PS4 Black Friday Sales

Sony may want to start thinking about its statement for November’s forthcoming NPD report, as it sounds like the PlayStation 4’s ten month winning streak in the United States could be about to come to an end. Microsoft seriously slashed the price of the Xbox One for the holidays – enabling consumers to purchase the console alongside two games and a gift card for $329.99 at some American stores this weekend – and it looks like it’s worked.

Market research firm Infoscout claims that the Redmond manufacturer’s machine accounted for 53 per cent of hardware sales on Black Friday, while the PS4 could muster just 31 per cent. Unsurprisingly, things were even more dismal for last-gen formats, with the PlayStation 3 managing an embarrassing one per cent – although, curiously, the Japanese giant didn’t prepare any special packages for its ageing appliance.

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While this does indicate that the platform holder may have slumped to a heavy loss, the data doesn’t necessarily paint a complete picture. The intelligence outfit responsible for collating these numbers tracks 200,000 shoppers, and encourages consumers to upload images of their receipts via a smartphone application. In other words, it’s far from foolproof – and last year the company declared an Xbox One win as well, only for the PS4 to come out on top in the following NPD report.

However, even the most ardent Sony supporters would be foolish to think that the PlayStation maker will continue its domination of the US. From what we can tell, the firm’s Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us Remastered bundle sold very well over the course of the weekend, but it’s difficult to compete with a console that’s retailing at almost fire sale prices – especially on a day where bargains are valued above all else.

Of course, the Japanese giant may not be too worried about losing out for a month or two, as it’s managed to maintain full price on its format throughout the holidays – and can always reduce its MSRP in the New Year should its lead start to slip. And that’s all assuming that these figures are accurate in the first place; we’ll find out in a few weeks, when the November NPD report is sure to send ripples through the industry.

[source blog.infoscout.co, via venturebeat.com, neogaf.com]