The PlayStation 5 will outsell the Xbox Series X this year, or at least that’s what one analyst is predicting. More specifically, IHS Markit Technology’s Piers Harding-Rolls recently came out and made the claim that he expects the next-gen PlayStation console to outsell its biggest space competitor at launch: the next-gen Xbox. As you may know, the PS4 considerably outsold the Xbox One this generation, so this isn’t exactly a very risky claim. That said, speaking of the current-gen consoles, while Harding-Rolls expects the PS5 to outsell the Xbox Series X, he also suspects the Xbox Series X will outsell the Xbox One at launch, and the same goes for the PS5 and PS4.
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“I expect PS5 to outsell Xbox Series X in 2020, but for both platforms to sell more consoles at launch than both the PS4 and Xbox One did back in 2013,” said the analyst. “One new factor for this upcoming generation is the impact of backwards compatibility on brand loyalty and audience transition. I think we’ll see less brand switching as a result. I also expect pricing of both PS5 and Xbox Series X to be similar, and I think it’s more likely than not they will be higher than the PS4 launch price point of $399.”
Harding-Rolls continued, talking more about the price of each console:
“A high price point may prompt Microsoft to follow through with a dual-pronged product strategy and release a less powerful, cheaper version of its next-gen platform during the launch window. I don’t expect Sony to follow this product strategy at launch so this approach would give Xbox more go-to-market flexibility although it would also add complexity around marketing and consumer education. Personally, I would wait to bring a cheaper version to market.”
As you can see, while Harding-Rolls admits Xbox may tackle the next-gen market with two consoles, he doesn’t think this is a wise thing to do off the bat, and I agree. At launch more than ever, you need clear and concise marketing and messaging. Further, like Harding-Rolls suggests, consumer education is very important, and educating the average consumer about two consoles, and why one is cheaper than the other, is more of a daunting task than you may think.
Anyway, as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think. Will the PS5 outsell the next-gen Xbox at launch?
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