As the clock ticks down to the release of next-gen consoles this fall, one question that’s likely in many people’s minds is which of the two major consoles will sell more this year? Will Microsoft’s Xbox Series X outsell Sony’s eagerly anticipated PS5?
For many, this question has a clear answer: Sony’s PS5 will be the winner.
The main reason for this is that the PS4 was the clear winner this generation. Sony’s console beat Microsoft’s Xbox One by a more than 2 to 1 in sales for several reasons, with the PS4 selling more than 100 million consoles this generation.
And most of those PS4 buyers are expected to move to PS5 at some point, and not the Xbox Series X. After all, backwards compatibility is a big thing this generation, and nobody is going to forfeit their entire games collection and start from zero by getting an Xbox Series X instead of a PS5 if they are already a PS4 owner (the opposite is also true, of course).
However, there have been some dissenting voices. For instance, Valve CEO Gabe Newell said last summer that he sees the Xbox Series X as the better console. This may have persuaded some people (especially PC owners) to pre-order one, but won’t shift the balance in any meaningful way.
However, now a marketing and SEO company named The HOTH says the Xbox Series X could outsell PS5 by a 2 to 1 margin this holiday, as was recently covered on Screen Rant.
The way they arrived at this conclusion is slightly dubious though, as they analyzed Google Trends data since the start of October and found that there were twice as many searches for the Xbox Series X than the PS5. As a result of this, the company has suggested that the Xbox Series X could outsell the PS5 two to one this holiday.
Now, Google searches obviously don’t equal sales, so this seems implausible, although maybe this does suggest that the Xbox Series X (which sold out quickly when pre-orders kicked off this month) might do better than some people expect.
After all, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service is getting better by the day and is considered the “Netflix of video games” by many. Also, it’s likely many who were looking to pick up a new console this Christmas were as shocked as everyone else by Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda and Zenimax. This likely means that future Bethesda games like The Elder Scrolls VI won’t be hitting the PS5, meaning more Xbox Series X could fly off the shelves this holiday.
And the Xbox Series X is a better console than the PS5 when it comes to technical specifications: it has more graphical horsepower and more storage space for games in its SSD. Plus, it’s quite a bit more compact than the PS5, meaning it will be easier for people to find room in their home for it.
So things could be tighter than some expect in the race between Sony and Microsoft this generation, even if it’s unlikely that the Xbox Series X will outsell the PS5 two to one this year. Sony’s position is too strong going into the next generation, and has a huge, loyal base of users who will snap up a PS5 at some point or another. But the Xbox Series X will most definitely be a strong contender in the coming race, that’s for sure.
Xbox Series X (Microsoft Corporation)