Putting Microsoft's Skyrocketing Xbox Console Sales into Context

Enlarge / Ladder East important, especially When talk about relative console sales. Austria Lawson | Getty Pictures

Yesterday, Microsoft announcement that he do 31 percent less disabled Xbox material In THE First of all quarter of 2024 (END In March) that he had THE year Before, A decrease he said was "conduct by lower volume of consoles sold." And It is not because THE console sold particularly GOOD A year There is, either; Xbox material income For THE First of all calendar quarter of 2023 was Already down 30 percent Since THE previous year.

Those two data points talk has A console that East in trouble has substantially increase It is player base during A period that should, historically, be It is The Strongest sales period. But get wider context on those Numbers East A little difficult because of how Microsoft reports It is Xbox sales Numbers (that's to say., only In terms of quarterly changes In total console material income). Comparing those annual changes has THE unit sales Numbers that Nintendo And Sony report each quarter East not Exactly simple.

Context clues

Enlarge / Significant declines In Xbox material income For four of THE last five quarters stay out relative has competitors unit sales. Kyle Orleans

HAS attempt a few direct contextual comparison, We took unit sales Numbers For a few recent successful Sony And Nintendo consoles And converted them has The Microsoft way Year after year percentage changes (aligned with THE launch date For each console). For This analysis, We ignored on each console launch quarter, which contains less that three month of total sales (And often understand A plot of repressed early adopting request). We Also ignored THE First of all four quarters of A console life ride a bike, which don't do it to have A Year after year comparison indicate Since 12 month before.

This always is not it A Perfect comparison. Unit sales don't do it map directly has total material income due has things as inflation, stay sales of Xbox A material, And price reductions/discounts (However THE Xbox Series S/X, PS5, And To change always to have Again has see official price drops). He Also doesn't take In account THE Baseline sales levels Since each console First of all year of sales, manufacturing total lifetime sales performance on THE Xbox side hard has gauge (However recent data Since A Take two investment call suggests THE Xbox Series S/X has has been strongly sold out of stock by THE PS5, has This period).

Even with all those warnings, THE comparative data tendencies are pretty clear. HAS THE to start of their fourth complete year on THE walk, recent successful consoles to have has been enjoy A general recovery In their Year after year sales. Microsoft stands out as A major outlier, manufacturing less income Since Xbox material In four of THE last five quarters on A Year after year base.