Sony finally unveiled the PS5 in its first-ever reveal event on Jun 11, 2020. The official unveiling came at the last part of the event following the announcement and showcase of some of the gameplays of titles coming for Sony's next-generation gaming console. With both upcoming consoles unveiled to the public, an analytics firm recently predicted that the PS5 would outsell the Xbox Series X.
The latest information comes from Gamerant, which cited a recent report released by the analytics firm Ampere Analysis. The projection claims that an estimated 4.6 million PS5 units would be sold by the end of 2020. The firm predicted that Microsoft's Xbox Series X would sell around 3.3 million units within the same timeline.
Additionally, the report projected that the gap between the two gaming consoles would further grow exponentially. It predicted that the PS5 would sell around 66 million units by the end of 2024, while the Xbox Series X would sell around 37 million units within the same period. It is worth mentioning that the analytics firm acknowledged that the Redmond-based tech giant is in a more competitive place compared to its position at the beginning of this generation.
Ampere took into consideration Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass and better consumer messaging as key competitive factors that bolster its reception. The analytics firm also acknowledged that Sony is in a commanding position over the Redmond-based tech company. It mentioned that the Japanese gaming console maker sold more PS4 over Xbox Series X.
This trend could continue throughout Sony's console generation. However, several factors could disrupt this trend and convey a different result, especially if the Japanese company is not careful with its pricing and messaging strategy. Sony also has a strong and attractive list of PS5 exclusive titles, some of which were announced at the recent PS5 reveal event.
Apart from these, the report claimed that there would be a lesser total unit sold with the next generation gaming consoles. It underlined the progressive shift of the industry to cloud services along with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ampere also noted that Microsoft's shift away from console sales could have a crucial impact on the decline of the total of units sold.
It can be recalled that Microsoft is gradually shifting its focus on services. Project xCloud illustrated this shift in a recent tweet. It noted that it is looking into a gaming audience beyond gaming consoles, which is the same as what Google Stadia is planning to do. Microsoft, however, has a more expansive games library that could attract more gamers.
To coincide with the #PS5 event later we published a free report on the next-gen console market, the competitive positioning differences between Sony and Microsoft, and how both companies are targeting market growth Check it here>>>>https://t.co/s2vZGMIcs8 pic.twitter.com/YJK7T9l3Tx — Piers Harding-Rolls (@PiersHR) June 11, 2020
If Microsoft's Xbox Series X would sell fewer units than the PS5, it might not matter, after all, considering that the company's strategy is evolving. It is worth mentioning that projections are not perfect, and outside factors could still affect the actual result. Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Sony's PS5 are slated to arrive sometime in the holiday of 2020.
