The console war rages on between Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. But as far as sales are concerned, who is winning?
According to the Market Share update provided by VGChartz, Sony leads with 11 million units sold for the PlayStation 4. Nintendo’s Wii U is second with 7 million units, while Microsoft is at 5 million combining Xbox One and Xbox 360 sales.
So why is Microsoft lagging so behind these days with their consoles?
According to Microsoft the Xbox One, much like the two previous generations, has been showing sluggish sales in Japan compared to the PS4 and Wii U. Even though the price was cut from $500 to $400 in the U.S., it seems like the masses aren’t interested in the Xbox One as much.
But why though?
Well, most would probably blame the infamous Xbox Live service, which requires a monthly subscription in order to play online multiplayer. This was a huge turn off for players choosing between Xbox 360 and PS3 a year ago. Since the PS4 hit the market, PlayStation Plus was introduced and PS4 gamers now have to pay for multiplayer.
Nintedo Wii U’s multiplayer however, is totally free.
Another factor is the amount of games available – Xbox 360 has over eight years of games to choose from while Xbox One has only this year’s releases. Adding the fact that Microsoft is still catering to the Xbox 360 with new games, what incentive do Xbox 360 owners have into upgrading to the Xbox One then?
Both Sony and Nintendo companies have handheld consoles too, in which Nintendo currently leads with the 3DS in sales with 44 million units sold versus PSP Vita’s 8 million.
Microsoft has always spearheaded new technologies, however the crowd has spoken as far as sales go – PlayStation 4 is the most popular console, while the 3DS is the best handheld.
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