My two cents on this.
Hardly surprising at all. I think its easy to overestimate the brand advantage PS4 held over XB1 due to PS4s consistent sales lead over Xbox, prior to XB1S
. But in US/UK, it was not like the sales gap was huge. Sure, XB1S was the catalyst to push its current sales above PS4, but it came with a lot of other caveats as well.
If I were to categorise the various catalyst between PS4 and XB1, it would be the below:
PS4 Slim:
$50 price cut
Slim redesign
UC4 bundle
XB1 S:
$50 price cut
Slim redesign + UHD
Halo 5/MCC bundle, Gears 1-4 bundle, Minecraft bundle, BF1 bundle, Madden bundle, FIFA bundle
I would also add that XB1S consistently has better deals than PS4, in terms of gift-cards, free additional games, etc. MS is nothing if not very generous with deals this generation.
In summary, not only is XB1S the product with the bigger redesign splash, its also the product that has the best value in terms of games bundled (5 Gears/Halo games, 3 MineCraft games) and for single-game bundles, they are games that are highly anticipated with a lot of mainstream appeal. (BF, Madden, FIFA)
Furthermore, XB1S is smart with the timing of said releases and bundles. Ever since XB1S released, was there any window of time where there was no new bundles released to generate excitement? After Halo, there was Madden, then there was Gears, and then theres Battlefield.
Contrary to popular belief that Xbox brand had a long streak of taint, I believe that XB1 has long shed a huge bulk of toxicity the brand had 2 years ago during the AssCreed dual-bundle move, where the product flew off shelves with one of the best bundle deals that set the standard for quality bundles this gen. That move also highlighted that both brands have plenty of parity and ability to outsell each other given the right value given to said console.
Right now? Id easily say that PS4 Slims appeal is weaker than XB1S. Its bundled with one fixed choice game, whereas XB1S has the array of options for multi-games and single games that appeal to a wider range of audience (shooter, sports, children)
While Im uncertain what to expect of November, personally I wouldnt necessarily put my chips on a certain PS4 victory. This is because of two factors.
- November/Black Friday are purchasing months that, from a volume perspective, is highly price-sensitive
- PS4 Slims deals are not as appealing or sexy compared to XB1S.
November needs both Slim and Pro to do well if PS4 wants to win and I think Sony is way too focused on Pro at the moment and not having the CoD/WD2 bundle available day-and-date with Europe in the US is a mistake. UC4 bundle alone isnt sexy enough.
I expect Pro to sell very well. But is it an extremely high volume to the extent itll easily win? Hard to say.
Anyway, XB1Ss stronger sales have been well-deserved. I for one hope that it lights some extra generosity on Sonys ass so that theyll at least try to match some of the more generous deals MS has been dealing out. I could do with a 399 PS4 Pro bundle with multiple games instead of just one game sooner rather than later.