by means of Alexandru Poloboc
With an overwhelming desire to always get to the bottom of and get to the truth, Alex spent most of his time working as a news reporter, anchor,… read more
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It’s 2022 and the debate is still raging over which gaming experience is the best, PC or game console.
If you’re a bigger fan of the latter, then this article is for you, no matter what brand you got your device from.
By far the most popular consoles in everyone’s eyes are Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox. We’ve come a long way since the Atari and Sega Mega Drive consoles, so we’re not even going there.
However, many of you know that Nintendo’s Switch isn’t a pushover when it comes to popularity, so we’re about to take a closer look at which of the aforementioned brands is actually at the top.
Spoiler alert, when two opponents are busy fighting each other, another contender will just drop in and steal everyone’s heart.
Nintendo Switch is more desirable than PS5 or Xbox Series X
Yes, although many will try to dispute this claim, this is the real truth. We might think that Sony and Microsoft are the undisputed champions when it comes to console popularity, but they’re not.
And yes, we are about to back this statement with tangible evidence, which will represent reality exactly as it is, unaltered, just as you have become accustomed to reading material on our website.
Experts at online gaming website Cribbage Challenge have analyzed Google searches over the past 12 months.
The target? To see which console gamers from each European country are most interested in. And the results are sure to raise a lot of eyebrows.
The result of the aforementioned research revealed that the Nintendo Switch was the most wanted in 24 countries, with the highest numbers in France, Spain and the Netherlands.
You may know it by now, but Nintendo has sold over 108 million Switch units since its official release in 2017, with over 28 million units sold in Europe alone.
As you can see from the screenshot above, the situation for Microsoft’s Xbox game consoles is not as pink as everyone thought it was.
And of all the console exclusives, such as Forza Horizon (Xbox) or God of War (PlayStation), the absolute winner is actually Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Yes, this still remains the most popular title for consoles as it has sold over 46 million copies worldwide.
Compare that to the 20 million copies that God of War (2018) has sold, for example, and you’ll see the difference is crushing.
What about PlayStation 5?
Returning to Sony’s PlayStation 5, know that it was the most wanted console in 20 countries, further cementing its dominance for its main opponent, Xbox.
Among the countries where the PS5 is most popular are Germany, Norway and Turkey, where Sony’s next-gen console leads the way in popularity.
Two months ago (June 2022), the company announced that sales for the PlayStation 5 worldwide reached 20 million, even with the stock shortages since its release in 2020.
Another factor to take into account here is the fact that sales in Europe for the PS5 actually fell by 44% in the first half of this year.
With inventory shortages having a knock-on effect on next-generation sales, this data shows where those effects are maximizing. Despite selling less than Microsoft’s counterpart, the PS5 remains the most sought after, showing that it is still in demand despite the lack of stock across Europe. It will be interesting to see how sales actually go if the stock is constant.
What about Xbox Series X|S?
We’re not going to stop here, and we’ll go on to say that this research also found that the Xbox Series X reigned in popularity in only three countries.
To be more specific, we look at dominance over Hungary, Kosovo and, as everyone expected, the United Kingdom.
Since the official release of 2020, the Xbox console has sold more than 15 million units and now beats the PS5 in sales in the past three quarters.
That said, while sales figures favor Microsoft’s gaming console, it seems people still view the PlayStation 5 as a viable alternative.
However, as we’re about to show you, that wasn’t always the case when it came to units sold, and Xbox still has a lot to do in this sales war.
Sony has sold twice as many PS4 consoles as Microsoft Xbox One
We’re not sure if you were aware of this, but there’s a high-profile case pending in Brazil. And no, it’s not the sequel to Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard, we’re still talking consoles.
Apparently Microsoft is trying to defend its Activision Blizzard acquisition from the Brazilian competition authority, and as a result, some pretty interesting details have surfaced.
Some official court documents revealed that Microsoft’s Xbox One gaming console, the predecessor to the Series X|S, has sold less than half of Sony’s PlayStation 4 since they were both released.
You definitely want to see numbers, so let’s get right into it. The Japanese company responsible for the PlayStation recently released their final PS4 sales figures.
Unsurprisingly, 117.2 million people bought the PlayStation 4, making it the second-largest home console of all time.
Judging by those numbers, we can deduce that Xbox One consoles must have sold less than about 58.5 million units.
Feel free to laugh at this if you like, but these stats put the Xbox One right below the NES, and only just above the SNES consoles.
So this just goes to show you that reality isn’t always what we choose to be, and numbers will never lie when it comes to cracking them.
Why did the Switch win this battle between the console-making giants? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is its versatility.
You don’t need a TV or screen to play games on your Switch, making it a clear favorite. And we’ll just see how the Steam Deck stacks up against the Nintendo Switch.
Sure, you can use Xbox Cloud Gaming and PS Now to play your favorite console games wherever you are, but it still won’t beat the Switch in terms of portability and accessibility.
Of the three consoles in this article, which one is your favorite by far? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
Thank you!
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