• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

NPD Sales Results for April 2015 [Up1: Xbox One #1]

Kelegacy

XBOX - RECORD ME LOVING DOWN MY WOMAN GOOD
While not mad (I'm 34, I have better things to be mad about) I still am a bit disappointed that the Xbone is so close in NA, especially when I think the PS4 is far and away the superior console. When it wins a month, it's even worse. The 360 deserved it's success, at least for the first half of the gen, but I sold my Xbone after only a few short months of owning it because it just didn't make enough sense to own both a PS4 as well, and I couldn't very well sell the system that plays multiplatforms the best. So I culled the weaker link. Last gen it was the opposite where my PS3 was the more ignored system for the first few years.

I know there is a lot more to the console than mere power, and I really liked the interface of the One once I became used to it, but it was sitting around unused for too long like my Wii U after a while. With 90% of games being multiplatform, power is actually what won out however.

I think its because the PS4 is so reminiscent of the early Xbox 360, with an abundant library of XBLA-style games thanks to the indies and the power of PS Plus. I just can't warrant 2 subscription services either, so the deeper service (at least as far as "freebies" is concerned) won out.

The short of it is I don't think the Xbone deserves any of it's success, not when there is a better alternative out there. For exclusives it might make a bit more sense and that's what talked me into a purchase (Sunset Overdrive) but as a primary system I don't understand it.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
I dunno, I'm probably putting the cart before the horse here, but it kind of seems like the console warriorism is one of the few reasons the Xbox One is still selling. There's very little reason to buy an Xbox One other than prior allegiance. Wii U ostensibly has a better value proposition, but doesn't sell, also because it was met with global apathy. Nobody's talking about it, hence nobody's buying it. Outside of the US, the Xbone is just as dead as the Wii U, because it's met with the same apathy. People wanting a console buy a PS4, but not in the insane numbers to offset anything.

But because it still seems to have a fighting chance in the US, which is fueled by the close NPD numbers, because there's this silly race going on, people become invested and talk about the options, and above average games like Sunset Overdrive get championed as much better than anything the other guys have to offer, and then people from the other camp suddenly want to try out this exclusive that they can't play on their machine, and buy both consoles, etc.

Competition is probably a good thing right now. The PS4 is not like the PS2 where it has massive casual appeal for its DVD player and can go on to sell 150 million. It doesn't have that value proposition.

I basically don't think you're right about anything, except in a sidelong way about things like SO and Bloodborne. Exclusives naturally get hyped heavily and that doesn't necessarily mean much for their sales. I loved Sunset Overdrive, is definitely my top game of the generation thus far, but judging from GAF it seems like it dropped out of people's collective minds quickly. Judging by the numbers here, it seems like the same thing has happened for Bloodborne.

I bought an XB1 because it kept my social circle of friends and achievements, the Xbox has Halo and Fable, and because for me the extra horsepower offered by the PS4 wasn't worth the tradeoffs for me. As an adult with limited gaming time it was a better choice for me. I don't buy *anything* as some sort of spite or console warrior attitude. People who get so wrapped up in the horserace of console generations seem like they're missing out that ultimately the point is to have fun.
 

Javin98

Banned
No unfortunately, unless you are on a surface pro and can use chrome desktop. If you do want my list of posters tho, just pm. There are some really good people here who can get lost in the noise.


Edit: also, did you see hesido's post above? I'm going to check that one out.
Yeah, I saw hesido's post. I think I'll check that out for myself later. Thanks for the help anyway.

BTW, am I in your list of posters? :p
 
While not mad (I'm 34, I have better things to be mad about) I still am a bit disappointed that the Xbone is so close in NA, especially when I think the PS4 is far and away the superior console. When it wins a month, it's even worse. The 360 deserved it's success, at least for the first half of the gen, but I sold my Xbone after only a few short months of owning it because it just didn't make enough sense to own both a PS4 as well, and I couldn't very well sell the system that plays multiplatforms the best. So I culled the weaker link. Last gen it was the opposite where my PS3 was the more ignored system for the first few years.

I know there is a lot more to the console than mere power, and I really liked the interface of the One once I became used to it, but it was sitting around unused for too long like my Wii U after a while. With 90% of games being multiplatform, power is actually what won out however.

I think its because the PS4 is so reminiscent of the early Xbox 360, with an abundant library of XBLA-style games thanks to the indies and the power of PS Plus. I just can't warrant 2 subscription services either, so the deeper service (at least as far as "freebies" is concerned) won out.

The short of it is I don't think the Xbone deserves any of it's success, not when there is a better alternative out there. For exclusives it might make a bit more sense and that's what talked me into a purchase (Sunset Overdrive) but as a primary system I don't understand it.

Ok. I would counter argue that you're going to be missing out on a lot of great games because you went Highlander on your entertainment system.

I'll be playing Halo, Gears, Fable, Forza, Rare games, Crackdown, Quantum Break, etc. in addition to Uncharted, Bloodborne, TLG (right? riiiight?) etc.
 
Well, that certainly puts a downer on the apparent success of the n3DS. Nintendo seriously needs new hardware and a new stratergy sooner rather than later. Hopefully NX delivers.

The N3DS gave Nintendo a bump as their hardcore fans ran out to buy another 3DS, but didn't do anything to actually expanding their market. There US market for a $200 dedicated handheld is simply not as large as it used to be.

It still blows my mind that the N3DS XL continues to retail for $200.
 

thuway

Member
First off, congratulations Microsoft on the win.

Secondly, the NPD win IMO has more to do with pricing than actual system preference. Microsoft is consistently offering incredible bundles, trade in values, and scorched earth "promotions" - it's hard to not want to get in on one. Yes, Sony did one in March for Bloodborne, but the $175 trade in for April is nothing short of Black Friday material. Result? A win for the consumer.

If I were Microsoft, I'd outprice and out promotion Sony throughout the year. I'm sure they know this. The Cowboom deal today for a $209.00 Xbox One is a prime example of just how bloody this battle can get.

If I were Sony, I'd stay the course, and mantain profit margins. It's not worth crying over 10k worth of milk. However, they need to put all options on the table for a Fall promotion. They have a pretty big risk of losing their gain in North America if they play too safe.
 

VinFTW

Member
While not mad (I'm 34, I have better things to be mad about) I still am a bit disappointed that the Xbone is so close in NA, especially when I think the PS4 is far and away the superior console. When it wins a month, it's even worse. The 360 deserved it's success, at least for the first half of the gen, but I sold my Xbone after only a few short months of owning it because it just didn't make enough sense to own both a PS4 as well, and I couldn't very well sell the system that plays multiplatforms the best. So I culled the weaker link. Last gen it was the opposite where my PS3 was the more ignored system for the first few years.

I know there is a lot more to the console than mere power, and I really liked the interface of the One once I became used to it, but it was sitting around unused for too long like my Wii U after a while. With 90% of games being multiplatform, power is actually what won out however.

I think its because the PS4 is so reminiscent of the early Xbox 360, with an abundant library of XBLA-style games thanks to the indies and the power of PS Plus. I just can't warrant 2 subscription services either, so the deeper service (at least as far as "freebies" is concerned) won out.

The short of it is I don't think the Xbone deserves any of it's success, not when there is a better alternative out there. For exclusives it might make a bit more sense and that's what talked me into a purchase (Sunset Overdrive) but as a primary system I don't understand it.
Jesus lol
 

Javin98

Banned
First off, congratulations Microsoft on the win.

Secondly, the NPD win IMO has more to do with pricing than actual system preference. Microsoft is consistently offering incredible bundles, trade in values, and scorched earth "promotions" - it's hard to not want to get in on one. Yes, Sony did one in March for Bloodborne, but the $175 trade in for April is nothing short of Black Friday material. Result? A win for the consumer.

If I were Microsoft, I'd outprice and out promotion Sony throughout the year. I'm sure they know this. The Cowboom deal today for a $209.00 Xbox One is a prime example of just how bloody this battle can get.

If I were Sony, I'd stay the course, and mantain profit margins. It's not worth crying over 10k worth of milk. However, they need to put all options on the table for a Fall promotion. They have a pretty big risk of losing their gain in North America if they play too safe.
I'm quite confident that Sony learnt their lesson last holidays. I believe we will see a price drop to $299 in October to counter the launch of Halo 5. Also, Sony has marketing rights for Star Wars Battlefront which should move a lot of units.
 

ApharmdX

Banned
First off, congratulations Microsoft on the win.

Secondly, the NPD win IMO has more to do with pricing than actual system preference. Microsoft is consistently offering incredible bundles, trade in values, and scorched earth "promotions" - it's hard to not want to get in on one. Yes, Sony did one in March for Bloodborne, but the $175 trade in for April is nothing short of Black Friday material. Result? A win for the consumer.

If I were Microsoft, I'd outprice and out promotion Sony throughout the year. I'm sure they know this. The Cowboom deal today for a $209.00 Xbox One is a prime example of just how bloody this battle can get.

If I were Sony, I'd stay the course, and mantain profit margins. It's not worth crying over 10k worth of milk. However, they need to put all options on the table for a Fall promotion. They have a pretty big risk of losing their gain in North America if they play too safe.

Yeah, I was one of those April Xbox One buyers because of the trade-in deal. The Xbox has consistently had better deals. Still, it won April, and that's a good sign for the system. There's a fair amount of salt here and I don't agree with it. Competition is a good thing. Sony needs Microsoft to keep them honest. The PS4 has had a lot of game delays this year. It's hard to justify game delays when you have a tight sales race in the biggest territory.

The PS4 will probably need a price drop before the holiday season. MS will drop the Xbox too but I think it's been pretty obvious that, at the same price, demand for the PS4 is higher.
 

EagleEyes

Member
Ok. I would counter argue that you're going to be missing out on a lot of great games because you went Highlander on your entertainment system.

I'll be playing Halo, Gears, Fable, Forza, Rare games, Crackdown, Quantum Break, etc. in addition to Uncharted, Bloodborne, TLG (right? riiiight?) etc.
Yep. Halo and Gears are 2 of my favorite franchises and forza is far and away my favorite racing series. There is absolutely nowhere else to play these games so I will always own an Xbox. Its helps tremendously that I also much prefer the controller lol.
 

Javin98

Banned
Yeah, I was one of those April Xbox One buyers because of the trade-in deal. The Xbox has consistently had better deals. Still, it won April, and that's a good sign for the system. There's a fair amount of salt here and I don't agree with it. Competition is a good thing. Sony needs Microsoft to keep them honest. The PS4 has had a lot of game delays this year. It's hard to justify game delays when you have a tight sales race in the biggest territory.

The PS4 will probably need a price drop before the holiday season. MS will drop the Xbox too but I think it's been pretty obvious that, at the same price, demand for the PS4 is higher.
Sometimes I wonder if people would rather have devs release broken and buggy games early like Halo MCC and AC Unity or wait for a few more months to have a polished product. I would definitely prefer the latter as much as it hurts (trust me, I was pretty heart broken by the Uncharted 4 delay), but you eventually get over it anyway.
 

Kelegacy

XBOX - RECORD ME LOVING DOWN MY WOMAN GOOD
Ok. I would counter argue that you're going to be missing out on a lot of great games because you went Highlander on your entertainment system.

I'll be playing Halo, Gears, Fable, Forza, Rare games, Crackdown, Quantum Break, etc. in addition to Uncharted, Bloodborne, TLG (right? riiiight?) etc.

I will most probably repurchase down the road, when Microsoft does another one of their panicked price drops, maybe in 2016. I had a white system so I was able to get back almost all of what I paid for it when I traded it in. I jumped in too soon I think and will wait for the backlog to pile up this time sort of the way I did with the PS3. That way I won't run out of things to play so soon exclusive-wise. I've almost run out of PS4 exclusives too, but the multiplatforms running the best and PSN games mean it gets daily use.
 

Conduit

Banned
If I remember correctly the MS store had a Free games,controller, and a free year of live. All for $250 if you traded in a 360/PS3. If that's correct that's a insane deal. That with the Game stop trade-in deal 187k would be very low imo.

Yep, i also agree. PS4 numbers in March was around 340k with trade-in deals.
 

thuway

Member
Yeah, I was one of those April Xbox One buyers because of the trade-in deal. The Xbox has consistently had better deals. Still, it won April, and that's a good sign for the system. There's a fair amount of salt here and I don't agree with it. Competition is a good thing. Sony needs Microsoft to keep them honest. The PS4 has had a lot of game delays this year. It's hard to justify game delays when you have a tight sales race in the biggest territory.

The PS4 will probably need a price drop before the holiday season. MS will drop the Xbox too but I think it's been pretty obvious that, at the same price, demand for the PS4 is higher.

Agreed, I'm a primarily PC guy with a console preference for PS4, but it's hard to not get excited at Microsoft lighting up the sales charts. The more consoles in the hands of consumers, the healthier the AAA environment will be, the more games for us to play.

Also Sony will need to do more than just a price drop this holiday. They need to evaluate their first party content and not be afraid to make a Buduru that will shock and awe. Consumers are ultra price sensitive, and I think all players know this.
 
Really seems like people are mistaking "salt" for context. It's pretty fair to point out that a 13k differential isn't going to suddenly make Sony reevaluate their plans for the rest of the year, and that pumping out a bunch of first-party games before they're ready isn't really going to accomplish much.
 
Ok. I would counter argue that you're going to be missing out on a lot of great games because you went Highlander on your entertainment system.

I'll be playing Halo, Gears, Fable, Forza, Rare games, Crackdown, Quantum Break, etc. in addition to Uncharted, Bloodborne, TLG (right? riiiight?) etc.

I would rather be playing Bloodborne than all those games combined.
just saying :)
 

flkraven

Member
Really seems like people are mistaking "salt" for context. It's pretty fair to point out that a 13k differential isn't going to suddenly make Sony reevaluate their plans for the rest of the year, and that pumping out a bunch of first-party games before they're ready isn't really going to accomplish much.

It's not about the amount, it's about the narrative. Basically, Sony was a lock to beat/nearly destroy the Xbox every month. The November/December blitz was chalked up as an anomoly because of the recent price drop, insane deals, and Halo. The fact that MS snuck out a win in April means that they are, at the very least, winning back a little mind share. They aren't going to beat the PS4, but it appears Sony can't just sit back and coast the entire generation. Atleast not in the US.
 

ElNino

Member
I will most probably repurchase down the road, when Microsoft does another one of their panicked price drops, maybe in 2016. I had a white system so I was able to get back almost all of what I paid for it when I traded it in. I jumped in too soon I think and will wait for the backlog to pile up this time sort of the way I did with the PS3. That way I won't run out of things to play so soon exclusive-wise. I've almost run out of PS4 exclusives too, but the multiplatforms running the best and PSN games mean it gets daily use.
Well, I feel almost the same way... but switch the Xbox One and PS4.

I started with the Xbox One and recently picked up a PS4 for the exclusives (Driveclub and MLB 15). Outside of the PS+ games that I have downloaded, I haven't bought anything else yet. My Xbox One still sees regular use though and I have more games for it than I realistically have time to play, both retail and digital, with more great games coming this year.

Even with multiplats, they will likely be split between the two as there are plenty of games that I would prefer on Xbox One regardless of whether it performs better on the PS4 (ie. controller, friends, son wants to play on his account, etc).
 

Boke1879

Member
Really seems like people are mistaking "salt" for context. It's pretty fair to point out that a 13k differential isn't going to suddenly make Sony reevaluate their plans for the rest of the year, and that pumping out a bunch of first-party games before they're ready isn't really going to accomplish much.

Even people who are excited for the MS win this month said the 13 difference isn't much. And to be fair no one "lit" up the sales charts. It was a slow month and the ONE happened to benefit from a great trade in deal
 

Curufinwe

Member
It's not about the amount, it's about the narrative. Basically, Sony was a lock to beat/nearly destroy the Xbox every month. The November/December blitz was chalked up as an anomoly because of the recent price drop, insane deals, and Halo. The fact that MS snuck out a win in April means that they are, at the very least, winning back a little mind share. They aren't going to beat the PS4, but it appears Sony can't just sit back and coast the entire generation. Atleast not in the US.

I don't think people should be surprised that a $349 Xbone with Halo MCC was a more attractive proposition to American consumers than a $399 PS4 with TLOUR in a month with no big new PS4 exclusives.
 
It's not about the amount, it's about the narrative. Basically, Sony was a lock to beat/nearly destroy the Xbox every month. The November/December blitz was chalked up as an anomoly because of the recent price drop, insane deals, and Halo. The fact that MS snuck out a win in April means that they are, at the very least, winning back a little mind share. They aren't going to beat the PS4, but it appears Sony can't just sit back and coast the entire generation. Atleast not in the US.

If it was a large difference, sure. But 13k? That's a pretty negligible difference, and it doesn't warrant the "Sony r doomed" narrative at all. Until the X1 starts outselling the PS4 by a significant amount consistently, there really isn't a need to rush.
 
Sony need to stop thinking of making profit of the hardware and try to sell as many PS4s as possible then recoup through software sales.
They are giving MS a really easy time in the U.S. to make a comeback drop that price by $50 and you are good to go.
There's a fixation with people who seem to think that it's better for them to focus on making profit vs selling more systems, but Sony isn't Nintendo.

And whatever losses they get from the PS4 currently for each system sold (likely no more than $20-$40, assuming it isn't selling at break-even) would be more than offset by a significant increase in the user base via more consoles sold. That's what worked with them for the PS1 and PS2, and they're not in some withered near-death state to where that can't work for the PS4.

Otherwise, why build a console and sell it in the first place?
 

jvm

Gamasutra.
For folks suggesting E3 price drops, I'd ask whether you believe that's ever happened before. I think the number of E3 price drops is almost nil. Model launches (Xbox 360 S) -- ok, but that's not a price drop, it's a value change.

Sony has tended to do price drops around GamesCom. Not sure what they're planning this year.

Microsoft -- well, their price cut history is kind of not clear. They've done a lot of seasonal deals and bundles (remember the college/school bundling a few summers ago?) and service packages (remember the "buy Live for two years, get console for $99"?). I don't see any precedent for a price drop announcement at E3.

Edit: Not to mention, with the exception of MGS3 bundle, I don't think there's any history of giant hardware sales movements in the summer months. If I were one of these companies, I'd lay low and suffer through June-July-August and then hit hard in September. See: Microsoft and Xbox/Halo history.
 

flkraven

Member
If it was a large difference, sure. But 13k? That's a pretty negligible difference, and it doesn't warrant the "Sony r doomed" narrative at all. Until the X1 starts outselling the PS4 by a significant amount consistently, there really isn't a need to rush.

lol, I don't think anyone is seriously saying 'Sony r doomed'. Like I said, Sony will still win, even in North America. However, they are no longer outright dominating. They can coast and accept a narrower victory, or they could get aggressive and continue dominating.
 

Busaiku

Member
Wii U has sold/is selling so little, that I don't think a price drop will really help at all. Nintendo's making the right move here because, as Gamecube showed, the lower price is not going to help much.
However, I do think 3DS, especially with New 3DS, does have some room for growth, and a price drop is necessary. At the very least, they can get more of the 3/2DS/XL base to upgrade, increasing the actual active userbase. Even if they don't necessarily attract new owners, getting current owners to get new hardware and games would definitely help.
 

impact

Banned
Really? Not me. I like Bloodborne but I stopped playing it after a few days. I play to have fun, not to punish myself. I'll go back to it sometime soon.

image.php


2ez
 
lol, I don't think anyone is seriously saying 'Sony r doomed'. Like I said, Sony will still win, even in North America. However, they are no longer outright dominating. They can coast and accept a narrower victory, or they could get aggressive and continue dominating.

Do they really need to dominate though? Sure, that's just one more thing they can boast about, but winning by a little less than you were before isn't that much of a loss.
 
The actual take away is that everyone this month did numbers that are really not good for anyone. These are not monthly numbers we want to see for a console in its second year.

Consoles are still on a decent trajectory overall, but it's months like these that make one wonder just how strong these numbers really are or if it's still a bit inflated from how long the past generation was and if we're still going to see major growth contraction even ignoring the Wii.

Yeah but it is software that drives hardware sales. The software lineup this year has been dire for the casual crowd
 

system11

Member
Surprising result, not sure how that happened. Is the market in the US really that short sighted that a 50 dollar cut makes a difference?
 

Welfare

Member
The actual take away is that everyone this month did numbers that are really not good for anyone. These are not monthly numbers we want to see for a console in its second year.

Consoles are still on a decent trajectory overall, but it's months like these that make one wonder just how strong these numbers really are or if it's still a bit inflated from how long the past generation was and if we're still going to see major growth contraction even ignoring the Wii.

Ranking the second April's of 6th, 7th, and 8th gen home consoles.

Wii - 714k
PS2 - 196k
Xbox One - 187k
PS3 - 187k
PS4 - 174k
Xbox 360 - 174k
Xbox - 127k
Gamecube - 101k
Wii U - 48k

Seems pretty normal actually, except the Wii and Wii U. Funny how they are at the extreme ends.
 
Ok. I would counter argue that you're going to be missing out on a lot of great games because you went Highlander on your entertainment system.

I'll be playing Halo, Gears, Fable, Forza, Rare games, Crackdown, Quantum Break, etc. in addition to Uncharted, Bloodborne, TLG (right? riiiight?) etc.

It's diff'rent strokes though, isn't it?

Whilst I have enjoyed Forza and Crackdown on the 360 in the past there is nothing in that list that I would consider as a motivating factor for buying a second console. I've never understood quite why Americans seem to love Halo and Gears so much. Controversial, I know! Lol.

There will be plenty games available for the console that I have to fill in any gaps.
Besides I already have more PS4 games than I have time to play them. I haven't even started Far Cry 4 or Mortal Kombat yet and I've got the Witcher coming shortly. Buying a whole new console to have even more games I have even less time to play would be pointless. My friends moved over to PS4 anyway.
So all of that plus the fact that the majority of multiplats look better on PS4 means that I can't really imagine what MS could do to persuade me to buy one.

edit- actually I have just thought of a way Microsoft could speak to me as a consumer.
If Morpheus turned out to be poorly implemented and Microsoft somehow cracked VR for the Xbox One and it really worked then I would probably get it.
 

Croatoan

They/Them A-10 Warthog
While not mad (I'm 34, I have better things to be mad about) I still am a bit disappointed that the Xbone is so close in NA, especially when I think the PS4 is far and away the superior console. When it wins a month, it's even worse. The 360 deserved it's success, at least for the first half of the gen, but I sold my Xbone after only a few short months of owning it because it just didn't make enough sense to own both a PS4 as well, and I couldn't very well sell the system that plays multiplatforms the best. So I culled the weaker link. Last gen it was the opposite where my PS3 was the more ignored system for the first few years.

I know there is a lot more to the console than mere power, and I really liked the interface of the One once I became used to it, but it was sitting around unused for too long like my Wii U after a while. With 90% of games being multiplatform, power is actually what won out however.

I think its because the PS4 is so reminiscent of the early Xbox 360, with an abundant library of XBLA-style games thanks to the indies and the power of PS Plus. I just can't warrant 2 subscription services either, so the deeper service (at least as far as "freebies" is concerned) won out.

The short of it is I don't think the Xbone deserves any of it's success, not when there is a better alternative out there. For exclusives it might make a bit more sense and that's what talked me into a purchase (Sunset Overdrive) but as a primary system I don't understand it.

Uhh...well...I...umm...hmm.

At 34 I hope you understand that both XOne and PS4 receiving healthy sales numbers is a good thing for the industry. Who cares who is winning or losing. Enjoy the games :) .
 
Top Bottom