Microsoft has fallen behind in the console war with Sony. The system seller Destiny is now expected to reduce the lead of the Playstation 4 over the XBox One.
System Seller: Titanfall was nothing, now it should be Destiny
Approximately 5 million units of the XBox One have been sold, reports nasdaq.com. In contrast, the Playstation 4 has sold 10 million times. The problems of the XBox One, writes nasdaq, are partly due to the fact that “Titanfall” was not the breakthrough success it was designed to be in March. The shooter for the XBox One sold only 2.1 million copies, too few to become the next Halo.
Destiny, perhaps the biggest launch of the year, is not an exclusive title for either of the two systems, but Sony treats it like one. However, Microsoft does not want to leave the field to its competitor and goes on the offensive with an offer that is impressive. With a $399 bundle of the XBox One and a game, they aim to sell consoles in the US market, even if they do so below manufacturing costs.
Microsoft incurs loss with current bundle
Nasdaq.com cites the results of the company IHS. They estimate that the manufacturing cost for an XBox One without Kinect is $396. With the games that Microsoft includes for free in the bundles and for which they must pay fees to the manufacturers, they are willing to sell the console below the manufacturing price. Microsoft pursues this strategy to expand the customer base, which then buys third-party games on the XBox One (allowing Microsoft to collect licensing fees) or acquires an XBox Gold Pass.
According to Nasdaq, this strategy pays off to some extent, as XBox One owners have purchased an average of 3.3 games for the new console while Playstation 4 owners have bought only 2.6.
As Nasdaq suggests, in the war between the two console giants, the gamers are the real winners, as both Sony and Microsoft compete fiercely for their favor with strong offers and discounts.
Players in Europe also benefit from the price war of the giants
In the US market, the price war is particularly fierce. But even here in Europe, Microsoft is using Destiny to sell consoles. The current MMO shooter Destiny is currently available in a bundle with the XBox One at Amazon for 399 Euros. The promotion runs until September 23rd or while supplies last.
