, saying the sales during the year doesn't matter being all about holidays, etc. You just ignore all opposite evidence from MS themselves to put a big defense for them. Will you use the defense that MS is so big it doesn't need defense today as well? But completelly forgeting you are defending them.

I don't think you can say anything positive about a brand you seem to hate based on past experience. I mean really, you are using last gen audience on the 360 as your ground to stand on when it comes to bragging about sales? Did you know majority of those so called fans that bragged about 360 sales most likely brought a PS4 the following Gen? Do you actually realise this? Also why do you care so much about what others said or did? Do you think its a one way street? You don't think other platforms have done the exact same thing? I mean Sony has been bragging about sales since the PS1.

Why don't you actually just admit MS is making a butt ton of cash without resorting to being negative. This is what this thread is about.

Anyway, this thread has gone down hill and it seems to be the same usual few that don't game on Xbox that love to bring down positive news when it comes to Xbox or MS. End of the day, Billions of dollars is Billions of dollars no matter how you spin it.

I am moving on from this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3pwzCgvGUM this is one crazy guy that is basically sure Forza 7 had outsold GTS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH4TIOQmU18 "Sony sources claim PS4 sold more than X1"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy2nnhfO9hY "PS4 is selling less each year while X1 is selling more"

http://misterxmedia.com/forum/gaming/2307-xbox-sales old but still people that think VGC is worthless and rather trust their own make up evidence.

https://adrenaline.uol.com.br/2018/01/15/53915/xbox-one-superou-ps4-em-vendas-durante-dezembro-nos-eua-mas-switch-ainda-e-o-mais-vendido/ Some guys expecting X1 to reach and pass PS4 until the end of the gen (this was January this year)

http://www.ultimaficha.com.br/2016/09/27/ranking-de-vendas-de-consoles-e-jogos-atualizado-semanalmente/ some people that confused Xbox/PS4 sales and subs.

Hmm lets see.. lets say hypothetically if MS sold each X1 for only $50 and managed to sell 200mill consoles this generation, does that mean there more successful than there opposition, does that make them the best? Because they sold more consoles? Your logic means yes it does, if all you go by is hardware numbers. Its clear all sales do is start nothing but dick measuring contests that does nothing but downplay another platform because 1 sold less than the other. Instead how about we see who is actually making more profits and revenue? Sounds more professional to me than petty console numbers that does not always lead to more success. Clearly they are able to buy new studios and still want to make consoles so they must be doing alright don't you think?

Also with your logic, the PS4 has sold twice the amount of XB1s, Basing my info on below stats, it seems PS4 have 34.5m Paid subscribers, not 80m, now considering Xbox is more online heavy and they have 59m MAU across the board, Its possible to have a healthy amount of paid members with less HW sales. More consoles will help BUT its not the be all end all method. Its not impossible to have more Paid subscribers on a user base with less hardware sold than one with more hardware sold. Its the offerings on each system. Why do you think MS focus a lot on online games? Also keep in mind I am not saying Xbox have more paid member than PS. MS don't solely rely on XB1, that's just 1 product they use to promote Live.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/532431/playstation-plus-subscribers-global/

Bottom line, I think MS grew up, they thrown out the thrash talk and give the numbers that actually make a difference to a business. Good on them.

As for your last sentence, try me.

I wouldn't describe the majority of these as an example of "people that think PS4 and X1 are selling close WW because NPD is close and MS doesn't say the WW numbers".

As someone who joined towards the tail end of last generation, a majority of the hardcore Xbox guys left this site since then, mostly because the discussion and moderation when it came to Xbox was extremely shitty. I could say it still is in some aspects, but that's a discussion for another time. But yeah, the community today must "pay for the sins" of people who were here like a decade ago, or whatever. Same as when some stupid MS fanboy on twitter or Youtube or some podcast says something stupid, it's painted across the community here. You can see it happening in this very thread :) Hell when I joined the OP of this thread was a great poster and nonsense has driven him to only post stuff like this as an actual MS investor.

I'm going to join you in bowing out of the thread, it's taken the turn Microsoft/Xbox discussion typically takes here thanks to the typical people.