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NPD Sales Results for June 2015 [Up2: Batman, Splatoon]
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
June 2015 NPD - PlayStation 4 remains best selling hardware in the USA.
Please note that all numbers quoted below are based on estimates and therefore this report may not be 100% accurate.
The PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system sold the most hardware this month with about the same number of units sold through to end users as the Xbox One and Wii U totals combined. The PlayStation 4 continues to be the cumulative sales leader in the USA with more than 8.2 million units sold through to end users.
Unit sales were up across all 3 next gen consoles this month thanks to the release of Batman and an increased number of bundles and trade in deals on PS4 and XB1. The Wii U got it's increase thanks to the success of Splatoon. Total next gen home console sales were up 120% Month on Month and up 21% Year over Year. The below takes a look at how console unit sales have done through the first 6 months of 2015 compared to the same time period in 2014.
As can be seen from the chart above, the PlayStation 4 has seen sales remain flat for the first 6 months of 2015 compared to sales in the same time-frame a year prior. The PlayStation 4 entered 2014 after a successful holiday season and remained hard to find on store shelves for the first quarter, sales were very healthy during the first 6 months of 2014 and we've seen that happen again this year despite the console remaining at the same price.
The Xbox One has seen a 17% increase for the first six months of 2015 compared to the same time frame last year. The console price has dropped $150 and new bundles have been introduced in order to promote the console and encourage additional sales. Whilst sales are up this year the cumulative total and half year total remains behind the PlayStation 4 which has remained at the same price and is now a higher price than the Xbox One. It'll be interesting to see how the console performs in the second half of the year which is usually much stronger than the first half for Microsoft.
The Nintendo Wii U saw sales decrease 10% YOY. The Wii U hasn't sold well in the USA with the install base less than half of the PlayStation 4 despite launching a year earlier. Last year the console received a sizeable boost during the Mario Kart 8 launch whilst this year we haven't seen that same boost despite very strong Splatoon sales. This shows that the Wii U install base isn't set to grow too much over the second half of the year as the majority of consumers who want a Wii U already own one at this point.
In total, the number of unit sales for gen 8 home consoles was up 4% YOY for the first half of 2015 with approximately 3.25 million units sold to end users.
The chart above shows how the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One have performed over the first 20 months of their life cycle in comparison to the first 36 months of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 life cycle. What can be seen straight away is how the PS4 and XB1 had amazing launches in the US which instantly put them higher than their predecessors.
Hindered by a high price and bad rep, the Xbox One failed to perform well during its first 12 months and looked like it could fall under the Xbox 360. However some price cuts and bundles + new titles ensured that the Xbox One had a great first holiday and has allowed the Xbox One to continue selling at a healthy pace ahead of the Xbox 360. However, it does look like the Xbox One is set to fall behind the 360 at some point which started off slowly but increased drastically later on.
The PlayStation 4 has seen continually healthy sales which has allowed it to remain the cumulative sales leader in the USA. There has been no price cut for the PlayStation 4 just yet and it really hasn't needed one. The PlayStation 4 is set to remain ahead of both the PS3 ad 360 when launches are aligned and is on track to have an excellent holiday season.
When looking at monthly sales we can see that the PlayStation 4 has consistently outsold the Xbox One each month since launch with the only exception being the holiday season and a couple of other months. Microsoft have been very aggressive during the holiday season and the results have shown that the Xbox brand still has a huge following in the US where it has been most successful over the years, however despite the lower price and large amount of value on offer the PlayStation 4 continues to remain ahead every month.
The second half of the year will be interesting to watch, especially after what happened last year. Microsoft are throwing their all at the Xbox One this holiday with Halo 5 and Tomb Raider launching exclusively on the system. Microsoft has done well to come close to the PlayStation 4's total which is something we haven't seen in a prior console generation and they'll certainly be looking to keep up with the PS4 if not over take it to become the cumulative sales leader.
As mentioned above, the PlayStation 4 has maintained a good lead over the Xbox One and that has grown this year. There is now 770,000 more PlayStation 4's in the hands of consumers compared to Xbox One's and this gap is set to grow even more. Microsoft will be hoping for a repeat of last year where they were able to close the gap down to around 500,000 and will be even happier if they can reduce the PS4 lead even more. However the Xbox One has had to go through a lot to keep up with PS4 in terms of unit sales and it won't have been cheap.
To date the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have sold more than 15.7 million units combined.
When looking at yearly sales the PlayStation 4 sold 4.7 million units in 2014 whilst the Xbox One sold 4.4 million units in 2014. In total the PlayStation 4 sold 300,000 more units that year. This year the PlayStation 4 has a lead of 300,000 units already and is set to grow that lead. It'll be interesting to see which console will sell more in 2015 and by how much as trends indicate that it could be a closer battle this year than last year.
At this point I'm forecasting that more than 7 million PlayStation 4's and Xbox One's to be sold in the USA during the second half of the year leading to a total of approximately 10 million sales across both consoles for CY2015 in comparison to 9 million for CY2014. I believe this will be fuelled by strong Xbox One sales during the holiday thanks to increased value, exclusive titles (Halo) and increased marketing. I also expect the PlayStation 4 to receive some sort of price cut this year, either temporary or permanent & either standalone or bundle in order to push console sales this year. Couple that with the exclusive titles for PS4 and third party partnership games and we are set for the PS4 to have an amazing holiday as well.
*All numbers used above have been rounded.
Please note that all numbers quoted below are based on estimates and therefore this report may not be 100% accurate.
The PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system sold the most hardware this month with about the same number of units sold through to end users as the Xbox One and Wii U totals combined. The PlayStation 4 continues to be the cumulative sales leader in the USA with more than 8.2 million units sold through to end users.
Unit sales were up across all 3 next gen consoles this month thanks to the release of Batman and an increased number of bundles and trade in deals on PS4 and XB1. The Wii U got it's increase thanks to the success of Splatoon. Total next gen home console sales were up 120% Month on Month and up 21% Year over Year. The below takes a look at how console unit sales have done through the first 6 months of 2015 compared to the same time period in 2014.
As can be seen from the chart above, the PlayStation 4 has seen sales remain flat for the first 6 months of 2015 compared to sales in the same time-frame a year prior. The PlayStation 4 entered 2014 after a successful holiday season and remained hard to find on store shelves for the first quarter, sales were very healthy during the first 6 months of 2014 and we've seen that happen again this year despite the console remaining at the same price.
The Xbox One has seen a 17% increase for the first six months of 2015 compared to the same time frame last year. The console price has dropped $150 and new bundles have been introduced in order to promote the console and encourage additional sales. Whilst sales are up this year the cumulative total and half year total remains behind the PlayStation 4 which has remained at the same price and is now a higher price than the Xbox One. It'll be interesting to see how the console performs in the second half of the year which is usually much stronger than the first half for Microsoft.
The Nintendo Wii U saw sales decrease 10% YOY. The Wii U hasn't sold well in the USA with the install base less than half of the PlayStation 4 despite launching a year earlier. Last year the console received a sizeable boost during the Mario Kart 8 launch whilst this year we haven't seen that same boost despite very strong Splatoon sales. This shows that the Wii U install base isn't set to grow too much over the second half of the year as the majority of consumers who want a Wii U already own one at this point.
In total, the number of unit sales for gen 8 home consoles was up 4% YOY for the first half of 2015 with approximately 3.25 million units sold to end users.
The chart above shows how the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One have performed over the first 20 months of their life cycle in comparison to the first 36 months of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 life cycle. What can be seen straight away is how the PS4 and XB1 had amazing launches in the US which instantly put them higher than their predecessors.
Hindered by a high price and bad rep, the Xbox One failed to perform well during its first 12 months and looked like it could fall under the Xbox 360. However some price cuts and bundles + new titles ensured that the Xbox One had a great first holiday and has allowed the Xbox One to continue selling at a healthy pace ahead of the Xbox 360. However, it does look like the Xbox One is set to fall behind the 360 at some point which started off slowly but increased drastically later on.
The PlayStation 4 has seen continually healthy sales which has allowed it to remain the cumulative sales leader in the USA. There has been no price cut for the PlayStation 4 just yet and it really hasn't needed one. The PlayStation 4 is set to remain ahead of both the PS3 ad 360 when launches are aligned and is on track to have an excellent holiday season.
When looking at monthly sales we can see that the PlayStation 4 has consistently outsold the Xbox One each month since launch with the only exception being the holiday season and a couple of other months. Microsoft have been very aggressive during the holiday season and the results have shown that the Xbox brand still has a huge following in the US where it has been most successful over the years, however despite the lower price and large amount of value on offer the PlayStation 4 continues to remain ahead every month.
The second half of the year will be interesting to watch, especially after what happened last year. Microsoft are throwing their all at the Xbox One this holiday with Halo 5 and Tomb Raider launching exclusively on the system. Microsoft has done well to come close to the PlayStation 4's total which is something we haven't seen in a prior console generation and they'll certainly be looking to keep up with the PS4 if not over take it to become the cumulative sales leader.
As mentioned above, the PlayStation 4 has maintained a good lead over the Xbox One and that has grown this year. There is now 770,000 more PlayStation 4's in the hands of consumers compared to Xbox One's and this gap is set to grow even more. Microsoft will be hoping for a repeat of last year where they were able to close the gap down to around 500,000 and will be even happier if they can reduce the PS4 lead even more. However the Xbox One has had to go through a lot to keep up with PS4 in terms of unit sales and it won't have been cheap.
To date the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have sold more than 15.7 million units combined.
When looking at yearly sales the PlayStation 4 sold 4.7 million units in 2014 whilst the Xbox One sold 4.4 million units in 2014. In total the PlayStation 4 sold 300,000 more units that year. This year the PlayStation 4 has a lead of 300,000 units already and is set to grow that lead. It'll be interesting to see which console will sell more in 2015 and by how much as trends indicate that it could be a closer battle this year than last year.
At this point I'm forecasting that more than 7 million PlayStation 4's and Xbox One's to be sold in the USA during the second half of the year leading to a total of approximately 10 million sales across both consoles for CY2015 in comparison to 9 million for CY2014. I believe this will be fuelled by strong Xbox One sales during the holiday thanks to increased value, exclusive titles (Halo) and increased marketing. I also expect the PlayStation 4 to receive some sort of price cut this year, either temporary or permanent & either standalone or bundle in order to push console sales this year. Couple that with the exclusive titles for PS4 and third party partnership games and we are set for the PS4 to have an amazing holiday as well.
*All numbers used above have been rounded.
370k for PS4 vs. 297k XB1.
Price sensitivity in the U.S taking its toll - not to mention that MS marketing has been highly effective considering the alternative. Sony's marketing still not making the difference -- but I am not surprised at that.
Price drop incoming - whether that be $50 or $100, we'll see.
Price sensitivity in the U.S taking its toll - not to mention that MS marketing has been highly effective considering the alternative. Sony's marketing still not making the difference -- but I am not surprised at that.
Price drop incoming - whether that be $50 or $100, we'll see.
Mister Megative
Banned
Excellent as always, Zhuge.
Its a great read ZhugeEx...
Damn PS4 is such a monster...still amazed it keep selling so well without any official price cut...this machine is a defacto console of this generation no matter what Xbox1 trying to do...just wait until official price cut comes in, then Uncharted 4, Horizon, SFV, TLG and Morpheus release next year...it will crush its competitor with ease...
Smaller. Gap. Ratio.
What?
Hilarious in its own right, and even funnier given that gap ratio doesn't mean what you think it means.
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
Huh?
Well, it means that as far as the U.S (biggest market in gaming in the world) is concerned the XB1 (is seen as) is a perfectly viable alternative to the PS4 in consumer minds (and $50 cheaper at that).
The way competition works is, well, it should be the goal of competitors to make sure the competition is not seen as a viable alternative. In other words, it's the job of SCEA to make sure that the Xbox One is more of a distant second and not a close second. You do that in a variety of ways - capitalizing on market leadership and doubling down on competitors weaknesses and mishaps to reinforce that idea - usually the heavy brunt of the marketing department. MS has worked back up to establish itself as a viable alternative, their goal since the disaster. Sony hasn't fought back as hard imo... for a variety of reasons I guess. I guess you could make the case that Sony has done the best it can since the competition is so focused on regaining ground in this specific market...and is still not "winning" but the gap is not as big as it could potentially be or have been.
Haha thought the same.
Sony has the whole world going for it though, and is still pulling back ahead in xbox strongest market.
Coz Sony not feel any panic...they seem dont care about Xbox at all...they just play they game and let MS do their thing...once the price drop comes in for PS4...we will see MS going to be panic once again...
Stone Ocean
Member
Huh? Sony went after some of the biggest marketing deals out there - Battlefront, Destiny, Black Ops 3 - as far as the US is concerned, and they're still selling more with a higher price entry. They aren't fighting back as hard because they don't have to. Why waste money driving a competition into the ground when you have global leadership and the US is likely the only market the X1 will amount to anything? Just make money instead.
It's because the XB1 isn't seen as a viable alternative outside of the US and UK. XB1 only has a close second in those two countries. XB1 would need to gain first in the US and keep it for many consecutive months before Sony starts to feel threatened.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
I second this. Not fun on a phone, lol.
The battleground is the U.S.
Europe etc...we already know Sony is ahead big time (and the competition has unofficially given up) - the competition only competes in the UK due to cultural trends shared with the U.S for its consumer base. It's like presidential elections. No one cares about California or Texas per say. The elections are focused on Ohio and Florida.....the swing states.
Sony is still in the drivers seat, no doubt. But they have to play their cards right (price drop), in the U.S. If MS wants market-share, Sony's job is to make it as hard as possible for them to get it aka bleed more.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
I... I just can't. This has to be parody.
Stone Ocean
Member
Well I guess the only way the X1 can win the US at this point is with a rigged Florida recount.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Would that be equivalent to "units shipped" announcements?
Thing is the 'swing state' are also in favor of the PS4 even if it's closer there than anywhere else. PS4 is outselling the XB1 in the US, but not as much as it is in Europe. XB1 sales just ain't going to threaten Sony unless XB1 outsells the PS4 in the US consistently.
To the average objective consumer, I can only see 2 glaring reasons to go with Xbox right now.
1. Price
2. Halo
#2 can't be helped, but there's no reason to change #1 until we reach the holiday. When the largest glut of especially price-sensitive consumers hits the market, it becomes imperative to maintain a level of value similar to your competitors. We won't see how serious Sony is until this holiday. If they don't drop, they're setting themselves up for another holiday thrashing. Being $100 more expensive than your competitor is not a good look.
Probably already in pre-production
A poorly executed $50 price drop in the holidays for Sony and a similar drop by MS can make the U.S market go either way. Of course posters are taking for granted best possible outcomes or status-quo's but not many people expected a 400k gap in November - only after the fact many came to the realization how effective the price drop and promotion of said price drop by MS played with U.S consumers.
lolosgolos
Banned
Excellent read. Holiday specials and discounts are excellent opportunities for a second console
vpance
Member
Well put.
A price cut this holidays could mean the difference between a US 50/50 split for the rest of the gen or 65/35. It's all about user base momentum.
illmatic22
Banned
Hopefully you're not referring to me. Though I am sure that's the impression some posters are getting based on the responses....yeah it's me.
The numbers for the month are great if that's what's required of me.
I'm merely discussing ideas of optimal outcomes or at least potentially "better" ones. Then again that reads like saying the XB1 should sell less when in my view, for this month, the XB1 had an almost optimal sales outcome. So from that perspective, for Sony, I am not so sure.
I think no company and specially a company with market leadership worldwide (+ U.S) as Sony would prefer to wait and find itself in a reactive position responding to competitors moves. "Feel threatened" - they are threatened now and will definitely be threatened in the holidays.
You work hard to make sure that a position switch in this market (The U.S) doesn't happen, as the work is not near as hard as the alternative, being reactive - which is MS spot currently.
The only way this is like presidential elections is that they both have stupid analogies.
QuantumZebra
Member
Who Would benefit more from a price cut Xbox One or PS4? I know the Xbox is begging for a price cut but they don't want to cut the price before PS4 drops their price. They should wait for Xbox to cut their price first to put pressure on PS4 to cut price, while they are under no pressure they should not cut the price. What company cuts the price while they are out selling their rivals at a higher price??
thekiddfran
Member
Really? AAA titles like Killzone, Uncharted, Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, Wipeout, Need for Speed, Ratchet and Clank, Fifa and Final Fantasy arent giving it their best shot?
Remote play from PS4, Dual analog sticks and OLED screen?
What else could they have done?
I love my PS Vita too but Sony gave it a shot.
Coulomb_Barrier
Member
Whoa PS4 already has 8.2 million userbase in USA. No wonder Activision wanted to cosy up to them with COD marketing to all those American owners.
Secure Monster Hunter 4.
Cutting the price isn't always about outselling the rival.
Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed were outsourced to really poor devs and were completely wasted opportunities to have Vita gain some mainstream appeal. There has been no Ratchet and Clank original game for Vita. The first Final Fantasy on Vita will be Worlds of Final Fantasy yet to be released. It also missed Gran Turismo, which is Sony's biggest first-party IP. Missing out on Monster Hunter in Japan was the fatal blow really. Without Monster Hunter, you miss out on a big install base in Japan. Without that, you miss out on crucial support from Japanese third-party devs as they make the most handheld games.
With all that, I'd say the Vita still managed itself decently considering the circumstances. It still has games announced for it on a regular basis. It seems to be healthy in Japan with a core appeal so it's bound to stay relevant for some time.
You cut the price to grow your userbase.
Larger user base = More potential profit.
For everyone who buys an Xbox One instead of a PS4 because of price, that's $400+ lost in opportunity cost from lost software royalties, PS+ plus subs, and more.
sörine;172155074 said:
Would Monster Hunter really have changed Vita's future in the long run?
1.21Gigawatts
Banned
Eh, lol.
Whats going to happen when Sony drops the price and games like Uncharted, GT7, Horizon, TLG, GodOfWar4 etc. start coming out.
Ps4 is in a stellar position.
Whats going to happen when Sony drops the price and games like Uncharted, GT7, Horizon, TLG, GodOfWar4 etc. start coming out.
Ps4 is in a stellar position.
KillerMan91
Member
In Japan? Probably somewhat at least. Worldwide? nope.
Sammy Samusu
Member
Monster Hunter X is a 3DS exclusive.
MisterR
Member
Yep, it's really amazing when you think about it. With the Xbox One being $150 cheaper than it was at launch with a game packed in and still getting outsold every month, in their best region by the PS4 with no price cut.
Monster Hunter X is a 3DS exclusive.
That is a cool gif.
Shipment worldwide as March 2015:
Looks like it will top Super Circuit in the end but be the worst selling console Mario Kart so far. I can't see it topping Double Dash.
MisterR
Member
Monster Hunter X is a 3DS exclusive.
He's talking about Dragon Quest.