Current-gen console sales are falling even faster than expected

The PS4 and Xbox One are both seeing an even greater sales slow-down than was expected according to an industry insider. 

With next-gen machines just around the corner, current-gen consoles were of course expected to decrease in sales momentum, but early announcements of the new machines have had an almost immediate impact on the marketplace.

Industry analyst, Daniel Ahmad, compared 2020’s current gen console sales with 2013’s current-gen console sales, (i.e. the ones just before the PS4 and Xbox One were released).

He found that the PS4 and Xbox One have taken a serious sales hit, but the Nintendo Switch has impressively retained steady sales figures.

Related: PS5 will support backwards compatibility “to some extent” according to Media Molecule

It's a combination of multiple factors.

PS4 and XB1 have both held at current price points for a number of years.

Impact of early announcements for PS5/XSX with BC.

Shift to HD gaming across multiple devices.

Delays in key titles planned for 2020.

etc…

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) February 14, 2020

Ahmad noted that it wasn’t quite as simple as the next-gen console announcements though. A few factors have had their impact on sales, including delays to key games, like Doom Eternal and Cyberpunk 2077, the shift to HD gaming and pricing strategies.

Related: The PS5 may be more expensive than expected – Here’s why

It’s not all doom and gloom though, back in November, Sony announced in an earnings call that the PS4 had become the second best-selling console of all time. Bearing that in mind, we can’t sling too much mud at Sony, at this point, for a current-gen sales dip.

So, is it possible that the next generation of consoles can go one better? We’re sure they’ll be packed with interesting new features, partly because there is more pressure on console manufacturers than ever, since the arrival of Google Stadia and other cloud game-streaming services.

With a new competitor on the block we expect especially impressive launches for the Xbox Series X and the PS5. Those launches could be just around the corner too, as the consoles are slated to arrive in time for “Holiday 2020”.

Sony has confirmed it won’t be at E3, so don’t expect a console launch from the company there. We expect it to land in the latter months of 2020, at an exclusive Sony event.

Meanwhile, the Xbox Series X got a surprise reveal at The Game Awards. That makes Microsoft’s next steps, (which the company says will be “bold”,) much harder to predict. The consoles developers have gone outside the norm once, will they do so again?

Again, expect the console in late 2020. Unfortunately, the Xbox Series X won’t have any exclusive games at launch.