Pachter Predicts Which Console Will Win December Sales in the US
2017 has been a huge year for the gaming industry, seeing the release of both the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox One X. And even though the PlayStation 4 isn’t a new console, it has continued to dominate the market this year as well. With Boxing Day just one day away, Michael Pachter is predicting who will win this months sales.
December is always a big month for the gaming industry, so it will be interesting to see what the NPD sales report has to say next month. In the meantime, Wedbush Securities analyst, Michael Pachter, has his own predictions about which console will win this years holiday season. “You know, I’d say that Sony will sell more PS4s in November and December in the US, but not by a ton, I think Xbox will be close. I think Switch is not supply constrained, but you know, it looks like PS4 outsold Switch by a healthy margin, and the Xbox as well. In December, I think PS4 wins again – I don’t think Nintendo has the capacity to ship that many units. Sony meanwhile can sell 3, 4, 5 million consoles in December alone. And I don’t think Switch will sell below 3 million, I think that’s impossible, I don’t think Nintendo would ship that few.”
So what about the Xbox One then? Will the Xbox One sell more units than the Switch? Pachter says that despite the limited supplies of the Xbox One X, there are some fantastic discounts for the Xbox One S available. “Xbox, the problem is the Xbox One X is expensive and in tight supply. The Xbox One S is remaining discounted at $189, which I think works in its favour. If I am buying the first console for my household, it’s hard for me to justify buying a Switch for $300 plus two games for $120, when I can buy an Xbox One S for $189, and two older games for cheaper, and walk out the door for $250. It’s a significantly lower entry point. I just don’t know how I can tell someone with a straight face, ‘your 8 year old boy needs a $300 Switch with Mario and Zelda’; that’s a lot of money.”
It will be interesting to see exactly how each of the consoles perform this holiday season and who comes out on top for the month of December. Who do you think will win this month? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and keep it locked to find out what the NPD report has to say next month!