PS5 and Xbox Series X launch sales weren’t as great as they seemed – here’s why

Big numbers, but not that big

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

PS5andXbox Series Xfailed to beat the launch sales of their last-gen counterparts, according to data fromAmpere Analysis.

Its report determined that 4.2 million PS5 consoles were sold since November 12, and just over 2.8 million Xbox Series X|S consoles were sold sinceMicrosoft’s next-gen systems launched on November 10.

That means the PS5 actually matched the launch sales of thePS4, while combined sales of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X andXbox Series Swere slightly behind theXbox One, which sold 2.9 million units during the same timeframe.

While it might seem like a good result forSony, it’s not quite as clear cut as it seems. The PS4 managed to reach 4.2 million sales without any help from the Japanese market when it launched in November 2013, as it didn’t arrive in Japan until Q1 2014. The PS5, meanwhile, launched globally this time around.

The sales of both consoles were impacted by Sony and Microsoft’s inability to meet demand, and even though it’s been nearly three months since launch, supply continues to be extremely scarce.

Ampere Analysis predicts that were it not for the pandemic, PS5 could have achieved over five million units sold, and that the company is on track to sell between 7.5 million and 8 million PS5 consoles by the end of March.

The firm notes that Microsoft will be disappointed with its total sales figure for the Xbox Series X and Series S, as its new consoles launched in three times the number of markets as the Xbox One back in 2013. Still, Ampere believes that product availability has also undermined the Xbox Series X’s sales potential.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Sell out

The report from Ampere Analysis also touches on the success of theNintendo Switch, which managed to outperform the Wii’s best annual sales record. The Switch sold 26.3 million units in 2020, besting Wii’s 24.5 million total.

Both Sony and Microsoft have boasted that its next-gen consoles have beatenprevious launch records, and while this data seems to prove otherwise, the companies often focus on sales to retailers or shipments, not direct sales to consumers.

As supply slowly catches up to demand, then, it’ll be interesting to see how many more millions Sony and Microsoft will sell in the coming years.

Adam was formerly TRG’s Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.

The PS5 Pro’s PSSR upscaling gives multiple games a huge visual upgrade – can it compete with Nvidia’s DLSS 3 successor?

Best Dragon Age games in 2024 - every series entry ranked

Arcane season 2 finally gave us the huge Caitlyn and Vi moment we’ve been waiting for – and its creators say ‘we couldn’t have done it in season one’