Microsoft
To say Microsoft has been left in the wake of Sony’s PS4 this generation wouldn’t be necessarily inaccurate, but it would be a mistake to write off the Xbox One this holiday season. The brand still commands a huge following, and Microsoft has traditionally done very well in November and December thanks to brilliant marketing campaigns and attractive console bundles. We’re already seeing some very sharply priced Xbox One S bundles that include a big third-party release like Call of Duty: WWII. So sharply priced, in fact, that it’s undercutting the PS4, and it’s likely that these sorts of offers are going to drive the lion’s share of sales for Microsoft, rather than its more expensive Xbox One X console. Especially when one considers both console’s price points, $180 with a game versus $500 and no game — the Xbox One X is, perhaps, only likely to appeal to a niche audience. Yet there’s no question that Microsoft’s premium console is still going to be a huge draw for consumers hungry for a big graphical upgrade.
Microsoft’s biggest trump card this fall is its exclusive deal with Bluehole Studio to bring across the phenomenon that is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). A huge scoop for the Xbox One, PUBG adds a massive incentive for people to pick up either version of the console after all the positive press the game has received. That being said, it hardly pushes the Xbox One X’s graphical capabilities. There’s also the slight issue that, since the PC community already has the game, there’s no draw for PC owners wanting to purchase a console for an alternate library to choose Xbox over PlayStation.
Ultimately, both in the case of cheap bundles and expensive premium hardware, Microsoft is relying on consumers purchasing hardware specifically to play third-party software, with PUBG the only exclusive point of difference. Only time will tell whether that proves an effective enough strategy to distract consumers from the lack notable content yet to be announced for 2018.