Whether it’s a bad omen or not, seasoned industry analyst Michael Pachter is really chucking his chips into the PlayStation 4’s basket. As part of an exhaustive industry forecast – mercifully summarised by our friends over at Games Industry.biz – the Wedbush Securities man predicts that Sony’s next generation machine will outsell the Xbox One by a whopping 30 per cent through 2016.
The outspoken analyst suggested that Microsoft’s machine will move around 29 million units globally by the close of the abovementioned year, while the PS4 will sell a superior 37.7 million units. The likeable suit expects the Nintendo Wii U to finish up in third place, with just 20 million units in the books by the end of the same period. This should make harrowing toilet reading for Satoru Iwata.
Nevertheless, if you’re holding out hope for a price drop during that time, Pachter has more bad news. The executive only expects Sony to shave off $100 over the next three years, concluding that the Japanese giant’s latest console will still retail for a relatively expensive $299 in the far-flung future. The oracle does admit that his figures could fluctuate depending on how swiftly Microsoft responds to its competitor’s success. Our guess is very quick.
Still, it’s the third-party publishers that may be rubbing their hands while the two giants do battle. The analyst expects software sales to increase by ten per cent this year, then by seven per cent and six per cent in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The GameTrailers host puts these improvements down to the enthusiasm created by new hardware. You can’t see him, but Activision gaffer Bobby Kotick’s sitting in his solid gold office rubbing his hands.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 10
I only clicked on the article b/c I thought the thumbnail picture was Stephen Colbert.
But since I'm here, why 2016? That's 3 full years, why not do 5 years, 2018, as that's a typical lifetime for a home console.
Haha solid gold office! I expect it to be made of diamonds soon.
@goonow Not if Call of Duty keeps going down: https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2014/01/grand_theft_auto_v_puts_a_big_bullet_hole_in_the_uks_largest_entertainment_properties
@rjejr he is trying to look smart, but still keep it reasonable. The economy could crash again within 5 years but i guess hopes are still up for the next 3 lol
@get2sammyb thanks for the link! Its probably a good sign for the gaming industry when cod looses to another game, cause it means people really do want something different. I dont know why cod is so popular, but it gives the gaming industry a bad reputation by making people think its all about the guns.
If Wii U finishes the year at 20 million then that would be quite an achievement and would exceed many's expectations. 20 million isn't bad at all for a 2 year old console.
@Itachi they are talking about what it will sell by 2016. Which makes sence if it manages to sell 5 million a year. I dont think it will though cause unless the world starts spining backwards people arnt going to be anymore excited about the wii u in its second year.
I want his job. I'd just have to sit back and talk BS.
@goonow Mario Kart 8, Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Bayonetta 2, Project X, Donkey Kong, and plenty more won't earn Wii U hype at all will it?
@Lolzified those games arnt any better than what has already came out, really. I dont think they will sell any better either. I own a wii u and love it but i am being realistic. Microsoft and sony will never sell more than what they do in their first year. Console sales level off in a very predictable way and it has been that way for generations.
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