A recent report from industry analysts indicates that the PlayStation 5 is about to have a very successful year and, at its current pace, is set to sell double the amount of units as the Xbox Series X|S. Both consoles launched in November of 2020, within two days of each other, and are still very difficult to find for purchase. A combination of issues from the global pandemic to chip shortages caused supply difficulties for next-gen systems since their launch. Experts believe those issues are in the past, and over the next year, gamers should have an easier time finding a PlayStation 5 or its growing competitor the Xbox Series X|S.
The newest Xbox Series X|S launched with a surprising lack of exclusive titles. However, the system has seen growing success in the last year thanks to the release of games like Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, and the growing library of the Xbox Game Pass. People who pay for the $15/month subscription can download a large amount of AAA titles and outstanding indie games, both old and brand new. Microsoft has often launched their biggest games through the service, allowing hotly anticipated titles to be played with the subscription rather than making fans pay full price to play a new game. With the colossal $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, gamers can expect Xbox Game Pass to grow even larger. Nevertheless, analysts believe that with current trends it will not be enough to topple PlayStation 5's projected sales figures.
According to Ampere Analysis, the PlayStation 5 is projected to sell 18 million units in 2022, which is twice as many as expected for the Xbox Series X|S. However, both will continue to lag behind the Nintendo Switch's projected 21 million units. Reported via Video Games Chronicle, research director Piers Harding-Rolls said in an interview on the Ampere Analysis website that "It looks like the availability of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles is going to improve slowly over the year, and our expectation is that Sony will outsell Microsoft two-to-one." Piers and his team of analysts also stressed the growing importance of streaming to gaming. Although the recent purchase of Activision Blizzard is not set to close till sometime in 2023, it is unclear if Microsoft's recent acquisitions were included in the group's research.
Many believe fewer consoles are being produced, causing the current difficulty in acquiring a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. Companies claim to have overcome production hurdles and attribute the challenge to meeting a level of demand for consoles currently unseen in the history of gaming. The industry continues to grow, and after the general population has been stuck inside for long periods of time, it is no surprise that video games profited more than sports & movies combined over the last couple of years.
Gaming has become more mainstream than ever before, and the huge sales numbers seen in the past couple of years are proof. Analysts predict huge sales numbers for both the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch over the next year while supply catches up with demand. It is safe to say the gamers will continue to have plenty of games to play and even more projects to get excited about as the industry continues to grow across the world, no matter which console they are able to attain.
Source: Video Games Chronicle, Ampere Analysis/Twitter, Ampere Analysis