Sales Expectations - Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4

It has been predicted, my an analyst far superior to myself, that the Xbox One will enjoy higher launch window sales than its PlayStation 4 counterpart. Colin Sebastian of Baird Research had created this forecast of an industry insight.

He says, "While many forecasts still give an edge to Sony/PS4 in North America sales, we continue to expect similar or even slightly higher sales of Xbox One by the end of the launch window.”

The conjecture is backed up by data from eBay listings, which shows Xbox One mark-ups 60% north of the console's $500 price tag (in the US) whilst those of PS4 are just a tick lower at roughly 50% more than its respective $400 asking price.

The analyst divines the platform holders will collectively move between 5 million and 6 million units globally by the end of the year and that the earlier release date will give Microsoft a slight edge as well. He also foretells that retailers will have a hard time keeping stock on shelves.

"Retailers in our checks indicate there is consumer demand well in excess of supply, as evidenced by fast sell-outs of incremental unit allotments, such as at GameStop," Sebastian noted.

5 or 6 million units a month before Christmas would certainly be a feat for both hardware distributors. This result would easily surpass the expected volume of available consoles in store fronts across the planet.