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XBox (Games) Nintendo PlayStation (Games)

PlayStation 4 Outsold Xbox One and Switch in October (venturebeat.com) 71

Posted by msmash from the where-things-are dept.
October was a huge month for both software and hardware, and -- once again -- Sony is benefiting from that excitement. PlayStation 4 outperformed the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch both in terms of dollars and units sold in October. That's according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. From a report: And as is usual for PlayStation 4, it is still seeing year-over-year growth, according to NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. "PlayStation 4 hardware unit sales achieved an all-time October high for the platform," Piscatella said. "While PlayStation 4 hardware dollar sales reached its highest point for an October month since October 2014." This was actually one of the best Octobers for any PlayStation console ever. "October 2018 unit sales of PlayStation 4 reached the highest mark for any PlayStation hardware platform in an October month since the PlayStation 2 in October 2002," said Piscatella.
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PlayStation 4 Outsold Xbox One and Switch in October More

PlayStation 4 Outsold Xbox One and Switch in October

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  • A lot of this is not just game usage, but people using the devices as their Internet and TV portals. It's why the cable firms are freaking out - mass defections to high speed internet only with HDTV antennae to get local content.

    Naturally, this only works in cities or places within range of decent Internet, but rural folks are just plain unprofitable to serve via traditional methods.

    • Re:More as an Internet TV box (Score:4, Insightful)

      by samdu ( 114873 ) <samdu@@@ronintech...com> on Wednesday November 21, 2018 @02:29PM (#57681206) Homepage

      I don't think that's really all that big of a driver for PS4 sales. Certainly not on the level of Blu-Ray considerations driving PS3 sales. With competition from $35 Chromecasts and Fire Sticks, a $200-$300 game console doesn't look all that attractive for simple media consumption.

    • There are plenty of less expensive options for internet TV than a PS4, or an Xbox. I'm still rocking my PS1 and PS3 and Dreamcast for gaming.

      The very cheapest option for people with no Internet is an antenna and a cheap DVR box. Or going to the local library and checking out DVDs or Blu-Rays.

      For places with no broadcast TV available \ou could also probably get satellite TV service pretty much anywhere for substantially more.

      • Maybe. I still am rocking my PS3, too. But there are Black Friday deals this year for a PS4 1TB bundled with the new Spider Man game for $199. Tell me they're not going to sell the shit out of those. I'm actually thinking about getting one, even though the PS3 is still doing fine for me.

        • Maybe. I still am rocking my PS3, too. But there are Black Friday deals this year for a PS4 1TB bundled with the new Spider Man game for $199. Tell me they're not going to sell the shit out of those. I'm actually thinking about getting one, even though the PS3 is still doing fine for me.

          PS5 is right around the corner, and you can run kodi on the Xbox apparently. (Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals for them as well)

          How much are 1TB drives going for nowadays? I last bought a 3TB drive for under a hundred a few years ago

    • A lot of this is not just game usage, but people using the devices as their Internet and TV portals

      If that was the main driver, Xbox sales would have been better - I've had a PS4 since launch, now a PS4 Pro, but was planning to get an Xbox sometime soon just for UltraHD BluRay support (which no model of the PS4 has and the Xbox has had for about a year).

  • PS4 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by BringsApples ( 3418089 ) on Wednesday November 21, 2018 @02:14PM (#57681136)
    I loved PS until the PS4, due to the inability to play music of any kind (CDs, MP3s MP4...), without paying for some music service. They literally sold hardware that was limited by software that required regular money. Not sure why they outsold Xbox1.

    Hell I only bought Xbox because PS decided to NOT allow Rocket League to be played on a PS3 (of which I had). So I bought an Xbox1 simply to say 'f_ck you' to PS. Also because I HAD to have ROCKET LEAGUE!!!!!!

    • Re:PS4 (Score:5, Insightful)

      by EvilSS ( 557649 ) on Wednesday November 21, 2018 @02:26PM (#57681192)
      It sold more originally because of XBOX's misteps at the E3 announcement for the XBONE, trying to push digital and make resale of physical harder by tying it to a digital copy license (hilarious since even that year digital was already selling 2:1 vs physical, and it's closed to 5:1 today and people think you are a weirdo for buying physical). So it got off to a bad start, even after MS backtracked on physical media.

      Today it's still being outsold because Microsoft decided to not focus on platform exclusives while Sony doubled down on them. As anti-consumer as exclusives are, most console gamers actually bitch about it if a platform doesn't have them. They are not the brightest bunch, but Sony sure loves them for it. They have a bunch of platform exclusive titles and they also took over deals MS had but didn't renew with companies like Activision for timed exclusives for some of their AAA titles.

      • It sold more originally because of XBOX's misteps at the E3 announcement for the XBONE, trying to push digital and make resale of physical harder by tying it to a digital copy license (hilarious since even that year digital was already selling 2:1 vs physical, and it's closed to 5:1 today and people think you are a weirdo for buying physical). So it got off to a bad start, even after MS backtracked on physical media. Today it's still being outsold because Microsoft decided to not focus on platform exclusives while Sony doubled down on them. As anti-consumer as exclusives are, most console gamers actually bitch about it if a platform doesn't have them. They are not the brightest bunch, but Sony sure loves them for it. They have a bunch of platform exclusive titles and they also took over deals MS had but didn't renew with companies like Activision for timed exclusives for some of their AAA titles.

        I'm still waiting for Sony to make controllers big enough for an adult's hands. Pretty sure PlayStation controllers are sized for 5-10 year old kids. I know I have not found their controllers to be comfortable since I was about 13.

      • Sony did damn near the same thing with the PS3 ($600 price tag thanks to a blu ray player nobody really wanted, real time weapon change, etc) and recovered by now.

        XBone's sales are down because Microsoft's current CEO doesn't believe in the product. He's just milking it at this point. So while Sony's got The Last of Us, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn and Spiderman Microsoft's got Forza and... well that's about it. No new Halo in 3 years. Last Gears of War game was 2 years ago (and just kinda OK..., plus

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Yep, this is what's truly sad. Microsoft are hated because of the anti-trust issue, but Sony outright hacked people's PCs with malware and made them vulnerable to the outside world, they're the key backer of the RIAA, and have actively tried to reduce consumer choice by preventing cross-play.

      Yet, consumers reward them.

      This is why companies can and will continue to do bad shit - because most people don't care and are happy to have their rights trampled.

      • Re: (Score:1, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Microsoft are hated for far more than the anti-trust issue. Their latest OS is not infected with malware, it IS malware. Everyone here could list many many examples of Microsoft screwing their customers and business partners.

        Yes, Sony sucks. Microsoft is even worse.

    • RTFM - https://manuals.playstation.ne... [playstation.net]

      • I R that FA, thanks, but I'm not making this stuff up. [playstation.com]

        If this is no longer true, then please let me know - maybe, HOPEFULLY, they eventually changed the way it works. And if that's the case, then I'll be a little sad.

        • The limitation is to CDs which the hardware does not read. It has no trouble with MP3s on DVD/Bluray or USB though

          • This was not the case when I tried it originally, so they must have added functionality.

            • Yes, with V2.00 of the PS4's system software, released 4 years ago. Didn't you get the memo?

              More seriously didn't you check out the new stuff in the updates?

              FYI the PS4 has TWO media players.

              One is just the simple USB music player, that's the simple unobtrusive one that works best while playing games. That one only does music and only MP3's/AAC. You will only see it's icon pop up if you plug in a USB storage device. With that one you can change folders and whatnot without suspending the game.

              https://man [playstation.net]

  • And the Honda Civic outsold the BMW M3, what's the point... the PS4 is still trash compared to an Xbox One X.

    • Don't be silly, the hardware is roughly equivalent. In particular they use nearly identical AMD CPUs and GPUs.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by bblb ( 5508872 )
        Only in as much as the Civic and the M3 have "roughly" the same hardware. The PS4 Pro has the same eight-core CPU as the original but overclocked to run at 2.1 GHz whereas the Xbox One X has a custom eight-core chip designed to run at 2.3GHz.. 10% faster and not overclocked. The PS4 Pro has a 900MHz GPU with 8GB DDR5 RAM on a 256 bit bus running at 6800MHz effective clock whereas the Xbox One X has a 1170MHz GPU with 12GB DDR5 RAM on a 384 bit bus running at the same 6800MHz effective clock. 30% faster wi

  • This is good news for Xbox owners! (Score:4, Funny)

    by ffkom ( 3519199 ) on Wednesday November 21, 2018 @03:44PM (#57681652)
    If MicroSoft wasn't well behind Sony in the console market, they would become the usual assholes they are to every customer in markets they dominate.
    Having to please their customers to compete is the only thing that causes Xbox to be a reasonable offering at this time.

  • PS4 beats Xbox in power everyday (Score:3)

    by Chewbacon ( 797801 ) on Wednesday November 21, 2018 @05:09PM (#57682074)

    I bought an Xbox One for the same reason as many other people: because my friends were buying one. Before PS4 and Xbone, I had Xbox 360 and PS3 and the PS3 slayed the Xbox in performance. PS3's Achilles heel was online play (albeit it had other issues). Despite being free, it couldn't compete with Xbox Live in terms of quality. Now the PS4 is playing catch up. If it weren't for friends, I'd be all over PS4 and I wouldn't look back; therein lies the challenge for Sony in the console wars.

  • What I like about the Xbox One is how Microsoft opened it up. Not only can a normal console be used for development, but it's also possible to publish to Xbox (to the 'Creator's Collection' section of the store) without having to become a certified developer or anything like that. This makes it rather tempting to just muck about with console development to see what it's like.

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