Selling Fast but Not Selling Many, Says the Analyst
The gaming and technology analyst for Wedbush Securities, Michael Pachter, recently claimed Xbox One X pre-orders are being extrapolated by Microsoft. Back when pre-orders went live during Gamescom, the company claimed that the Scorpio Edition sold out on the first day. As a result, it has become the fastest-selling console pre-order to date.
However, Microsoft’s choice of words has steered Pachter the wrong way. According to him, it’s unlikely many consoles were pre-ordered, and the idea of the ‘fastest-selling’ console rings hollow when he brings data to the table. He went into detail in his latest episode of “Pachter Factor.” You can even say he was downright cynical by saying only “a couple” were likely pre-ordered.
“On that topic, Xbox One X is ranked on Amazon in the pre-orders a year to date, last I looked number 66,” said Pachter. “I believe the NES Classic was at number 23. It sold 2.3 million units lifetime, and you know that the bulk of those units were sold last year, so this year maybe a million, so if Xbox One X is ranked 48th below that, it`s not even close to a million, and of course the Amazon allocation is probably five or ten thousand units, so don`t fall for the bullshit that comes out of Windows Central that tells you that this is the fastest pre-ordered console and Xbox history. They only have a couple. The original Xbox didn`t have big pre-orders. The Xbox 360, maybe, but honestly, who was pre-ordering consoles back then, so of course this is the most pre-ordered, because they are much more organized, and they`re marketing to an install base of 30-35 million Xbox Live Gold members, so of course they`re heavily pre-ordered.”
Later on, Pachter apologized to Windows Central senior editor Jez Corden via tweet: “I apologize to @JezCorden and WindowsCentral. They did nothing wrong. My “500 units” AMZN claim was poetic license intended to mean “small”.
If you are more optimistic Pachter, it’s plausible that Amazon saw several thousand Xbox One X pre-orders. Simply put, however, there hasn’t been enough activity to consider it a success. At most, Pachter projected the powerhouse console would sell one-million units by the holidays
My estimate is 1 million global units at holiday. Don’t “want” it to fail, think that is the right number. 1 million is not a huge success
— Michael Pachter (@michaelpachter) August 31, 2017
What are your thoughts on Xbox One X pre-orders? Do agree with Pachter’s projection? Let us know in the comments below, where you can find the full episode of Pachter Factor.