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The most popular game console on Black Friday 2021 isn't the PlayStation 5 — it's the $300 Xbox Series S (due to availability)

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Topher

Gold Member
With gamepass, physical games arent on the table for xbox gamers.

You have this option too.

No, there are still Xbox fans who prefer physical. Look at all the physical disc sales on Amazon's best sellers.

 
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Codes 208

Member
So heres the general breakdown.

my store got 20 xbox series s’s
About 15 nintendo switch mario kart bundles and no playstations (neither 4 or 5)

we still havent sold all the SS’s, of the twenty we had, theres still six left. The switches? Those were all gone in an hour, barely even that. (Though the item that sold out the fastest for us were the $89 airpods, took fifteen minutes for thirty of them to be gone)

so i would wager if the series s nabs MS the win for this month’s NPD its definitely due to the higher stock because the switch sold out way faster and playstation didnt even have a chance (but we still had a few dozen come in asking “do you have any ps5’s?”)
 
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DavidGzz

Member
So why has MS not dramatically scaled back production on the S and used all those wafers and in demand components to produce more X's? There is clearly a demand gap. They're the same process node aren't they? And the primary shortage is the main APU? Can we perhaps conclude that profits are higher in the S?

2 Xbox console sales will always be better than one for MS.
 
You two can`t differentiate between "value/bang for buck" and "desirable/gimme gimme"

Cheaper doesn`t make it more desirable. A Lada is not more desirable than a Ferrari just because it`s cheaper......
I desire a cheap lada more than a Ferrari i can't afford and don't want anyways.

Tho I would like a Model S Plaid, if we talk about desirable. But the difference between a Model 3 and S Plaid is soooooooo much bigger than Series S and Series X. It's not even close.

Everyone has a different desire.
Plenty of my friends got a Series S, so the Fortnite and Warzone load times are gone. That the most desirable feature. Not some marginally better look for $200 you can do other stuff with.

But that's the beauty of 2 SKUs. There is something for everyone
 

onQ123

Member
Remember when it was DoA right next to the Switch?

I think it's fair to say we here at GAF all suck at predicting things.

I always expected Series S to sell well around the Holidays


https://www.neogaf.com/threads/xbox...-game-pass-attach-rate.1576905/post-261110053

 

Godot25

Banned
So why has MS not dramatically scaled back production on the S and used all those wafers and in demand components to produce more X's? There is clearly a demand gap. They're the same process node aren't they? And the primary shortage is the main APU? Can we perhaps conclude that profits are higher in the S?
Because Series X future owners are willing to wait. Series S is more impulse buy thanks to it's price.

That's why its important to have Series S available before Christmas
 
You just strawmanned an argument I didn't make and tell me I've moved the goal posts?

I never said they would never sell and I never said they would be discontinued. But the facts are that the other consoles are soldout as soon as they are available versus the Series S who stays available for quite a while longer, meaning less demand for it.
Who says I was talking about you personally? I don't even know who you are. I saw numerous posts on this board declaring the system was DOA. Just because you didn't make that foolish statement doesn't mean it wasn't the prevailing wisdom around here.

Regardless the system being available for sale in no way indicates it isn't selling and that was the point I was making. Also it being around doesn't take into account the system is easier to manufacture and restock which also plays a role in its availability. I hope you don't believe the stock on store shelves are launch units.

Lucikly math doesn't need your endorsement.

The series s is a great machine, everything is going digital consoles are just behind. PC made this transition years ago and its arguably the cheapest software eco system. Your arguments rest upon assumptions that are completely divorced from reality.

Also sub services have only gotten more popular , people have been subscribed to things for years but staying subscribed to GP is somehow unfathomable....... right
It also ignores that you can buy digital games from multiple sources not just from MS. People tend to only place value based on the TF of the system and not the overall costs of ownership. It is undeniable that the XSS offers the best value and is the easiest console to purchase and support with software.
 
You'll have to explain what goalpost you think I moved.

Come On What GIF by MOODMAN
All of a sudden, sales don't matter.

Yet again, sales aren't a metric of demand because the system involved is Series S.

Say the sales are in part due to supply, okay, but there aren't nearly enough people around to buy a $300 system just because it's there, if they otherwise have no desire for it.

The downplaying is real; just a general commentary.

Series X would be more popular than the S if it was available.

100%, no doubting that. I'm just saying it's weird folks are acting like only reason Series S is selling at all is because of supply.

I don't care if a new console, laptop, tablet whatever is $100; if I don't have some desire for it other than it being cheap, I'm not buying. Most people are the same in that regard.
 
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Mr Moose

Member
All of a sudden, sales don't matter.

Yet again, sales aren't a metric of demand because the system involved is Series S.

Say the sales are in part due to supply, okay, but there aren't nearly enough people around to buy a $300 system just because it's there, if they otherwise have no desire for it.

The downplaying is real; just a general commentary.



100%, no doubting that. I'm just saying it's weird folks are acting like only reason Series S is selling at all is because of supply.

I don't care if a new console, laptop, tablet whatever is $100; if I don't have some desire for it other than it being cheap, I'm not buying. Most people are the same in that regard.
I think someone in this thread said they bought the S because it was available but they wanted the X. I'm too lazy to find the post though lol.
I can imagine that happening a fair amount, especially this close to the holidays. Without them all being fully available though it's really hard to say 100%.
 

Dr Bass

Member
All of a sudden, sales don't matter.

Yet again, sales aren't a metric of demand because the system involved is Series S.

Say the sales are in part due to supply, okay, but there aren't nearly enough people around to buy a $300 system just because it's there, if they otherwise have no desire for it.

The downplaying is real; just a general commentary.



100%, no doubting that. I'm just saying it's weird folks are acting like only reason Series S is selling at all is because of supply.

I don't care if a new console, laptop, tablet whatever is $100; if I don't have some desire for it other than it being cheap, I'm not buying. Most people are the same in that regard.
Of course sales matter.

I’ve long thought the series S was a good idea. Not everyone cares about the highest res possible.

But again, we have the historical sales data. It’s just not that popular a system. We don’t even have the data for the day this article is claiming to discuss and there are some people in here claiming some dramatic changing of the tides out of emotional reasons to see their “team” win.

The data isn’t there. The sales aren’t there. It’s not a big seller of a system. Just let it go until the actual numbers prove otherwise.
 

Topher

Gold Member
All of a sudden, sales don't matter.

Yet again, sales aren't a metric of demand because the system involved is Series S.

Say the sales are in part due to supply, okay, but there aren't nearly enough people around to buy a $300 system just because it's there, if they otherwise have no desire for it.

The downplaying is real; just a general commentary.

I never said sales "don't matter". Of course they matter. I never said sales aren't a metric of demand. I said XSS selling doesn't make it the "most popular". PS5 and XSX, I think, are the "most popular" consoles on the market and they are factually the hardest to find. If you disagree with that and believe XSS is actually the "most popular" console right now and the sales are a result of that then fine, we can just disagree.

None of what I said is moving a single goalpost. If you want to make "general commentary" then I suggest not quoting someone and associating arguments to that post that simply were not made at all.
 
I think someone in this thread said they bought the S because it was available but they wanted the X. I'm too lazy to find the post though lol.
I can imagine that happening a fair amount, especially this close to the holidays. Without them all being fully available though it's really hard to say 100%.
But that still indicates there's a desire, on their part, even if that desire was outweighed by the desire for a Series X.

If they simply weren't interested in an S whatsoever, they'd just wait for another chance to get an X. They already waited a decent while most likely, what's another month or three?

Maybe their patience had ran out, that is a possibility. But I can't imagine being that needy for a game console just because it's Black Friday. Maybe wait 'till then for a value-added deal or bundle I guess, but that would just be capitalizing on interest already present beforehand.

I just hope the supply issues for Series and PS5 resolve by around middle of next year. TSMC hopefully can get more 5nm and 3nm into production so companies hogging 7nm not Microsoft & Sony can move to one of those nodes, freeing up availability. That, or Samsung can increase their fab capacity. It'd be nice of Global Foundries were still seriously in the running, hopefully Intel's fabs are better by next year as that would also help.

It would probably be best though if the company that makes the EUV machines could make more than like 50 per year.
 
Of course sales matter.

I’ve long thought the series S was a good idea. Not everyone cares about the highest res possible.

But again, we have the historical sales data. It’s just not that popular a system. We don’t even have the data for the day this article is claiming to discuss and there are some people in here claiming some dramatic changing of the tides out of emotional reasons to see their “team” win.

The data isn’t there. The sales aren’t there. It’s not a big seller of a system. Just let it go until the actual numbers prove otherwise.
There is plenty of emotional opposition to the XSS so there is plenty of team cheerleading to go around. I don't think we can make any final judgment on popularity until demand for the enthusiast market has been met. Hard core gamers haven't gotten their preferred platform yet so any judgements are premature.

The XSS was never intended to be a huge initial seller, it was the value system for the long term to entice people with a potential impulse purchase. I'm curious to see the numbers and split are at the end of the generation. Then we'll truly know if MS had the right idea. I'd stay there are off to a good start though.
 

FrankWza

Member
So why has MS not dramatically scaled back production on the S and used all those wafers and in demand components to produce more X's? There is clearly a demand gap. They're the same process node aren't they? And the primary shortage is the main APU? Can we perhaps conclude that profits are higher in the S?
The speculation is that they need the x chips to boost their servers so they are making s to have something on shelves and it’s easier to source components.

But that still indicates there's a desire, on their part, even if that desire was outweighed by the desire for a Series X.
You can go on 3 or 4 national chains right now and buy an s. It’s the biggest shopping weekend of the year and every other console is out of stock. refurbished PS4’s are going for $300. All other consoles are being sold on reseller sites for 30%+ higher prices. The only reason there are sales is because of the holiday season.
 

Reallink

Member
The speculation is that they need the x chips to boost their servers so they are making s to have something on shelves and it’s easier to source components.


You can go on 3 or 4 national chains right now and buy an s. It’s the biggest shopping weekend of the year and every other console is out of stock. refurbished PS4’s are going for $300. All other consoles are being sold on reseller sites for 30%+ higher prices. The only reason there are sales is because of the holiday season.

So same place all the 3080s are going, powering Geforce Now.
 
That is how you know, who spends money like crazy.

Most rational people won't spend 500$ on a console. They fucking won't do it.

300$ on other hand is easy to buy it. They can spend money on that. But 500$ is a fucking no no. You mention that, and you will get whipped.

That's almost exactly the opposite of what the article points at. Bravo! 👏👏👏
 

dcmk7

Banned
So heres the general breakdown.

my store got 20 xbox series s’s
About 15 nintendo switch mario kart bundles and no playstations (neither 4 or 5)

we still havent sold all the SS’s, of the twenty we had, theres still six left. The switches? Those were all gone in an hour, barely even that. (Though the item that sold out the fastest for us were the $89 airpods, took fifteen minutes for thirty of them to be gone)

so i would wager if the series s nabs MS the win for this month’s NPD its definitely due to the higher stock because the switch sold out way faster and playstation didnt even have a chance (but we still had a few dozen come in asking “do you have any ps5’s?”)
It's pretty sad to see that people still can't get a hold of these consoles.

For many can imagine they are picking up Series S as a last resort. Probably not fully knowing the drawbacks.
 
Of course sales matter.

I’ve long thought the series S was a good idea. Not everyone cares about the highest res possible.

But again, we have the historical sales data.

Historical data of what? Series S sales? How? At most we have Famitsu sales numbers and the ratio of S vs. X there has been quite good.
It’s just not that popular a system.

That popular compared to what? PS5? Sure. Series X? Okay. But that doesn't mean there's seismic scales of difference in popularity between those and Series S. People are acting like it's the leper of game consoles, c'mon.

We don’t even have the data for the day this article is claiming to discuss and there are some people in here claiming some dramatic changing of the tides out of emotional reasons to see their “team” win.

But that's almost always true with Black Friday sales articles :/

The data isn’t there. The sales aren’t there. It’s not a big seller of a system. Just let it go until the actual numbers prove otherwise.

If the data isn't there, how can you claim the sales aren't there? Wouldn't that create a paradox? The actual number will be whatever it ends up being, but just because Series S is less supply-constrained than Series X and PS5 doesn't mean it isn't supply-constrained at all. I'm sure it's at least a bit constrained in that way.

I never said sales "don't matter". Of course they matter. I never said sales aren't a metric of demand. I said XSS selling doesn't make it the "most popular". PS5 and XSX, I think, are the "most popular" consoles on the market and they are factually the hardest to find.

You can't always measure demand from supply scarcity. Hell, sometimes supply scarcity can be manufactured (as in, fictionalized) to create a perception to drive demand. Disney does that all the time when they take movies out of the Vault for a limited time. Nintendo recently did it with one of those Mario anthology releases on Switch (think it was the one with SM64 and the Galaxy games).

I don't say that to doubt PS5 and Series X are more popular than Series S: they are. I'm just saying you can't 100% use lack of supply as an indicator of demand, because not all supply issues are created the same or even naturally. And a system having supply that's more closely meeting demand (Series S, in this case) doesn't mean it is 100% void of any type of supply constraints.

Personally, I think Series S demand will probably increase for PC users looking for budget emulation options or something to replace 1650 Super GPUs. There aren't really any entry-level GPU options available right now and probably won't be for another six months or more.

If you disagree with that and believe XSS is actually the "most popular" console right now and the sales are a result of that then fine, we can just disagree.

No disagreement there. Just saying if there's anyone holding the idea there's no demand for Series S, that the majority of its sales are from being available and people just "buying to buy", then that idea is fundamentally wrong. People don't buy simply to buy no matter how cheap it is; they gotta have some type of desire for what want to buy, at the very least.

None of what I said is moving a single goalpost. If you want to make "general commentary" then I suggest not quoting someone and associating arguments to that post that simply were not made at all.

Fair enough; up to that post there were just so many other posts basically doing what I commented on, and your post could be perceived as feeding into that.

But it wasn't and I apologize for implying otherwise.
 

intbal

Member
Congrats to OP for generating 5 pages of heated discussion without even typing a single character.
That's seriously high efficiency.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
All of this is very very obvious and is embedded in the argument. Physical copies dont make sense, you just end up downloading most of the game anyway. No utility in physical, just a bunch of dinosaurs on here cant come to grips with the future.
It’s a key that you can resell.

I own a PS5 DE and Series S but even I can see how physical makes sense.

Console digital pricing will never follow PC trends unless the courts dictate that the console manufacturers must allow third party stores on the systems.
 

heilong79

Neo Member
Physical is too expensive if you only use the likes of Gamestop, digital is cheap if you buy on sales and use gamepass for playing new releases and wait until sales to buy digitally, the age of physical is over especially when it is just used as DRM to download the digital version and the disc is almost not used at all.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Microsoft 4D chess! Damn our green rat patrol


if you get enough series S consoles in one place they form together and make a green rat king!
 

FrankWza

Member
Why do people just make things up? Gears Tactics came out on launch day and Flight Simulator months ago, both were highly rated.
Those games both came out before series consoles released. On other platforms. The Forza and Halo releases are new games
 

Riky

$MSFT
Those games both came out before series consoles released. On other platforms. The Forza and Halo releases are new games

Which both come out on the same platforms, in fact Flight Simulator is more of an exclusive as it didn't come out on Xbox One.
 
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FrankWza

Member
Which both come out on the same platforms, in fact Flight Simulator is more of an exclusive as it didn't come out on Xbox One.
And it’s not an Xbox flagship title and neither is gears tactics. So, they just released 2 brand new games that are synonymous with their xbox brand and they are unable to meet those 2 titles with their premium device and are instead shipping the series s.
 

kingpotato

Ask me about my Stream Deck
GameStop almost up in here doubling Series S sales overnight. A little sad it didn't pan out, but it is cool to see some stock available.
 

Riky

$MSFT
And it’s not an Xbox flagship title and neither is gears tactics. So, they just released 2 brand new games that are synonymous with their xbox brand and they are unable to meet those 2 titles with their premium device and are instead shipping the series s.

That's not what you said, you said no first party releases for a year, that's untrue.

You can also play both those games on Xbox One, PC, Xbox One X and through Xcloud on your phone. So there are other ways to access those games.
 
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The speculation is that they need the x chips to boost their servers so they are making s to have something on shelves and it’s easier to source components.


You can go on 3 or 4 national chains right now and buy an s. It’s the biggest shopping weekend of the year and every other console is out of stock. refurbished PS4’s are going for $300. All other consoles are being sold on reseller sites for 30%+ higher prices. The only reason there are sales is because of the holiday season.

Or, OR....Microsoft had Series S units waiting to be put up for sale for Black Friday? That is probably why it's available at retail chains, I'm guessing.

Markup prices have more to do with scarcity rather than demand; there are people selling all kinds of weird shit on eBay no one in their right might wants, but go for ridiculous prices due to rarity/scarcity.

Like I said; Series X and PS5 have more demand, that's not up for debate. What is up for debate, is the idea Series S has practically no demand (or that its supply vastly outweighs its demand), because that is objectively false. People aren't going to blow money on something they simply don't want, even if they would potentially pick up something else similar if it were available.

The system that can seize the moment and have supply ready, that's the system that's going to sell at this point of the generation.

It's pretty sad to see that people still can't get a hold of these consoles.

For many can imagine they are picking up Series S as a last resort. Probably not fully knowing the drawbacks.

You're talking about the same sort of people who buy iPhones regularly, subscribe to Netflix, and probably haven't purchased a DVD or Blu-Ray in almost a decade. They aren't that stupid, they know what a "digital" system is, and it only takes a second to learn.

Not only that, but they can ask clerks and sales assistants for more info and would learn that way. Let's not pretend they're getting "suckered" into a purchase. Let's also not pretend they're begrudgingly buying an S out of desperation or despair; most normal people aren't going to blow away $300 on something they have little to no desire to already want.
 
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FrankWza

Member
It makes sense. Why else wouldn’t you want to put your premium console out when you just released 2 flagship franchise titles after a year with no first party exclusives releasing?
That's not what you said, you said no first party releases for a year, that's untrue.
I also said 2 flagship titles and omitted that from your response:
Why do people just make things up? Gears Tactics came out on launch day and Flight Simulator months ago, both were highly rated.
So how is a gears rts game and a flight simulator that’s never been on an xbox in its history,a flagship title?
 
BTW, here's the ranking for Amazon for just this week. PS5 #1. XSX #12. XSS #57. XSS is obviously the least sought after one. Also, just because it's still selling now, because it's the only one available, doesn't mean it is enough to outsell the amount of PS5s sold out within the first 5 mins.
 
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Riky

$MSFT
I also said 2 flagship titles and omitted that from your response:

So how is a gears rts game and a flight simulator that’s never been on an xbox in its history,a flagship title?
It's totally irrelevant what you see as "flagship" they released two first party games earlier than Forza Horizon 5, fact. You could say that Returnal and Rift Apart are not "flagship" either, that doesn't make them not first party games
 

dcmk7

Banned
Not only that, but they can ask clerks and sales assistants for more info and would learn that way. Let's not pretend they're getting "suckered" into a purchase. Let's also not pretend they're begrudgingly buying an S out of desperation or despair; most normal people aren't going to blow away $300 on something they have little to no desire to already want.

That's pretty naïve.

This thread sums it up, some people buy it just because there is nothing else to buy.


A fair few people in there wanted something / anything and immediately regretted it. And go on to advice the OP against the idea. It happens.
 
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FrankWza

Member
It's totally irrelevant what you see as "flagship" they released two first party games earlier than Forza Horizon 5, fact. You could say that Returnal and Rift Apart are not "flagship" either, that doesn't make them not first party games
They aren’t. Returnal is a new IP and ratchet has never been synonymous with the PlayStation brand. Halo, gears and Forza are 3 franchises that people associate with xbox brand. That’s not what I see, it’s just how things are.
 
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