Xbox Series X|S 2022 Console Sales Grow In Europe, Other Platforms Down On 2021

With stock issues becoming less of a problem and some great games coming I'd expect that percentage to be much higher this year for xbox and playstation, whilst the switch continues to decline.

Also i wonder if microsoft will ever show the breakdown of the sales of the series S and series X individually, as I'd wager the series S has sold double the X.

I will bet anyone my below prediction of total sales for Europe and UK for 2023, in the below order:
PS5 just about over Switch
Switch
Series s and x.

It will be no different on total sales for Europe and UK as per 2022.
Apart from PS5 first, Switch second.

@Dezzy70 the switch will continue to decline due to it coming to the end of its life, so yeah I'd expect the ps5 to be in first place. It came second behind the switch in 2022 in europe and that was with being 35% down on year to year sales. But its all down to if they can get enough stock to meet demand.

id expect PS5 ontop. assuming stock is sorted.

big caveat here being the New Zelda for switch.

Xbox for whatever reason doesnt really do it in Europe. small growth is good, but with the drop of the other 2, people havent rushed to replace with an Xbox, looks like they have waited instead.

@Dezzy70 I think 2023 will look like:
1. Switch 2
2. PS5
3. Series X|S
4. Switch

Where 2-4 move up a place if Switch 2 doesn't release in 2023 but is announced in 2023.

For a Console that you don't 'need' to buy to play any games, I think its doing very well. Before the Series X launched, the common rhetoric was that Xbox wouldn't sell because ALL their games are on PC and/or XB1 and now with Game Pass Streaming, can be played on a Mobile, Tablet, TV etc so why would anyone 'buy' an Xbox?

Well it seems all those people that want a 'better PQ/performance' and larger Library of games than they could with Streaming alone - the 'cheapest' option, but can't afford or justify buying a High End gaming PC to get 'better PQ/Performance' than a Series X offers - in other words, those consoles provided the 'right' balance of PQ, Performance and Library for the cost...

I am sure MS won't care if they come third in Sales of Hardware - especially as each Xbox loses them money, and much more interested in Game Pass growth - seeing the Console as an 'option' to access GP from as well as 'buy' other games etc. If MS were focussed on Hardware sales, they would do 'more' to make the Hardware 'essential' with exclusives you can't play elsewhere (inc on Game Pass) so you have to buy an Xbox to play Day 1 but as GP is more important as its on far more Hardware, their games come to GP day 1 and if you don't subscribe, it will be available to buy on PC/Xbox so 'Sub' to get the 'best' value...

I wonder what the X/S split is.

@UltimateOtaku91 I called it with the OLED Switch, not that I'm the only person with this opinion. But the Nintendo Switch is outdated and needs a true successor. Graphics aren't everything but a max of 720p while docked even when it launched in 2017 was bad. It's great as a handheld system, but many people aren't looking for a handheld. I have mobile games I play to fill that void. They have a loyal fanbase and and aren't going anywhere, but they aren't doing themselves any favors milking the Switch like they are.

@Grumblevolcano
Very brave on the Switch 2, I think that will be 2024. Time will tell.

@UltimateOtaku91
Currently I have never known so much PS5 solo disc stock in the UK, so if they keep that up, they should be ok.

@BAMozzy iam curious to know the number of subscribers outside xbox cause i don't think people use it on other platforms except pc

NINTENDOOOMED!!1

@Dezzy70 Grumble's been one of the people predicting a new Switch every year since 2018. Considering it's January, it seems very unlikely Switch 2 is dropping in 2023 with BotW2 already known for May. if they're not doing Switch 2 with BotW2, I don't see them doing a holiday 23 drop, and if they were doing Switch 2 by summer we'd already pretty much know it by now. Even Nintendo can't keep hardware secrets THAT well.

@mrpunisher The statistics for how many GP subscribers us ONLY touch controls, meaning only use it on phone/tablet were pretty significant when that number came out last year. Wasn't it something like 15-20%?

@mrpunisher I don't know - as they could be multi-platform users that also play on Hardware but use Cloud based platforms on the bus/train to work.

The point is that you don't 'need' to buy a Console to play Xbox games - like you do for Nintendo or Sony games. The only way to play Sony or Nintendo 'new' games day 1 is on their own hardware - so you 'need' to (or already) have to spend Money on buying their Hardware. That's why you buy a Console for 'exclusives' you can't play elsewhere (at least that seems to be the mentality of some).

Even if you have an XB1S/X, you won't miss out on playing 'next-gen' only games because they could use Cloud streaming to play so don't need to upgrade - its not just 'touch-screen' mobile/tablet gamers, you could have Student Laptops (not powerful enough to play 'Locally') and low end PC's owners who can play via Cloud with any 'controller' - not 'just' those on PC's with at least 'minimum spec' GPU, CPU, RAM etc and Series S/X consoles so you either buy a 'Console' from Microsoft or invest heavily into a PC Rig OR miss out on playing Starfield, Forza etc...

It doesn't matter what 'device' they play on, the point is that MS has a 'much' larger potential audience to 'encourage' to Subscribe. Cloud is the 'cheapest' option on 'MANY' devices, some you probably have. If that isn't quite 'good' enough from a visual and/or performance, then you can pay a relatively small fee for a Series S, invest more and you'll get better PQ/Performance and a DD - to get the 'best' buy a gaming PC...

Game Pass makes accessing games on devices that can't run those games and its 'cheap' too if you have something you can use already - like an old Laptop and a old Controller, the tablet/Phone you use, your PC - whether it could play those games or not, even if you own a 'newer' Samsung TV so you don't 'need' to buy an Xbox - but if you do, it has 'advantages' over just 'Cloud' options, but that's what you are paying for...

I believe Xbox will win the console war , with Xbox Activision Blizzard acquisition completed and with the release of Starfield , Redfall , Forza Motorsport

Also, MS has stated that they think they have reached 'Saturation' point on Consoles so GP growth won't grow 'more' than Console sales. If 70% subscribe to GP on Console, then expect only 7 of 10 consoles being sold to those who will then Subscribe.

However, where ever Game Pass exists, there is a 'potential' new Subscriber so can grow 'faster' than Consoles. If they sell 20m units, that's their 'reach' on that Platform with their games and if GP was only on console, that's the max it could ever reach. ONLY those PC gamers with decent Spec Rigs or better can play the 'Latest' games which also limits the 'reach' of those games. Anyone who doesn't have the money or can justify buying 'new' hardware, still doesn't miss out so GP extends that reach to encourage more to 'jump' in without needing to buy a Series S/X or High End PC so who knows how many GP subscribers don't have a Series S/X/PC but will still play Xbox new games on hardware they do own...

@NEStalgia
If I had to bet I would go with March 2024 for Switch 2. They might stretch to November 2024 but I think that depends on new software being ready. It is weird but I seem to be a little more interested in seeing if it will be day one full backward compatible with all Switch games.

@Dezzy70 That's my guess, too. They COULD go Holiday release, but assuming it's still a hybrid, Nintendo has always favored Spring releases for their handheld consoles. Partly I think to avoid the messy nightmare that holiday launches are, but also partly because it coincides with Golden Week which is kind of Japanese Christmas in terms of gift buying (though Christmas/New Years and even Easter see sales bumps there too) as well as the beginning of travel season when, especially for Japan, the kids are out of school, out and about, and looking to bring handhelds with them, so it just works for Japan and therefore works for Nintendo. It basically is a "Holiday launch" in the sense of the Japanese retail landscape. It's not happening this March, meaning it's not happening for BotW2 which was the running previous logical prediction, so I'm thinking next Spring is it, with announcements maybe in either Sept/Oct, or, if not, Jan/Feb next year, and rumors starting up to the point that we know it's happening maybe around July/Aug.

@NEStalgia
What’s your thoughts on full day one backward compatibility with all Switch games?
I think if they don’t, it will affect sales of the Switch 2. Especially after the Xbox and PS5 are doing backwards game wise.
I think I will be a bit pissed off, more than I normally would if they don’t, due to the other two now embracing it. And it would show Nintendos true colours on their fans and gamers customer service.

@Dezzy70 I think we can't know that because we don't have solid enough rumors on what the system architecture will be yet. I don't think Nintendo will go out of their way to either specifically include or exclude BC. I think it will largely come down to if the chipset they use supports it with little to no effort or not. If it's another ARM-based CPU I imagine they will support it. If they change vendors and go new architecture, they'll drop it without a word. They're not predictable like MS and PS in that regard.

As long as it's supported, they'll definitely put a Switch card slot on it assuming it's not the same slot as Switch 2. If they change vendors it'll be a "please understand" moment.

To be fair to Nintendo they do have a solid track record of ONE generation of BC on their handhelds (consoles can't factor in so much due to all the media format changes.) But...they also have made a whole industry out of re-selling games. PS tried to follow them in that direction and it was really MS that forced their hand to change. I do think Nintendo would copy PS with "upgrade fees" for games, or perhaps BC would work only with a cheap subscription service or something. I don't think they'll be too hurt not being able to sell "remasters" purely because Switch 1 games will still be $60 no matter what, so they're not too incentivized to skip that.

@NEStalgia
Yes I’m not thinking it’s a given that Nintendo will go backward compatibility. As they don’t normally take that route and I do like the new generation new games approach.
But I think they should do it, also because of the digital age we are now in and people expect it more now a days.
Also with hard times on us and still more to come I don’t think it will go down to well if they don’t.
I think for the first time in my decades old gaming history I will be disappointed in Nintendo if they don’t.
Also it will give them a chance to get games out for the new console. If more powerful it will take them time to adjust to all this maybe 4K, hdr, high res textures, Dolby surround sound etc. and they are hardly blessed with the biggest and fastest studios around.
You image 6 years plus between BOTW and BOTW2. Not to even mention only one new Mario platform game Mario Odyssey.
Imagine big new powerful console etc it will be like 10 years plus between Zelda games.

@Dezzy70 Switch is the first Nintendo handled that is NOT backward compatible with at least one generation of games. So historically they did more for BC than Sony or MS have. The home consoles were never BC except Wii and WiiU, but I think the home console mindset is totally done over there, the handhelds show that they've normally done BC, including different physical slots. But....we'll see. I'm optimistic, but...it's Nintendo.

@NEStalgia
Hope you right, that would be perfect

There were some amazing Black Friday deals on the Series S in the UK. I paid £136 for a Series S using Nectar Points in Argos, it was £189 in some stores. The sales figures in the UK will be interesting.

Nintendo showed their true colours during the Wii U-Switch transition, killing the Virtual Console, with no cross-buy for cross-gen games or any kind of compensation for Wii U owners and re-selling the same software to their sucker fans at full price. The commercial success of Switch has really spoiled Nintendo. It's the console that has fewer new Nintendo games I'm interested in since I started playing video games on the SNES. Add the tiny joycons, cheap screen (except the OLED model) and dated mobile hardware -dated in 2017, ancient today- and Switch is Nintendo's worst console. Virtual Boy doesn't count as it wasn't released here.

@NEStalgia Nintendo is totally unpredictable, indeed. They will look for the cheapest deal to maximise benefits and if that means no backwards compatibility, it will be one of those "please understand (we just want to get richer)" moments.

@Moonglow Right, Xbox is doing great and things can only get better when Xbox Game Studios start releasing their new games. They have only released a few during this generation and most studios haven't released anything yet.

As long as Series X/S preforms better than the Xbox One did, that's the important thing for the brand. This gen has to be better than last and so far that seems to be the case. Even with all the questions about lack of first party software in 2022, it also doesn't seems talk about Xbox is as negative overall as it was during the One's entire time on the market.

@Dezzy70 Xbox Needs you to run their marketing team in Europe.you got my vote buddy. Haha

@Moonglow cause of stock issues this year they will be the best year for ps growyh

@Berserker7 thats very unlikely imo

@mrpunisher We agree to disagree

If we consider Switch last-gen, Xbox might win the generation. Currently and before Starfield, The Elder Scrolls VI, Forza Motorsport, Fable, Perfect Dark, etc., PS5 has sold 28.72M and Series X|S 20.38M, not a huge difference and we can add PC and mobile users to Xbox numbers since games are available on there at launch and find great success on PC, so a bigger market share than just consoles. I don't know if Series X|S will surpass PS5 but this generation has nothing to do with the last one. I have no idea what Nintendo will do after Switch, they're unpredictable, not in a positive way.

@Banjo- ps5 is past 30mil.

8/9mil more ps5 sold.... 40/45% more, while they had stock issues, xbox freely available, xbox with reductions, PS with rises.

They will close the gap by the end but wont surpass them this gen.