PS5 Sales Exceed Xbox Series X/S in Q1, Analysts Claims
According to data from independent analytics group Ampere Analysis, the PlayStation 5 sold more than twice as well as the Xbox Series X/S in the first quarter of this year. However, both of these platforms were clearly beaten by the Nintendo Switch.
The rivalry between PlayStation and Xbox has been firing up emotions among lovers of digital entertainment for years. How did the latest consoles belonging to these brands do in the first quarter of this year? The independent analytics group Ampere Analysis tried to answer this question. The analysts shared their research with the public.
According to Ampere Analysis data, in the period from January to the end of March this year, PlayStation 5 (in normal version and without optical drive) sold 2.83 million copies. During the same period, 1.31 million of Xbox Series X/S units were delivered to the public. This means that Sony's current-gen platform enjoyed more than twice the popularity of Microsoft's.
Analysts point out that under normal circumstances, the results achieved by both consoles in the first months of 2021 could have been much higher. However, the pandemic and shortages prevented that. These conditions also make it difficult to assess what the real demand is for thee platforms.
The real winner of the first quarter of this year according to Ampere Analysis data, however, turned out to be the Nintendo Switch. The Kyoto giant's console shipped 5.86 million units, more than the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S combined. This is also a result 12% better than achieved by the platform in the same period a year ago. However, it's important to note that the Switch isn't having as much trouble with its availability. What's more, the console has been in stores for a long time and, as analysts note, it is at the "peak" of its life cycle. With these two things in mind, we can speculate that over time, Sony's and Microsoft's new consoles will also begin to perform similarly.
