A similar situation happened when Sony opened pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 a week ago, with unprecedented demand for the console. It seems consumers want both the Xbox Series X and the PS5. The clear demand ends any conversations about the gaming market moving away from consoles because of an increase in digital services. Indeed, Microsoft itself is part of this conversation. When the company confirmed its acquisition of Bethesda this week, much of the chatter was about how cloud gaming is the future and how the purchase will drive Microsoft’s ongoing push with Project xCloud and Xbox Game Pass.
If you weren’t successful today be sure to sign up with retailers for updates, and expect more consoles to be available on November 10. 💚 — Xbox (@Xbox) September 22, 2020 It seems clear that if Xbox sales are good, the console will play a major role in Microsoft’s plans. Early pre-order demand shows the signs are good. With no more stock available, Microsoft took to Twitter to say retailers will get more units on the launch day. As we head into the Holiday Season later this year, it looks like there will be enough Xbox Series X consoles to go around.
No Guarantees
It would be remiss to ignore the fact that pre-order sales do not provide a complete guarantee a product will be successful. However, Xbox Series X seems to be riding a wave of goodwill, as does Microsoft’s entire gaming division. What this means for the battle against Sony and the PS5 remains to be seen. With the rival console also selling like proverbial hotcakes, we are looking at a feisty competition between the two companies during 2021.
