In four years' time, Microsoft's Xbox One consoles will have accumulated a total 63 million unit sales, according to a DFC report.
In four years' time, Microsoft's Xbox One consoles will have accumulated a total 63 million unit sales, according to a DFC report.
Some 17 million Xbox One X consoles will be bought over in the four years following its October 2017 launch, predicts analysis firm DFC Intelligence. Combined with total sales estimates for the existing Xbox One and its August 2016 replacement, that makes for a total 63 million sales by 2021, according to DFC's June 2017 Xbox One X Overview & Forecasts research brief.
With the Xbox One S and the September 2016 slimline PlayStation 4 now both at $249, and the March 2017 Nintendo Switch having launched at $299, DFC's report examines where the souped-up Xbox One X fits into the picture. At $499, it is "an expensive system designed to appeal to a fairly narrow demographic of gamers who want high-quality graphics but do not want to spend money on a high-end PC."
That makes for "a fairly small addressable market," the report predicts. "Both the Nintendo Switch or Sony PlayStation 4 offer a very strong value proposition that consumers seem to be flocking towards."
That chimes with earlier statements from Microsoft's own Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, who, after launching a $149 gamepad in 2015, knows a thing or two about appealing to enthusiasts. Enthusiast appeal is exactly what Xbox needs: Sony's own PlayStation 4 family recently reached 60 million sales. And perhaps there is a space in between current consoles and high-end PCs, for those that want power but not necessarily versatility.
Using currently available hardware, the Xbox One X appears to offer good value in comparison to similarly specced PCs, according to PCWorld.com's self-built mockup. A lack of options surrounding 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc drives and the few compatible CPU and motherboards had the test rig's price ballooning to $994 USD. That could change as supply expands around those three key components, but even swapping in a standard Blu-Ray drive resulted in a $652 total.
Comparative value aside, DFC remains skeptical of 4K gaming at the present time. Even if the Xbox One X comes through with the large-scale exclusives it needs to "take advantage of the enhanced graphics features of the system," "the leap from 1080 to 4k resolution is simply not as revolutionary as the previous movement from standard definition to high definition," it concludes. The Xbox One X launches November 7, 2017.
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