The PS4 will outsell the Xbox One in pre-Christmas sales according to industry analysts IDC.
Sony will win the pre-Christmas next-generation console war, predicts IDC, with the PS4 winning out over its rival due to factors like price.
The analysts predict that Sony’s next-generation console bundles will be more popular with consumers this Christmas, mostly due to the PS4’s lower price point, retailing for £349 in comparison to the £429 Xbox One price.
Helping this is Sony’s recent announcement of the PS4 Killzone: Shadow Fall mega bundle , which despite offering an additional DualShock 4 controller, the PlayStation Camera and a copy of the game, will retail for within £10 of the basic Xbox One bundle.
IDC also predict that the sale of full and micro games alongside add-on DLC for consoles will overtake those made for PC for the first time this year.
“The number of online console gamers around the globe is on pace to exceed 165 million by 2017”, said Lewis Ward, Research Manager of Gaming at IDC. “As a result, the opportunity to sell these gamers digital assets through Wii U, Xbox One, and PS4 online storefronts will grow substantially in the next several years.”
The Chinese government’s recent decision to lift its longtime ban on the sale of games consoles and related titles will see sales of console hardware bundles soar by millions.
Looking to the future of living-room gaming, IDC suggests the word console will evolve to encompass other platforms by 2017.
“The difference between traditional games consoles, PCs connected to HDTVs, and a variety of set-top boxes and smart TVs that can play games will eventually be semantic,” added Ward. “IT appears unlikely that Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony will be driven out of the living room from a gaming persective by 2017 as [a] result of non-console competition from the likes of Valve/Steam, OUYA, cable/telecom companies, or related hardware and Web service providers.”
Next, read our pick of the best games of 2013.
