
Sony was sheepish when it came to console sales last generation, lumping the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 together as part of the illusive "PlayStation Family". It's been a lot more forthcoming with the PlayStation 4, revealing both sell in and sell through figures with alarming regularity. But it seems that Microsoft doesn't want its console to be compared anymore.
This week's financial report from the Redmond firm saw it completely gloss over hardware shipments, with the organisation focusing on Xbox Live engagement instead. And speaking with Game Informer, it's said that it will not be revealing console sales unless something significant happens, opting to focus on active users instead.
It's a pretty remarkable reveal, because it indicates that the gap between the PS4 and the Xbox One is only growing. We actually agree with Microsoft that gamer engagement is a very important statistic – but hardware numbers clearly play a role in this, as a static install base will not bring many new subscribers into the ecosystem. Quite a crazy move, then.
Of course, we fully expect Sony to boast about its sales numbers next week – be it at Paris Games Week or as part of its planned financial report. The Japanese giant has, to its credit, been reporting both PlayStation Plus statistics and hardware shipments for a while now – but then, we guess that it has something to shout about. It rarely mentions the PlayStation Vita anymore, after all.
[source gameinformer.com]
Comments 25
Microsoft is probably crying at the numbers. It's funny that when the 360 was outselling the PS3 for a while, they were all about bashing on Sony and showing the numbers...now, when they're way behind, it's hide and cringe. I don't see Nintendo hiding their figures (since the Wii U is one of their worst selling systems). Seems like Sony and Nintendo are going to be the companies that people can rely on...this just shows how Microsoft is only about the money, and doesn't care about its customers or fans, the only want money (usual for Microsoft in the game and PC world).
@JLPick To be totally fair to Microsoft, not telling investors its sales figures doesn't mean it doesn't care about its fans.
@get2sammyb
Well, lets be real, none of the big 3 care about their fans. We are walking dollar signs to the execs and to us they should be nothing more than companies that produce plastic. Phil Spencer, Shu Yoshida and Reggie Fils-Aime are not the gamer's friend and shouldn't be disgustingly worshipped by other supposed grown-a** men like they are.
That out of the way, I can't wait for the idiotic Xbox and Nintendo trolls who visit here to see this and spin it how this is great and shows MS cares more about games while Sony is 'arrogant.' Like we weren't told regularly last-gen how well Xbox 360 and Wii were selling.
@Gamer83 That's not entirely true, they care enough for the cash to give us the consumer good gadgets. I also don't think many consumers worship the aforementioned people.
@Gamer83
Xbox and Nintendo trolls? Probably not because this isn't IGN. I find Push Square, Nintendolife, and PureXbox to be on the more civil side when it comes to video game discussions on the internet. That's even more surprising considering that they all share the same login information.
(o.O )
As for the big 3, they do a good job of fooling me into thinking they care about gamers. All except Reggie Fils-Aime. He probably hates us.
Up until now Microsoft were disguising Xbox one sales anyway by including the 360. Everybody can see that the PS4 continually outsells its rival every month so there is little point in announcing their sales
So last Gen when the Xbox 360 was winning we had all the numbers each month but now the PS4 is winning this Gen we get no numbers?? Hmm
I am an old Nintendo fan from NES days. I love Nintendo but when I purchased GameCube I had also the original xbox for all the other games that were not coming to GC and because it was back then a great divx player ! After that I had a Wii with xbox 360 BUT I just quit it with xbox ! I had enough. Now with Wii U AND PS4 I believe it's the best combination and I don't regret xbox anymore. The only game that I would like to play is M&M Clash of Heroes because neither is on Wii U, neither on PS4 and it's not a xbox exclusive. I had enough because M$ had this GIANT button in front of my face called XBOX Live and I didn't want to play online or pay more ! I had enough because in order to use Internet Explorer just to surf the internet, I had to pay to be a xbox live user!?!? I had enough because even the thumbnails of my games were not shown because I had to connect to XBOX Live (!!) and I had enough with so many regular network disconnections with WIRED connection. With PS4 and Wii U using wifi / cable I have none. Maybe the router is not compatible, I don't know why.. And I didn't like how M$ was intended to treat the gamers with xbox one in the start. Hopefully, they took all back but I didn't like at all their moves. And also Kinect etc is way too trendy and casual and not necessary. So far, for the first time as a Playstation user, I am satisfied. I wish the menu had folders for the games, demos, etc.
You know what the funny part is? The article talks about 39 million Xbox Live users active as of last month, which seemed like too big a number for me (given that I imagine the majority of 360 users have moved on at this point)... and then it dawned on me that users of Microsoft games on PC and Windows Phone actually count towards that number, which only adds to the muddiness of the actual statistic.
@ricklongo Correct, they're not counting just Gold subscribers here. If someone uses Netflix on their Xbox 360 with a Silver account, that also contributes to the number.
It's not about winning the Rugby World Cup, it's about fan engagement...
@Utena-mobile
There's a few certain people who see these kind of articles and want to say 'PS4' has no games, Nintendo is great, MS is wonderful, Sony is the devil and PS gamers are arrogant. I've read a lot of articles on NLife and especially Pure Xbox. I read the comments and while people can deny if they want, the most arrogant, hypocritical group of fans is no doubt on NLife. I don't see a lot of users from here go over there to rub in poor Wii U sales numbers but I see plenty of idiots from that website come over here to bash PS4. I don't give a damn what anybody likes or dislikes but I can't stand hypocrisy and the NLife community has it in spades, almost as much as IGN. If it wasn't for the writers like Thomas and Dave who also contributes to Pure Xbox, there would almost be no point going there.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi
Yeah, I'd agree. Halo 5 doesn't seem to be generating the hype Halo usually does. I remember more talk about Halo 4 even and that one didn't get the talk Halo 3 did. I'm a long-time fan and really looking forward to 5, but I think many aren't convinced with the direction 343 wants to go. I still expect all said and done, Halo 5 will be big but people are definitely split down the middle on what they think of 343. I actually enjoyed 4's campaign and am looking forward to the team-oriented nature of 5's campaign.
Is it illegal in some way to announce a competitors sales figures for them? Or is it just considered a bad move? I mean, wouldn't freedom of information mean that Sony could ask various retailers how many Xbones they've sold? Couldn't the public do that, in fact? Isn't it in consumer interest to know the popularity and spread of the product they might be buying? Especially with videogame consoles where it's very strongly attached to the longevity of the product and the support it will receive from developers.
This is your last warning please watch the language -Tasuki-
@Gamer83 Don't let a tiny little niche of idiots on the internet get to you. Most average people don't even know Nintendo are still going. I know people that bought a Wii about 5 or 6 years ago who had no idea Nintendo had made another console. Another friend of mine says that he and all his workmates - and he has a lot of workmates since he's a cop - don't even consider Nintendo to be still going anymore. No one mentions them apart from in the same way you'd mention black and white TVs or fax machines. That's the level that company finds itself on, at least in the UK. Nintendo fans online are the equivalent of the crazy guy you get in city centre's that shouts out about Jesus and sin. The Wii U is basically the 3DO compared to the PS1 and the Saturn (with MS being Sega in this pretty convoluted analogy).
Xbone obviously isn't in quite the same position but the only time I've ever heard anyone IRL mention it, outside of GAME*, is a 10-year-old girl who said her friend is getting one, which certainly goes against the image of the typical Xbox owner, I must admit.
I suspect they may be getting utterly trounced to make this decision. They made a rod for their own back last gen with all the crowing about sales figures while they were leaving Sony in the dust.
As PS3 caught up and overtook, they started missing the odd month and only shouting again when they had a good month with a big release. Now they aren't going to bother at all, but concentrate on Live users - which will include 2nd/3rd accounts (something Sony has been blasted for in the past when giving PSN numbers), and also include PC/Games for Windows users, so it's not just console v console, giving them a higher figure.
Then again, we really shouldn't surprised that they move the goalposts when things aren't in their favour. They never have liked level playing fields, especially when they're not the winning team.
@Matroska
lol. that's really funny you should mention girls and Xbox One...
I used to have just a Wii U for current gen, but now I have an XB1 because my sister is a huuuuge Halo fan (I only just beat my first game this year) and as soon as the Master Chief Collection came out she ran out and bought one. I like it a lot so far. The controller took me awhile to get used to but it's much better than the Wii U pro controller. However, there are so many good games coming out for PS4, I have a feeling we'll end up owning one too.
However, I feel justified commenting on push square because I also have a Playstation TV. (^. ^ )/ See! I'm also part of the Playstation family.
Yeah, clearly things aren't going so well over at Xbox HQ - which is a shame, considering how much MS have improved the Xbox One over the last couple of years.
I can totally see them abandoning consoles all together in favour of PC, whilst the Xbox brand becomes a digital platform. Heck, we're already beginning to see it with Windows 10.
Well, I'm downloading PS2 Classics over here on my Playstation 3, 10 bucks for digital copies of hard to find penultimate gen JRPGs?!? Sometimes cheaper?! Sony wins! The biggest hurdle now (for Sony, from my consumer perspective) is that my PS3 plays most of the non-Nintendo current gen games I care about at the moment. (And on handheld, I have 3DS and PSP, no Vita, even though I think it's cool and totally would get one if I had more of a reason). So the best strategy for continued dominance for Sony is to continue creating new PS4 exclusive stuff. I hope that doesn't mean less "cross"support for PS3 in the future but that's pretty much inevitable. And they should abandon Vita.... RIP Vita, you will someday be bought at a Goodwill store.
@3DSWiiUFanatic If you like Rpg's and you don't have a PS vita shame on you....
@Gamer83 Why on Earth would people show up to do that? I'm mostly on NL and I find this annoying more than anything else. I think all three should be transparent. But I guess if you are MS and being beat that badly by Sony I wouldn't want to share it either. It doesn't matter for Nintendo because everybody already knows at this point but I think MS still thinks they have a chance at salvaging the situation. Nintendo obviously doesn't.
@Gamer83 Well I still find no point in the PS4. Despite its runaway success, it still has no games that interest me.
@Carl-G you might be more truthful or insightful in this comment than you originally intended. It's a fact that the big suits who run these companies have feuds with each other. (Take for instance Tedder Turner vs. Vincent McMahon as reference. )
There are kids these days that swear Nintendo or microstoft started gaming. I've had pointless conversations with droves who will argue this point to the grave and you can't show any proof otherwise or else they lable you a troll, just to get a mob reaction from the rest of the hive. It's like if I were to walk into my town favorite pub and say out loud; "Michael Jordan created basketball!" You are more than welcome to pick up my belonging and lay me to rest where ever you please after the beating I'd receive.
I knew this day would come when I saw that momentous E3 in 2013. MS is getting a full dose of their own medicine. With games like Horizon, Uncharted 4, TLG, and others coming out next year Plus the recent price drop PS4 will be doing even better in 2016. This will be interesting.
@LztheQuack what exactly does interest you? As in what games are you currently playing?
@Gamer83 While I agree with the sentiment entirely, I do think you are over simplifying brand loyalty. Every major company like this is chasing the money, thats a given, but how they chase that money, what they are willing to do with, to, and for the customer (not just in the console space, but the company as a whole) defines what type of company they are.
When I decide on which console I am going to buy, it generally goes like this: Microsoft can never, ever, make up for the mistakes and terrible choices that they have made in the past (and continue to make). So it does not matter if Microsoft has the best hardware for the best price with the best game selection (which none of those are true this generation, thankfully), they don't even get a consideration, and this will never change.
Nintendo always gets a consideration, but never has the games I want (other than a small selection of first party), or hardware I want (always some 'unique' controller), and their misstep with abandoning the WiiU and skipping to their next generation means that I won't be considering them in the future.
Sony has a history of great hardware and great games (their sales for PS1, PS2, and to some degree the PS3, and now the PS4 indicate that most agree) and their history has shown that they support their previous system for quite awhile into the new generations. While they have had a couple of black marks (I will never forget their tactics with Bleem, for example), I would still buy their new hardware without a second thought, until the day their desire for money turns them into a Microsoft, and then, well, unless a new challenger arrives, it might be the end of gaming for me.
I had a point there somewhere...
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