BY ALINA BURNS: Gamers still cannot agree on what is better: game consoles, PC, Xbox, a smartphone or a tablet. However, consoles always have their own army of fans, and many of them are not planning to change their habits.
A creative team from GamesMojo carried out a great research on the bestselling consoles of 2018 and made some curious predictions for 2019. You can find more detailed information on GamesMojo.com. They collected information about gaming platforms in different parts of the world from various sources and analyzed sales statistics.
Bestselling Consoles: First Eight Months of 2018
According to the research, PlayStation 4 became the most popular platform of the first eight months of 2018. During this time, 8.7 million consoles were sold. The second place took Nintendo Switch with 7.1 million sales.
Here were the top four:
- PlayStation 4 – 8.7 million sales
- Nintendo Switch – 7.1 million sales
- Xbox One – 3.1 million sales
- 3DS – 1.9 million sales
Gaming Platform Sales Forecast For The Rest Of The Year
Games Mojo collected precise information from insiders about supply plans to make a prediction for the rest of 2018. How will the industry be changing during this period?
PS4
Although the Sony console remains the leader among game consoles of the modern generation (more than 76 million devices sold worldwide), the company expects to sell fewer devices in the current fiscal year than usual. According to the forecasts of the manufacturer, sales of the game console should level off a little.
Here are the reasons:
- PS4 is not planning to release any exciting exclusives except for the popular sequels.
- Let’s admit it: everyone is waiting for PS5 release. Sony can turn PlayStation 5 from a pure gaming console into a system that allows you to watch TV like on Xbox One or stream DLNA to access data on other devices from the console.
- The popularity of PvP genre resulted in sales slowdown as well.
Xbox One
Despite the above statistics, the Xbox One could have a positive end to the year.
Xbox One sales were almost a third of the PS4s, but the console still boasts positive trends. The Xbox Live subscription is one of the reasons for the dynamic growth.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo hybrid console continues to show great sales growth. According to official statistics, sales have increased by 32% in 2018. In summer, Nintendo Switches outsold PS4s.
We’d expect the Nintendo Switch to have an excellent end to the year, primarily due to the release of Pokémon: Let’s Go.
Nintendo 3DS
It seems that Nintendo 3Ds era will pass into oblivion soon. The sales dropped even in Japan. It seems that by the end of the year, the Nintendo Switch will become the mobile console of choice.
Forecast for 2019 Regarding Consoles Sales
What about some rumors and hopes for 2019?
The release of the PS5
According to some insider information obtained by GamesMojo, Sony will use the new console to promote VR technology. In addition to that, the PlayStation 5 should receive an APU (accelerated processor).
The release of the new Xbox
It’s unlikely that the new Xbox version will be released in 2019, but this news may affect the sales of the Xbox One.
The end of the 3DS era
You shouldn’t be Nostradamus to predict that 3DS will be out of production soon.
Who do YOU think will have a stronger 2019?
Do you think that the PS4 will continue to sell strongly as PS5 rumors continue to circulate? Do you think that Microsoft will finally release some smash-hit exclusives to turn the tide for the Xbox? Or do you think that Nintendo’s creativity will set them apart?
Leave a comment below!
