14 DAY TRIAL // At the moment, both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 are selling very well and seem poised to offer fans a fascinating long-term competition for supremacy, but an analytics firm is predicting that by 2019 the Sony device will emerge as the clear winner in the current console race.
Strategy Analytics is saying that 80 million PlayStation 4 will be delivered to fans by that point in time, which is a performance on par with that managed by the Nintendo-made Wii and the even older PlayStation 2.
At the same time, Microsoft will only manage to sell about 57 million units of its Xbox One, which is a big gap of about 40 percent between the two devices.
Strategy Analytics says that both platforms are currently selling much better than the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 during their first and second years on the market.
The Wii U might also make a comeback, according to the company.
Eric Smith, a senior analyst at the company, is quoted by GamesIndustry.biz as saying that "Core gamers have moved faster to this current generation than in any previous generation. The main difference in this generation is that casual gamers who bought a Wii are remaining largely on the side lines as free-to-play casual games and midcore games on tablets and smartphones have captured this segment of consumers."
Microsoft and Sony will seek new ways to increase sales
Both companies will be trying to find new initiatives which allow their platform to gain more fans in the short and the long term.
Microsoft has just announced that it is offering Xbox Live Gold Rewards members a special deal on the Xbox One, and there are also rumors that the company is planning to open up the app space on its device in November, which might make it more interesting to a range of users.
There are also price cuts that could help it catch up with the PlayStation 4 in terms of sales.
Sony has already said that it does not have short-term plans to cut the price of its home console, but it is working to add more value to it, with exclusive titles and new entertainment products, like the interesting looking Powers series, which will be offered for free to those who have PlayStation Plus.