14 DAY TRIAL // The PlayStation 4 home computer entertainment system from Sony is apparently outselling the Xbox One home console from Microsoft primarily due to its better resolution.
While anyone would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between 900p and 1080p on the same television set while sitting on a couch across the room, it's apparently a big issue for the gaming community, at least according the latest Nielsen report.
The PS4 has outsold its competitor, the Xbox One, pretty much throughout the entire period the two devices have been available to the public, with the latest tally putting Sony's baby at around 18 million units sold, while Microsoft's creation gives it envious looks from the comfort of its 11 million units sold.
The famed console wars between the two systems' user bases (a devious corporate conspiracy obviously stemming from the fact that the two companies refuse to enable cross-platform multiplayer) now see a different balance of power from the last generation, when the Xbox 360 dominated the charts.
Many people shared their wisdom when it came to why people chose the PS4 this time around, but the truth is that nobody really knows.
Sure, Microsoft had a pretty disastrous platform announcement, stating that some things were a core part of the entire Xbox experience, then changing its mind and doing a full 180 in regards to many of its formerly immutable pillars of design.
But poor planning and lying have never stopped people from buying stuff by the cartload before, so why would they have that effect now?
Why people buy consoles
Nielsen, a renowned entertainment industry analysis firm, attempted to solve this puzzle by asking consumers aged 13 and up why they chose to buy a PlayStation 4, an Xbox One or a Nintendo Wii U.
It seems that people buy the PS4 primarily due to its better resolution, with the second reason being the fact that it's also a Blu-ray player. "Game library," "faster processing power," and "what the family wants" are the next reasons.
Meanwhile, the Xbox One is sold mostly on the loyalty of Microsoft's customers, with the number one answer being "brand," followed by "innovative features," "faster processing power," "exclusive games/content," and "fun-factor."
The Wii U, on the other hand, is sold mainly due to its "fun-factor," with the fact that it's a kids-friendly console coming in second. Its price point is also a strong point in its favor, followed by backwards compatibility, with the last incentive being its library of exclusive games.
And to think everyone thought that resolution gate didn't matter, and that gameplay was what sells games, not irrelevant numbers.
Some analysts predict that Sony will maintain its considerable lead throughout this console generation's entire life span.
