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Do you think Microsoft will ever win a generation in sales?

daTRUballin

daTRUballin

Member
Will Microsoft ever be the sales leader in a console generation? This question is about Microsoft specifically because there has never been a console generation where MS was the leader in terms of sales. Both Nintendo (with the NES, SNES(?), and Wii) and Sony (with the PS1, PS2, and now PS4) had their fair share of winning in sales during a generation, but never MS.

Back during the 6th gen, the original Xbox was a very distant second behind the PS2 with having sold around 24 million units, and the PS2 having sold 150 million (Holy shit that is a huge number!). Last gen, as much as some people really don't like to admit it, the Wii was the sales leader with having sold about 100 million units. If I'm not mistaken, the PS3 and X360 were either tied for second place or the 360 was slightly behind the PS3 in third place. I don't think the 360 was higher than the PS3 in the end. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong though. And now this gen, the Xbox One is in a very distant second with the PS4 being the sales leader with so far having sold almost 50 million units while the One has so far only sold around 25 million units.

Do you think MS will ever make it to first place at the end of a generation? What would that exactly entail? What would MS need to in order to win this gen or in future gens? What mistakes have they made in previous generations that cost them the top spot? Can they learn from these mistakes in order to do better in the future? Discuss.
 
T

Tagyhag

Member
It's possible, unlikely, but possible.

Sony would have to fuck up even worse than the PS3 and MS would have to bring out something that casuals also want.
 
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IcyRhythms

Member
Didn't they obliterate the competition in software sales with 360? I know hardware was a different story, but I can't remember it even being close with software. Been a few years since I looked.
 
I

IcyRhythms

Member
Gez said:
I think it might be possible if PS5 is not BC. I don't think the consumers will let Sony get away with it again.
Click to expand...

Sure they will. It's Sony. People worship them as if the company can see them as anything other than just a number. "Uncharted 5 guys? TLoU 3? Look at these graphics guys. It's the Naughty Gods! AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT?!?!? I mean no BC, no folders again, and we're not going to allow you to stream video files anymore either, but PS5. Greatness is still waiting!"
 
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Ivan 3414

Member
It's easy to say no, but then again, a lot of people on GAF evidently think Sony it's going to rule for all eternity. I'll say never say never.
 
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EGM1966

Member
Anytime soon? Seems unlikely. Longer term? Who knows.

They have serious issues with brand appeal outside their core territories which of course is their key issue in this regard.

Their best result to date was behind Nintendo are more or less a draw with a very shaky Sony who'd clearly made a number of missteps. Hardly a good sign overall.

To be honest so long as Sony does a decent job that'll be enough to give them worldwide lead.
 
J

jroc74

Phone reception is more important to me than human rights
Never really thought about it before.

There's always a chance. I dont know...Sony has alot of momentum right now. Nintendo is an X factor with the Switch...

They have to right the wrongs they made with the launch of the XBO. Their BC initiative is a good start. They have to really nail the launch of the Scorpio.

See how some ppl thought Sony was gonna fail with the PS4?

How some thought Nintendo couldnt possibly mess up after the Wii?

Never say never.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Gez said:
I think it might be possible if PS5 is not BC. I don't think the consumers will let Sony get away with it again.
Click to expand...
BC barely moves the needle on sales.

Anyway PS5 probably will be BC simply because it will run on the same x86 archatecture. Has little to do with company attitude about it, really. Sony once loved Bc. PS1-3 all came at launch with BC but due to PS4 switching architectures, it became unfeasible this one time.

IcyRhythms said:
Sure they will. It's Sony. People worship them as if the company can see them as anything other than just a number. "Uncharted 5 guys? TLoU 3? Look at these graphics guys. It's the Naughty Gods! AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT?!?!? I mean no BC, no folders again, and we're not going to allow you to stream video files anymore either, but PS5. Greatness is still waiting!"
Click to expand...
Where were you when PS3 shit the bed and everyone hated Sony?
 
L

LelouchZero

Member
Worldwide for Microsoft to win a generation in sales would be pretty tough, if they can lead in Europe and America by a size-able amount they may be on track, the Xbox has been a hard sell in Japan since it's inception so that's kind of a lost cause, especially against Sony and Nintendo due to their brand power.

The seventh gen was a wrap for Nintendo, whilst the Xbox 360 held 2nd place for a good number of years before the PS3 overtook it, the Xbox 360 doing so well against the PS3 was quite miraculous to say the least.
 
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IcyRhythms

Member
BocoDragon said:
BC barely moves the needle on sales.

Anyway PS5 probably will be BC simply because it will run on the same x86 archatecture. Has little to do with company attitude about it, really. Sony once loved Bc. PS1-3 all came at launch with BC but due to PS4 switching architectures, it became unfeasible this one time.


Where were you when PS3 shit the bed and everyone hated Sony?
Click to expand...

After stuff like LBP, MGSIV, Infamous, Killzone 2, and Uncharted 2 hit, all of those concerns went away. Deep down, even those complaining knew Sony would eventually get their shit together.
 
Electret

Electret

Member
Obviously, the farther you go into the future, the harder things are to predict.

Looking ahead to what we can be reasonably sure of, it's hard to see a set of circumstances that causes MS to take the crown. I expect Scorpio won't change that, and will actually appeal to a smaller crowd than XB1. Aside from that, Sony still has brand dominance in ROTW. Like Kleenex is the default tissue paper, Playstation is the default gaming brand. PS5 should continue that, barring major blunders.

Gez said:
I think it might be possible if PS5 is not BC. I don't think the consumers will let Sony get away with it again.
Click to expand...

I doubt it, but I do think BC is rising in prominence due to increasing emphasis on digital libraries. I think MS' excellent initiative in that area is putting pressure on PS5 to be fully compatible with PS4. And, I expect it will be, though it may not confer any performance advantages.

IcyRhythms said:
Sure they will. It's Sony. People worship them as if the company can see them as anything other than just a number. "Uncharted 5 guys? TLoU 3? Look at these graphics guys. It's the Naughty Gods! AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT?!?!? I mean no BC, no folders again, and we're not going to allow you to stream video files anymore either, but PS5. Greatness is still waiting!"
Click to expand...

Yikes. This post was not a good idea.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
IcyRhythms said:
After stuff like LBP, MGSIV, Infamous, Killzone 2, and Uncharted 2 hit, all of those concerns went away. Deep down, even those complaining knew Sony would eventually get their shit together.
Click to expand...
Seems about the same as the Xbox One. No matter how much MS fucked up at launch, they're going to go on to sell a healthy amount and be a major player in the business.
 
Salty Hippo

Salty Hippo

Member
I don't think there will be such a thing as "generations" anymore, at least not for Microsoft, so no. That said, I think they were the stealth winner last gen even though they came in 3rd. It's too bad they've thrown almost everything away over the past 6-7 years.
 
J

joeblow

Member
MS can only become top dog if they Minecraft their way to the top. That is to say, the pocketbooks have to open to continue to purchase properties, developers, (Nintendo?) for mega bucks.

Their home-grown efforts and limited third party promotional dealings won't be enough to charm the entire gaming world for a first place victory.

BTW OP, not only did MS come in third last gen, they did so despite coming out with the 360 a year before the PS3. If not for that, it would've been worse for them.
 
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IvorB

Member
I feel like they had their best shot with the 360 but it didn't happen. Even setting aside the Wii, they were earlier to market, cheaper, tons of third-party exclusives and had goodwill behind them and they still couldn't topple Sony. Never say never though.
 
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tareqsalah1

Member
One thing sony and nintendo have over xbox is nostalgia and childhood memories tied to their games.

Its hard to outsell consoles that have that connection to their fans
 
S

sense

Member
IcyRhythms said:
Sure they will. It's Sony. People worship them as if the company can see them as anything other than just a number. "Uncharted 5 guys? TLoU 3? Look at these graphics guys. It's the Naughty Gods! AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT?!?!? I mean no BC, no folders again, and we're not going to allow you to stream video files anymore either, but PS5. Greatness is still waiting!"
Click to expand...
Pass me the salt
 
Norse

Norse

Member
Well, outside of Japan, who would have thought MS would dominate Sony after its mega beast ps2? Yet 360 kicked the living hell out of ps3 outside of Japan. 360 won NA so you best change your title to include worldwide.

Until MS buys out Sony or Nintendo and markets a console under their name in Japan, they will never win that market.
 
daTRUballin

daTRUballin

Member
tareqsalah1 said:
One thing sony and nintendo have over xbox is nostalgia and childhood memories tied to their games.

Its hard to outsell consoles that have that connection to their fans
Click to expand...

I'd argue the original Xbox and maybe even the early years of the Xbox 360 have nostalgia going for them at this point......
 
R

Ricerocket

Member
IcyRhythms said:
Sure they will. It's Sony. People worship them as if the company can see them as anything other than just a number. "Uncharted 5 guys? TLoU 3? Look at these graphics guys. It's the Naughty Gods! AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT?!?!? I mean no BC, no folders again, and we're not going to allow you to stream video files anymore either, but PS5. Greatness is still waiting!"
Click to expand...

Funny. I don't think people worshipped Sony with PS3. It also came with BC built in too. Bluray, Cell, it did everything. Sony was dead on this very forum.

Want to know how MS fucked up during that time? RROD.
 
L

Lkr

Member
in the US, i think they win last gen if you take into account that MS killed it off in 2010 (/s)

RIP 360 blades era
 
R

Ricky_R

Member
IcyRhythms said:
Sure they will. It's Sony. People worship them as if the company can see them as anything other than just a number. "Uncharted 5 guys? TLoU 3? Look at these graphics guys. It's the Naughty Gods! AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT?!?!? I mean no BC, no folders again, and we're not going to allow you to stream video files anymore either, but PS5. Greatness is still waiting!"
Click to expand...

Hahah man. That's some quality content.
 
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RPGam3r

Member
MS needs to buy the way to the top by making IP only available on their console hardware. Don't do timed exclusives, just make them exclusives and people will come as they wont have a choice assuming the software is good enough.
 
B

Bgamer90

Banned
Highly doubt it and it doesn't really matter as console gaming is moving away from one "box" and is becoming more about number of users in an ecosystem.
 
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GabeTheGrouch76

Member
Domestically (referring to US, and maybe UK)? If Sony drops the ball at the start of next gen like they did with the PS3, then MS may be able to invoke a 360 situation and reclaim their rule as No. 1 in that/those region(s).

Worldwide? Arguably never in their current state. The PlayStation brand, number of studios, and overall general infrastructure runs circles around Xbox; and building the Xbox division up to a similar standard would arguably require more resources than Microsoft would ever be willing to pony up, especially given that the Xbox division has never really reached / consistently stayed at the levels of commercial success MS has in their other departments.
 
C

chromatic9

Member
I'm surprised they haven't tried to switch up the brand design, sure they've slightly changed things but its still pretty ugly and feels dated to me.

I think they need a cool factor in Europe. Sega managed it and so have Sony and while sales of niche games aren't great it does help the image of variety. You have to keep on rather than saying fuck it we tried with the 360.

The Xbox One with its 400 million NFL deal was a complete blinkered shit show outside the US. I don't think that was anything usual. It was taking a sawn off and shooting both feet off so it's a special case which I doubt will happen again. My recommendations aren't based on Xbox One or saving another Xbox One scenario.
 
akaFullmetal

akaFullmetal

Member
Not unless Microsoft expands first party games and variety will they start a world appeal. They need to add games from Japan and other parts of the world and really invest in their first party.
It appears they are starting this now with sea of thieves and scalebound but it takes time to change a narrative of dude bro shooter box.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Ricerocket said:
Funny. I don't think people worshipped Sony with PS3. It also came with BC built in too. Bluray, Cell, it did everything. Sony was dead on this very forum.

Want to know how MS fucked up during that time? RROD.
Click to expand...
"The Age of Sony is done" ~Amirox
 
O

OrbitalBeard

Member
IcyRhythms said:
Sure they will. It's Sony. People worship them as if the company can see them as anything other than just a number. "Uncharted 5 guys? TLoU 3? Look at these graphics guys. It's the Naughty Gods! AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT?!?!? I mean no BC, no folders again, and we're not going to allow you to stream video files anymore either, but PS5. Greatness is still waiting!"
Click to expand...

Dude. Why
 
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