Not Pushing Xbox One X
The Xbox One X was a huge undertaking for Microsoft, and no doubt cost a lot of money to invest in. Microsoft is going to want to double down on its marketing on the Xbox One X, taking every opportunity it can to boast about its powerful new console. This means taking time with every press conference, putting out loads of ads and commercials, and getting third-party developers to work on Xbox One X support.
The PS4 has sold significantly more than the Xbox One at this point, almost double in fact. With these numbers, Sony doesn’t need to focus on the PS4 Pro, simply adding it to the PlayStation family of systems with moderate marketing, and letting the games speak for themselves is enough. It’s a little different with the Xbox One X, since Microsoft spent so long hyping the system up. The worst thing it could do would be to just let the Xbox One X sit as another iteration of the Xbox One, causing the systems to blend together for consumers. They need to specify at every point what makes the One X unique, what makes it a system you want to own. It’s a hard road to tread, because Microsoft needs to make clear why the Xbox One X is special, but also make sure owners of the regular Xbox One don’t feel like they’re getting burned for being an early adopter or simply opting for the cheaper One S.
Perhaps Microsoft could partner with the manufacturers of 4K TVs, combine its message with that of why 4K content is so much better, maybe even put out a few bundles with specific TVs. Microsoft is always pretty tight-lipped about sales numbers except for when they’re at the top, but at this point, it looks like the Xbox One X sales have gone above everyone’s expectations. With the console’s first full year now starting out, it’s the time to really put stuff out there and broadcast the message for Xbox One X.
