“The console war is over, and Sony has come out the runaway winner over Microsoft,” John McKenna writes for Seeking Alpha. “According to the June NPD numbers, the PS4 beat the Xbox One for the fifth time in six months, despite Microsoft gaining a temporary sales boost during E3 week where new consoles were sold at a discount. Nevertheless, with a near 8 million console advantage, the gap is too large to make up for this generation. With games like Activision’s Call of Duty moving to a PS4-first model along with other multi-platform developers like Batman Arkham Knight, it’s clear which company the industry and consumer base favors.”
“The only time Microsoft can generate any sales momentum is when it knocks down the price,” McKenna writes. “Sure, the Xbox One came under criticism early on for being nearly $100 more expensive than a PS4, which was one of the many faults people had with the console, but consistently relying on sales for stripped-down versions (which mostly were about getting rid of the unpopular Kinect and TV integrations anyway) leaves a dent in Microsoft’s wallet in terms of lost sales and millions in R&D for additions that few actually wanted. This might change with the arrival of HoloLens and Oculus Rift, the latter being primarily financed by Oculus’ parent company Facebook, but for the present, it’s an example of why Sony has been able to put the console war to bed.”
“Microsoft lost the 8th generation console war due to self-inflicted injuries,” McKenna writes. “With more resources plowing into virtual and augmented reality, the next battle is not a fight Microsoft can afford to lose.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Beleaguered Microsoft has finally found something they’re really good at: Losing.
Beleaguered Microsoft. Excellence in failure™.
SEE ALSO:
Why Apple’s new Metal for Mac is a big deal for gamers – June 11, 2015
Analyst: Apple would burst into $35 billion home gaming market with new Apple TV App Store – March 23, 2015
All-new Apple TV set to bow in June: App Store-capable, A8-powered, Siri-enabled – March 20, 2015
Apple Internet TV service would awaken a sleeping Apple TV giant – March 17, 2015
The future of Apple TV – March 17, 2015
Apple in talks to unveil 25-channel online TV service in June, launch in fall – March 16, 2015
