Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4, Round 2: Pre-order Numbers

As we brush ourselves off after Round 1, tomorrow the PlayStation 4 will launch, and with that many vacation days will be consumed for its release. Expect around 5 million people globally to turn on at some point throughout the day. PlayStation owners everywhere will rejoice because their favorite console is moving forward into the future of gaming. And a week later, the Xbox will release too.

Apples to oranges

Unfortunately, as humans, we like to compare things side by side, and at times make competitions about it. I’m just as guilty here. In this case, our passions for next-generation consoles has brought us to this point. A point of no return… Pre-order numbers. 

As I was listening to Rev3Games’ Adam Sessler discuss his opinion of the PlayStation’s launch, he mentioned he spoke with GameStop’s higher up. He mentioned there “may not be available console’s to the casual customer,” just strolling into the store looking to pick up any next-gen hardware. You might be waiting clear ’til March of 2014. 

If this is true, that’s great news for the industry as we see possibly one of the biggest launches for both Microsoft and Sony. Peter Moore of EA gave this answer to Inquisitor.com when asked about the pre-orders for both companies:

“When I talked to our friends at both Sony and Microsoft, and I’m trying to get some indications in the numbers that are going to be available for sale by the end of our fiscal year on March 31 and I aggregate them, I think I can squint and see 10 million units combined very easily.  Both Sony and Microsoft are proposing that this could be their best launches ever as regards their production numbers and their ability to globalize this business quickly.”

Round 2 results: Draw

So what this tells me, is even though we may want to compare apples to oranges, the one thing they have in common is they play video games, and video games are the reason we care about these consoles. 

So let’s try to focus on that aspect, not which console is selling better or which has better games, as they seem very similar. Let’s simply rejoice that our hobby, our passion, is having one of its best lauch periods in history. Now go forth and play!

Want to know what happens in Round 3?

@Coatedpolecat