Xbox One Sells 3 Million Units In 2013

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Xbox One Sells 3 Million Units In 2013


Microsoft announced today that more than three million Xbox One consoles had been sold by the end of 2013.

The Xbox One looked like it might be in for a rough ride against the PlayStation 4 back in the days of last year's E3, but today Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Marketing Yusuf Medhi sounded very pleased with the situation overall, describing the launch of the console as "most epic."

"Over 3 million Xbox One consoles were sold to consumers in 13 countries before the end of 2013. It's been incredible to see Xbox One selling at a record-setting pace for Xbox, and we were honored to see Xbox One become the fastest-selling console in the U.S. during our launch month in November," he said. "Since our launch, demand for Xbox One has been strong, selling out throughout the holidays at most retailers worldwide. We are continuing to work hard to deliver additional consoles to retailers as fast as possible."

The first million of those consoles sold within 24 hours [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129928-Xbox-One-Sells-a-Million-Units-In-24-Hours] of launch, but two million more over the following six weeks is still a pretty torrid pace. The three million unit sales more than doubles the standard set by the Xbox 360, which launched on November 22, 2005, and had shipped - not sold - roughly 1.5 million units by the end of that year.

Year-end sales figures for the PlayStation 4 have not yet been announced.

Source: Xbox.com [http://news.xbox.com/2014/01/xbox-one-january-thank-you]


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TheIceQueen

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Sep 15, 2013
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Well, I'm not quite sure what to think of that. I'm nothing but mixed feelings with this.

I guess the market is more forgiving than I originally thought, though.
 

Lightknight

Mugwamp Supreme
Nov 26, 2008
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Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
 

Longstreet

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Jun 16, 2012
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Lightknight said:
Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
Bloody hell, thanks for the ninja there mate.

But i am also more interested in sales to actual consumers than the sales to Best buy / Amazon ect. But we will probably never see those unless we round up all the yearly reports from all the retailers in the 13 countries that paperweight sold in.

They do say, on the xbox page, that it is to actual consumers, but i prefer some proof. For all we know they are talking about selling to gamestop and the sold out at multiple retailers part was just that one mom and pop store that ordered 1 and got two orders.
 

Roxas1359

Burn, Burn it All!
Aug 8, 2009
33,758
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Dragonbums said:
Y'all did a dang good job "boycotting" the Xbox One folks.
Hey, I did my part. I don't have an Xbox One, although I didn't want one even before all the bad stuff was announced so I don't count huh? :p

OT: Now I have to ask, is this 3 million sold to consumers or 3 million sold to retailers? Mainly because after that thing with Activision trying to spin how many copies of Call of Duty Ghosts sold to make it sound like they made more money than GTA V I need to see full details.
 

Albino Boo

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Jun 14, 2010
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Lightknight said:
Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
I suggest that you look up cognitive dissonance. All major retailers, these days, operate a system of supply chain management know as Just in Time. Major retailers do not carry vast amounts inventory but only keep in stock just enough items to cover demand. If there was not a large demand they would not have bought 3 million xbox's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_in_time_(business)
 

Nimzabaat

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Feb 1, 2010
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albino boo said:
Lightknight said:
Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
I suggest that you look up cognitive dissonance. All major retailers, these days, operate a system of supply chain management know as Just in Time. Major retailers do not carry vast amounts inventory but only keep in stock just enough items to cover demand. If there was not a large demand they would not have bought 3 million xbox's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_in_time_(business)
Not to mention that the second paragraph in the OP clearly states "sold to consumers". I didn't buy one because there's no games I want for it... yet. Now we just have to wait and see how the PS4 sold. I understand they were having some supply issues though.
 

Gearhead mk2

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Aug 1, 2011
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...how? Really, how? I legitimately do not understand how this happened. The god-awful PR, the invasive anti-consumer practices, the obscenely huge price tag, the schizophrenic multimedia focus, and the dull and micro-transaction filled games should have made it sink like a stone. Are there really that many people desperate for an Xbone?
 

Ed130 The Vanguard

(Insert witty quote here)
Sep 10, 2008
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Gearhead mk2 said:
...how? Really, how? I legitimately do not understand how this happened. The god-awful PR, the invasive anti-consumer practices, the obscenely huge price tag, the schizophrenic multimedia focus, and the dull and micro-transaction filled games should have made it sink like a stone. Are there really that many people desperate for an Xbone?
Currently people a questioning whether the numbers sold is to actual people or to the re-sellers like Amazon and Wall-Mart, as for me judging by the number of Xbones floating around in stores (that sell them) the latter is more likely.

Its like how publishers go on about units shipped but with more lying.
 

Lightknight

Mugwamp Supreme
Nov 26, 2008
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Longstreet said:
Lightknight said:
Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
Bloody hell, thanks for the ninja there mate.

But i am also more interested in sales to actual consumers than the sales to Best buy / Amazon ect. But we will probably never see those unless we round up all the yearly reports from all the retailers in the 13 countries that paperweight sold in.

They do say, on the xbox page, that it is to actual consumers, but i prefer some proof. For all we know they are talking about selling to gamestop and the sold out at multiple retailers part was just that one mom and pop store that ordered 1 and got two orders.
Amazon is probably the best bet. But we can generally only see how well something performed in relation to something else. For example, this is the "best sellers" in video games for Amazon.com in 2013:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2013/videogames

This is the best sellers of 2014 so far:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2014/videogames/ref=zg_bsar_cal_ye

So we know that in 2013, the ps4 was number 6 and the XBO day one edition was number 19. But we have no idea how big or little that gap is. Also, it seems that several types of console bundles have been removed from the site to make browsing easier, so we may be missing some packages.

We also know that as of the last 6 days, ps4's have been selling at number 1, faster than anything else including their PSN cards while the XBO is at 16.

Look at the difference in controllers and money cards to get a gauge on how big the disparity is. I think they're both being successful but the ps4 has a clear advantage at the moment.

albino boo said:
Lightknight said:
Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
I suggest that you look up cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive Dissonance is the state of having inconsistent thoughts/beliefs/attitudes in comparison to one's actions and choices. Someone claiming to be an animal loving pacifist who then murders people by beating them to death with sacks of puppies is an example of cognitive dissonance.

I think what you're trying to find is a word that says that my own personal experiences in local markets may not reflect the state of the overall market. I would agree with this possibility except that I have conducted a significant amount of research. From making a poll here on the Escapist to calling into various businesses. Even conducting online research to see what's available and where.

PS4s have been in an extreme shortage and XBOs have been mostly available. So much so that as I began calling into other places, they'll literally answer the phone call saying that they have XBOs.

I'm not saying that people didn't buy XBOs, I'm sure they did. I'm just pointing out that the numbers may not be quite as good as they say. Just like any PS4 numbers may not be as good as they say.

The reason why I don't think this is consumers is because consumers don't tell Sony or Microsoft when they sell a console. The only information they really have is how many orders they get.

All major retailers, these days, operate a system of supply chain management know as Just in Time.
This would be why they have dozens of boxes stacked up and not hundreds.
 

Albino Boo

New member
Jun 14, 2010
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Lightknight said:
Longstreet said:
Lightknight said:
Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
Bloody hell, thanks for the ninja there mate.

But i am also more interested in sales to actual consumers than the sales to Best buy / Amazon ect. But we will probably never see those unless we round up all the yearly reports from all the retailers in the 13 countries that paperweight sold in.

They do say, on the xbox page, that it is to actual consumers, but i prefer some proof. For all we know they are talking about selling to gamestop and the sold out at multiple retailers part was just that one mom and pop store that ordered 1 and got two orders.
Amazon is probably the best bet. But we can generally only see how well something performed in relation to something else. For example, this is the "best sellers" in video games for Amazon.com in 2013:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2013/videogames

This is the best sellers of 2014 so far:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2014/videogames/ref=zg_bsar_cal_ye

albino boo said:
Lightknight said:
Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
I suggest that you look up cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive Dissonance is the state of having inconsistent thoughts/beliefs/attitudes in comparison to one's actions and choices. Someone claiming to be an animal loving pacifist who then murders people by beating them to death with sacks of puppies is an example of cognitive dissonance.

I think what you're trying to find is a word that says that my own personal experiences in local markets may not reflect the state of the overall market. I would agree with this possibility except that I have conducted a significant amount of research. From making a poll here on the Escapist to calling into various businesses. Even conducting online research to see what's available and where.

PS4s have been in an extreme shortage and XBOs have been mostly available. So much so that as I began calling into other places, they'll literally answer the phone call saying that they have XBOs.

I'm not saying that people didn't buy XBOs, I'm sure they did. I'm just pointing out that the numbers may not be quite as good as they say. Just like any PS4 numbers may not be as good as they say.

The reason why I don't think this is consumers is because consumers don't tell Sony or Microsoft when they sell a console. The only information they really have is how many orders they get.

All major retailers, these days, operate a system of supply chain management know as Just in Time.
This would be why they have dozens of boxes stacked up and not hundreds.
You still have failed to understand that the retailers would not have order 3 million units if they were not selling.

I also refer you the second paragraph in the article
"Over 3 million Xbox One consoles were sold to consumers in 13 countries before the end of 2013.
 

Dragonbums

Indulge in it's whiffy sensation
May 9, 2013
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Neronium said:
Dragonbums said:
Y'all did a dang good job "boycotting" the Xbox One folks.
Hey, I did my part. I don't have an Xbox One, although I didn't want one even before all the bad stuff was announced so I don't count huh? :p

OT: Now I have to ask, is this 3 million sold to consumers or 3 million sold to retailers? Mainly because after that thing with Activision trying to spin how many copies of Call of Duty Ghosts sold to make it sound like they made more money than GTA V I need to see full details.
I think in the Activision fiasco, the original report did mention the units were sold to retailers, but someone or some company that reported it for the masses, either axed that part out or misworded it?

The heck if I remember, I hardly payed that much attention to that controversy.
 

smithy_2045

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Jan 30, 2008
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Lightknight said:
PS4s have been in an extreme shortage and XBOs have been mostly available. So much so that as I began calling into other places, they'll literally answer the phone call saying that they have XBOs.
I strongly suspect that's more due to a better supply of Xbox Ones rather than a higher demand for PS4s. Not saying there isn't a higher demand for PS4s, but the supply just isn't there to meet any of that demand.
 

Josetorr

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Jun 24, 2013
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Lightknight said:
The reason why I don't think this is consumers is because consumers don't tell Sony or Microsoft when they sell a console. The only information they really have is how many orders they get.
Your forgetting one Key element from prior console releases ...

The Day 1 Download,

Microsoft knows EXACTLY how many XBOX Ones went to Consumers (especially after Christmas Morning)
 

Kuala BangoDango

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Mar 19, 2009
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I just find it funny that a single game, Tomb Raider, sells 3 million copies in 1 month and is considered a failure while an entire gaming system sells 3 million over nearly 2 months and is a smashing success. I guess the profit margins on consoles must be so much better than that of games.
 

sleeky01

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Jan 27, 2011
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albino boo said:
You still have failed to understand that the retailers would not have order 3 million units if they were not selling.

I also refer you the second paragraph in the article
"Over 3 million Xbox One consoles were sold to consumers in 13 countries before the end of 2013.
Perhaps I'm reading his and your posts incorrectly, but I believe the point
Lightknight said:
Longstreet said:
Lightknight said:
Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
Bloody hell, thanks for the ninja there mate.

But i am also more interested in sales to actual consumers than the sales to Best buy / Amazon ect. But we will probably never see those unless we round up all the yearly reports from all the retailers in the 13 countries that paperweight sold in.

They do say, on the xbox page, that it is to actual consumers, but i prefer some proof. For all we know they are talking about selling to gamestop and the sold out at multiple retailers part was just that one mom and pop store that ordered 1 and got two orders.
Amazon is probably the best bet. But we can generally only see how well something performed in relation to something else. For example, this is the "best sellers" in video games for Amazon.com in 2013:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2013/videogames

This is the best sellers of 2014 so far:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2014/videogames/ref=zg_bsar_cal_ye

So we know that in 2013, the ps4 was number 6 and the XBO day one edition was number 19. But we have no idea how big or little that gap is. Also, it seems that several types of console bundles have been removed from the site to make browsing easier, so we may be missing some packages.

We also know that as of the last 6 days, ps4's have been selling at number 1, faster than anything else including their PSN cards while the XBO is at 16.

Look at the difference in controllers and money cards to get a gauge on how big the disparity is. I think they're both being successful but the ps4 has a clear advantage at the moment.

albino boo said:
Lightknight said:
Let's be somewhat clear. Microsoft doesn't sell to consumers. They sell to retailers who sell to consumers.

Now, if their comment really was that those sold to consumers, then that's much better than I suspected. If those are just the number of consoles they sold to companies like Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop, etc., then it's misleading. Every game store I walk into had dozens of XBO's stacked high with an empty PS4 section (until a couple weeks ago).
I suggest that you look up cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive Dissonance is the state of having inconsistent thoughts/beliefs/attitudes in comparison to one's actions and choices. Someone claiming to be an animal loving pacifist who then murders people by beating them to death with sacks of puppies is an example of cognitive dissonance.

I think what you're trying to find is a word that says that my own personal experiences in local markets may not reflect the state of the overall market. I would agree with this possibility except that I have conducted a significant amount of research. From making a poll here on the Escapist to calling into various businesses. Even conducting online research to see what's available and where.

PS4s have been in an extreme shortage and XBOs have been mostly available. So much so that as I began calling into other places, they'll literally answer the phone call saying that they have XBOs.

I'm not saying that people didn't buy XBOs, I'm sure they did. I'm just pointing out that the numbers may not be quite as good as they say. Just like any PS4 numbers may not be as good as they say.

The reason why I don't think this is consumers is because consumers don't tell Sony or Microsoft when they sell a console. The only information they really have is how many orders they get.

All major retailers, these days, operate a system of supply chain management know as Just in Time.
This would be why they have dozens of boxes stacked up and not hundreds.
Perhaps I'm reading both his and your posts incorrectly, but the point I believe he was making was that how could Microsoft know how many units were sold to consumers when they do not sell them to individuals themselves. If I want an Xbox1 where must I go?

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox360/wheretobuy

But even the major retailers do not buy anything directly from Microsoft. they all use third-party distributors.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Retail/Distributors -And that's just in the US.

Microsoft must rely on sales figure provided to them from their distribution partners who in turn must rely on sales figures from retailers. However it is difficult to imagine the sales chain being deceitful. But i also imagine there is alot of pressure to move units from both the retailers and the distributors.
 

jackpipsam

SEGA fanboy
Jun 2, 2009
830
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This is good.

Both systems need to sell well for there to be good competition.
Having one clear dominant system rule the market won't end well.
Sony's goodwill would end the second they have nothing to worry about.


So congrats Microsoft.
 

Albino Boo

New member
Jun 14, 2010
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sleeky01 said:
Perhaps I'm reading both his and your posts incorrectly, but the point I believe he was making was that how could Microsoft know how many units were sold to consumers when they do not sell them to individuals themselves. If I want an Xbox1 where must I go?

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox360/wheretobuy

But even the major retailers do not buy anything directly from Microsoft. they all use third-party distributors.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Retail/Distributors -And that's just in the US.

Microsoft must rely on sales figure provided to them from their distribution partners who in turn must rely on sales figures from retailers. However it is difficult to imagine the sales chain being deceitful. But i also imagine there is alot of pressure to move units from both the retailers and the distributors.
I didn't make myself clear but Just in time involves the use of automated ordering systems. The vast majority of tills in the big retailers are connected to their backend stock control system which in turn connects to the distributors system. Retailers can have the sales figures almost realtime and distributors have the data on daily updates. Most of the big retail websites are using the same integrated stock/sale engine that originated with the disastrous boo.com