Analyst Talks Up Big Game For Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 In 2018

This holiday season is definitely going to be the war of the consoles, as the Nintendo Switch, the [...]

By ComicBook.com Staff

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This holiday season is definitely going to be the war of the consoles, as the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X butt heads to see who will dominate during Christmas time.

That said, an analyst has stepped forward to explain why both the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro will not only do well this year, but next year as well.

Lewis Ward, who serves as the IDC Research Director for Gaming and VR/AR, recently spoke with GamesTM about both systems' chances next year, and whether or not Xbox One X would help Microsoft gain a foothold over Sony's dominance in the market.

A Battle of Two Systems

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First off, when asked if the Xbox One X could catch up with Sony's hardware, Ward explained, "No, the XB1X won't be enough for Microsoft to catch up. It should give PlayStation 4 Pro a run for its money in 2018 in the United States and the United Kingdom, however. I'm projecting about four million XB1X consoles shipped from Q4 2017 through the end of 2018, and about five million PlayStation 4 Pro consoles shipped in the same timeframe.

"The way shipments break down globally, however, that implies a very tight race in the United States and the United Kingdom."

Still, that could be good news for Microsoft.

Is the Xbox One X a Good Deal?

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Some people have been balking at the high $500 price for the Xbox One X, but Ward believes it's actually a pretty good deal. He explained, "Well, they may well be losing money on the hardware out of the gate. Our component teardown suggested a retail price of at least $600. So yes, it's expensive relative to traditional home console norms, and yes, that will cause some people not to buy it, but given the hardware specifications I think $500 is a great deal."

The real question is if consumers will agree, especially since the Xbox One S can pretty much be picked up for half that price.

All About Subscriptions

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Finally, Ward believes that video game service subscriptions will be a pretty big deal for the Xbox One this holiday season, as both the Xbox Game Pass (which goes for $9.99 a month) and EA Access (which sells for $29.99 yearly) will be hot commodities for those seeking an immediate game library.

"Preliminary analysis of our Q3 2017 US gamer survey shows that about 20 per cent of Xbox One owners use one or both (EA Access and Xbox Game Pass). That's a good attach rate in my book given that these services are still fairly young and aren't cheap," Ward explained.

So is he right? We'll find out soon enough, with the Xbox One X arriving at retail starting November 7th.

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