April 2015 NPD: PS4 Slumps to Shock Defeat

This kinda sucks, but I think that you would agree, a competitive market is by far, by far, the best option.......when one company leads the industry by a huge standard, you get almost anti-consumer approaches (XB1 and PS3 inital launches come to mind).

The closer the race is, the better for us gamers.

Dear me the USA games chart is as predictable as the British chart, but you just swap out fifa for Baseball. Yay.

I don't think many people saw this coming, but then again, there wasn't much high profile software releasing on either system. I doubt the result will force Sony to do anything drastic - like the article says, the PS4 is still way ahead worldwide - but it is a bit of a quick jab to remind the company that it's still to play for.

i don't see why people get so worked up about numbers. XB1 wins this month, PS4 wins next month, does it matter? As long as Sony stays in the positive and keeps making games I enjoy I'm ok with it. I'm not gonna lose my mind because XB1 sold more. It's not like the winner after 10 years gets a trophy

This is ok news by me. I own the XB1 aswell as the PS4 so of course I want to see it do well. The first part game Im looking to the most this year is Halo 5 Guardians. It was Uncharted 4, but thats off the table for this year.

Anyway, its not like the PS4 is hurting from sales.

Does it really matter ? I've owned every generation of sony consoles as they have always been my preferred choice . As long as the company keep delivering standout high quality independent titles then i will continue to support them . Who gives a damn what xbox sold and where .

@WARDIE

I agree, I just recently became an owner of both systems (although I've had the PS4 since Dec of 2013), I can see the merits in both consoles, so the more that they each thrive while establishing unique identities, the better for me.

Anybody who thinks MS is just going to surrender the North American market without a fight is crazy. I don't believe the gap is going to be anywhere near as big as it was last gen. In fact I think both will probably onlby be a few millions units at most, as opposed to the 10 mil or so from last gen. But still expect at the end MS will be on the right side of that. People just love the Xbox over here and have a blind loyalty to it which I don't really understand. I own the console because I think it has good exclusives and there's more on the way but if I'm only getting one of the two, PS4 is the better choice in the long run because the first party content will be there and the machine itself isn't a totally annoying piece of sh*t like the Xbox One. It actually moves. The only problem I have is the inconsistency of the store. I can deal with that far more easily than I can waiting an hour for a game to install when I bought a freaking physical copy. PS4 loads the data off the disc almost instantly and you're good to go. No excuse on MS' part for the X1 not to be the same.

This is an example of what I'm saying though. You can downplay exclusives all you want, they do matter. And it's what helped get things turned around for PS3. Sony needs to get its act together on this front, period.

What interests me the most is that if you distill recent data, you see that the highly anticipated Bloodborne almost sold no extra consoles and that the game itself doesn't have "legs". We as core gamers tend to forget that games like BB mean absolutely nothing to the people that don't have a PS4 or One yet.

If Xbox continues with their current strategy, I can see them winning more and more months this year, since they're doing an excellent job of giving the more casual gamer faith in their product: they really have a line up that will attract both core gamers and the more casual ones. And with the current price points it's an easy pick imo. If I were in the race id probably still pick a PS4 because of Persona, but I'd seriously think bout getting it on PS3 and buying a One. And if I had to recommend a console to the average household at this moment I would recommend a One: they have a line up with games that matter, for €300 you have a console with a game here in Europe and I think the One is showing more progression and promise on the short term. A pricedrop would change everything though, but I'm pretty sure Xbox will counter that with a new model this summer.

@themcnoisy

MLB The Show is consistently great though, so that gets a legitimate 'yay' from me, since I love the sport.

@get2sammyb Would make sense if it barely beat since it usually loses. Another thing though, the tagline kind of gives the impression it beat by a good bit. I think the article should mention we don't have the numbers if they haven't been released, as after reading the tagline I spent a minute trying to find them until I saw in the comments they weren't released.

Hold your horses, can anyone tell me what an average xb1 and ps4 cost at retail? Are they the same price yet... ? In NA

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi

In the US the X1 is $350 and the PS4 is $400.

@Gamer83 You do know that if you go into the settings on the XB1 and disconnect the XB from the network your games will intall alot quicker right. They install around the same time as PS4 games. Before I found out that little trick it took me around 5hrs to intall Halo MCC from the disk. The file size was 60gb.

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi My PS4 cost 350 with no games but I got my XB1 for 280 with 3 digital games. Forza 5, Assassin's Creed Black Flag and AC Unity. Both systems were new and I purchased them from GAME.

@SecondServing @WARDIE so Sony is probably still making more profit, maybe...

I love games, in general, regardless of which piece of plastic they run on. And I want to see all 3 platforms do well.

So when I see MS beat Sony in US, or Sony beat MS globally, or Nintendo topped Japanese charts, or whatever, it means nothing to me. I don't care who sells more, what I care about is that all 3 of them do well in their own right. And even then, as long as I have good games coming, I say it is what it is.

You know, its titles in articles like these that just encourage the fanboys.

@JaxonH Couldn't agree more. It never used to be like this a couple of decades ago. Sure everyone had a system they preferred, but there was nowhere near as much negative fanboy crap as there is these days. I guess its because of the internet, social media and articles like these. Hopefully when these consoles are both seen to be doing well it may die down a bit. But then Nintendo will release there new system and it'll all kick off again lol

@WARDIE
Idk why, but so many gamers now relish seeing another console do poorly. I see people mock and ridicule the Wii U and Vita all the time- not so much Vita anymore, as if it boosts their ego to point out they own a "successful" console. I can't help but wonder why. But one thing is a constant- those that find joy in seeing a console fail, almost always have never played that console or discovered the joy it's library offers.

@WARDIE @JaxonH

People like to feel good about their purchases so I can get where they're coming from, though I do say if you're an adult, or even older teen, and still acting that way, some growing up is in order. The internet has definitely changed things. The fanboy wars exist, from what I remember, going back to the 16-bit days, but it was just fun and joking around between friends.

@WARDIE

Didn't know that, about Xbox One, thanks. But that's ridiculous you have to go through and do that. Shouldn't be impossible for MS to make it so you can be connected and not have to wait an eternity to play your games. Sony does the same crap with playing your games offline. You have to jump through hoops.

I'm kinda surprised Bloodborne fell out of the Top 10, yeah it doesn't have that much replay value, but it's still a great game. Shocked it didn't gain more steam after launch.

Surely the numbers only really matter to fanboys for bragging rights? They really mean nothing to me, I purchased my PS4, have no intention of getting an XB1 as my time is restricted enough, so to me competition seems like a good thing.

@Mrskinner

It was a bigger deal in the past because it seemed like sales would dictate where some of the big third party games go. Now, if a major third party game goes exclusive it's usually because it was paid for by one of the big 3.

@Gamer83 Ah ok, I understand that.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Will Minecraft ever not chart??

@SecondServing Know you'll be jumping for joy~

Congratulations to MS, while I think neither have a game worth buying a system over (Bloodborne while amazing isn't a system seller to me) I'm glad that they pulled a win in a month that isn't a holiday season.

Part of me wants them to beat Sony at E3 so Sony will FINALLY start trying this gen cause after the Ratchet delay...............it's hard not to feel like I wasted £400.

Regardless of what people think, Sony need MS and vice versa. Whilst the Xbox One may not be reaching anywhere near the numbers of PS4, the fact is its sold more units than its predecessor, the XB360, managed by the same point in its life. Because of the significant sales of the PS4, MS has had to react by dropping the price, removing Kinect and focus on games - we know how it originally focussed on being a media machine. This competition between Sony and MS has pushed them to do all of this. It may be a long way behind Sony at the moment but if Sony rest on their laurels, there is a chance that MS could and will catch up.
I bet the main reason we all buy a console is games. Often the deciding factor between buying one console over the other is the range of exclusives. Looking ahead to the 'holidays', as it stands at the moment, PS has Tearaway and No Mans Sky - Xbox has Forza, Halo, Fable Legends, Rise of the Tomb Raider etc all expected.
Hopefully this news will push Sony into responding although it maybe too late to get some big first party games out in time. They may have something up their sleeves but we know some of their big games are already delayed to 2016 - Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank...
Whether you hate the other consoles/manufacturers or not, they are needed as it benefits us in better systems, better games, better prices etc...

Could mean a PS4 price cut for US at E3...? Possibly...

So X1 beag out PS4 in April, but we dont know by how much, b/c we dont ha e any actual numbers, and we therefore also dont know whats feally important for either console, momentum, ie did X1 beat PS4 b/c X1 sales are starting to rally to a higher level, or ate PS4 ssles falli g off a clifg.

How each console is selling relative to itself is much more importsnt thst how its selling relative to each other. The latter msy still be important if things get too lopsided, but the first is much more important - the trending direction.

@JaxonH

Jax, this gen I am actually tempted to get all three consoles, but the issue is mostly that I won't have time to play them all. Something that I am also considering is getting a X1 say this year, and a PS4 several years down the line, when there are more games, and they are cheaper.

@sinalefa Ya its expensive buying games day one. I'm trying to limit only the best of the best- for example I only own Halo Master Chief, Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2 and Ori and the Blind Forest on X1. That's it- own everything and cherry pick the best the industry has to offer.

@JaxonH I completely agree with everything you said. I just don't get why people obsess so much about sales and want all 3 consoles to succeed.
@sinalefa I recently got and Xobx One and didn't regret it at all. Sunset Overdrive is great and most multplats work really well. If I get a PS4, it'll probably be by the end of this gen, when Persona 6 will be released or I'll wait for PS5 and get all the remasters of PS4.
I also am trying to limit my purchases because I don't have time to play it all. The sole exception is the 3DS, where I get and play almost everything that's released.

ps4 sold 174k
One sold 187k

Bloodborne 87k
Mortal Kombat X 1.25 m

@Cowboysfan-22 they might steal your idea for console winner

Does it really matter who sells more? Just enjoy your games, whatever your console of choice may be. I have all three, but my preference is Wii U, so that's what I buy most games for and what I play most. I don't really care that it doesn't hold a candle to Xbox One or PS4 sales; my enjoyment isn't dependent on its success relative to its competitors. The same should go for PS4 fans with this report. The console war really needs to end, yo; the only good console war was the Super Nintendo vs the Genesis, anyway.

@Cowboysfan-22 the console that has a bigger install base and is selling more units regularly, gets the most love from developers. I recently bought a New 3DS, not because I like the system (my Vita, hell even my PSP, blows it out of the water), but because it has such a large install base, Square Enix, and all of the other developers that I love are putting out game after game on Nintendo's handheld. As a PS3 user last generation, I had to wait on the sidelines while game after game came out first (or only) on the 360 (and I am not counting obvious first and second party titles). So these numbers can (and will) directly result in how much you can enjoy your system over its lifespan.

Granted the Month to Month numbers are not that important (they will fluctuate quite a bit with what games released recently), but the overall numbers are extremely important, and being in the lead, we will see the most love from developers this generation.

@ElkinFencer10 your enjoyment is actually directly related to a systems success relative to its competitors. The system that sells the most, gets the most love from developers, gets the biggest and best selection of 3rd party titles. So if you play games on your system, and you enjoy having more of the games you love, then having the system that is selling best, means you will have access to more of those games you love.

So unless you only want to play the games that are already currently on your system, and you dont care about the games that will come out in the future (if they will come out, or if your system will get them) then sure, sales numbers won't affect your enjoyment of your system, but for those of us that look forward to the games that have not been released/made yet, sales numbers are a huge factor in the enjoyment of the system, since being on top in sales means being on top with game selection.

@thedevilsjester
Is it? Because the system I get the most enjoyment out of is my Wii U, and it has the smallest install base and least love from developers.

@Gamer83 So you're saying Nintendo paid Capcom the most money to get Monster Hunter as an exclusive onto its systems? One would think Sony had more than enough cash to keep the franchise to its systems. I would love to see Freedom Unite remastered for 3DS. It's just not the same when I play MHFU on my Vita after playing MH3U AND MH4U on 3DS. All I want is to see the remarkable landscapes in stereoscopic 3D, most of the monsters have been ported over to 4U.

@ElkinFencer10 This. A thousand times this. It makes me mad they don't allow you to 'like' comments here. Console wars should only exist when they're fun.

People are free to choose the top-seller, whichever it may be for whatever reasons they have and they have the freedom to do so just like I have the freedom to choose. I chose to buy both the 3DS and Vita so that I could have access to a more comprehensive library of games. I love the 3DS game library but there is a lack of jrpgs, visual novels, and quite frankly, sometimes I would like to play a game in HD like Samurai Warriors and that's why I bought the Vita, too. I've only always owned the Nintendo handheld before b/c it suited my lifestyle best and the games were always fun to play so I'm not even going to touch home consoles just yet.