PS4 Will Utterly Dominate the Rest of the Console Cycle, Says Analyst

you know why, because Sony didn't p*** off their entire fanbase when the system was announced like Microsoft did

@FullbringIchigo Exactly. It seems that fact is often overlooked by analysts but is a massive reason why PS4 is doing so well...

@get2sammyb this is true also, after the bad start the PS3 had and the problem developers had with "The Cell" Sony has made huge strides in making a easy and accessible system

but i still maintain that MS "Deal With It" attitude was a HUGE reason as well, what with the influx of 360 owners who felt betrayed by MS's attitude and focus on media over games

the 360 was a huge runaway success and it went to their head, they thought they could do no wrong and it came back to bite them in the ass

@JoeBlogs yeah Sony isn't guiltless either but they were able to turn it around during the PS3 life cycle to the point where they pretty much sold as many if not more than the 360 did but i don't think that MS will be able to that with the XB1

still it is early in the lifespan of the current systems so that may change although the XB1 has a big hill to climb

@JoeBlogs even Nintendo was guilty of this with the N64.

@FullbringIchigo Whilst MS made mistakes in its initial announcement, most of what annoyed its fanbase never made it to release date and everything that annoyed people is no longer an issue either - including cost! Whilst PS4 is dominating, its also worth pointing out that despite the pre-launch mistakes, its still sold in excess of what the previous gen console managed in its first 2yrs. Had the PS4 not launched so successfully (or at the same time), we would be saying how successful the XB1 had been. Its only when you compare it to the PS4, its not been as successful.
Rather than look at it as MS's 'failure' even though its more successful than its predecessor was at this point, the PS4 has been 'ultra' successful. I bet even Sony are surprised at 'how successful' it has been.
I admit that Don Mattrick was not right for the Xbox and Phil Spencer has done a lot to turn the XB1 around. Mattricks focus on 'media' was definitely a mistake but apart from TV, the XB1 and PS4 have similar media capabilities.
As someone who owns both, the XB1 certainly has features that I would love the PS4 to have and I know the PS4 has its strengths over the XB1 too. I certainly wouldn't be willing to give up my XB1 and stick with PS4 - mind you I wouldn't want to give up my PS4 either and stick with XB1.
Obviously VR is the 'buzz' word at the moment and PS is the only console to offer this (currently). Whether that will attract people who currently don't have a PS4 or not, time will tell. As far as its 'specs' are concerned, it is 'entry' level as far as the big boys are concerned. I know you can 'sample' VR with mobiles and a headset designed to slot in your phone (like Google Cardboard, Samsung VR) but as far as high-end VR is concerned, PSVR is entry level. Its also the heaviest of the big 3 (I expect AMD's will weigh more but that's got on-board processing and the ability to do AR too) but being modular, it's also the cheapest. PSVR utilises a single screen (1,920 by 1,080 - 980x1080 per eye) where both Oculus and HTC use dual screens (1080x1200 per eye or 2,160 x 1,200 combined). Whether this impacts on the user, the games etc. we will have to wait and see. Vive may cost twice as much but it also comes with everything in the box and 3 games too.
Sony has certainly got a lot right this gen, not only with the console and jumping into the VR market whilst its a 'buzz' word, its also handled its marketing and PR well to this point.
When both XB1 and PS4 launched, it was at a time of economic crisis and I bet both Sony and MS never expected to see the sales figures they did. The XB1, despite what fanboys say, has been successful, its just that the PS4 has been 'ultra-successful' and it would take something special for MS to catch-up in terms of sales. We are not even at the half way point of the consoles expected life-cycle so it is 'possible', even if unlikely, that the XB1 could catch-up. I can't see it myself at the moment with U4 and Horizon due out this year but XB1 does have a few games itself that may tempt a few. Maybe in the latter half of the consoles life, some PS4 owners will buy an XB1 for those 'exclusives', I know a lot of XB360 owners did this with the PS3.

@BAMozzy i own both as well and i used to play the XB1 a lot until the disc drive stopped reading discs after the last blu-ray drive update (hoping it gets fixed soon)

so it's pretty much just being used as a Netflix machine at the moment

and before anyone say "get the games digitally" why should i have to pay more for a digital version over a physical one (still don't see why digital is more expensive than physical when there is no cost of manufacture and distribution unless the lack of competition is the problem, IE if you want to buy a game digitally on XB1 or PS4 there is only one place to go, their respective stores but you can buy a physical version almost anywhere that sells entertainment media)

Is it me or are all these "analysts" beginning to have last names that rhyme with each other?

I reckon about 10% of PS4 owners will pick one up by the end of 2017, it'll either slow right down or carry on blitzing and it's obviously completely dependant on the flow of games.

I think MS has already set its eyes elsewhere and I think it will be to marry up PC and console gaming in some way. They want a Windows eco system across everything - they are already looking to challenge (and maybe boot) Steam on PC's. If they can run PC games on a console and have their own app store and create some exclusives they might be in a good position. Plus, in future, they might have Occulus rift support (if the system requirements become cheap enough for a console).

@WebHead
and the Wii U. History repeats itself.

@Churchy
Maybe they're all secretly the same guy.

Microsoft will announce a new failing product, clinging to the technological sector they used to dominate, like an ill cat on a curtain.

My guess is MS' response will be to ride the Xbox One out for another year then release the next Xbox, whatever form it takes, in Nov. 2017, four years after the Xbox One similar to how the 360 hit just four years after the original Xbox was obliterated in hardware sales by the PS2. Obviously the next Xbox will be VR out of the box, the big question is what kind of platform will it be. If it goes more service-based and digital only it might still have a hard time winning MS back all those customers it lost. Especially if you are required to check-in once every 24 hours to play games you've bought, which frankly that should never happen but consumers are stupid enough to let things go that way eventually.