The coronavirus pandemic that hit the world early this year crippled different sectors of the economy including the entertainment industry. However, based on the number of sales, the video game industry appears to be among the few beneficiaries of the pandemic.
Data gathered by Safe Betting Sites shows that between January and July this year, a total of 22,284,462 game consoles were sold worldwide. The number is 36.54% higher compared to the 16,319,770 consoles sold during the same period last year.
For 2020, the highest number of video game consoles sales was recorded in April at 4,147,251. In 2019, March witnessed the highest number of console sales at 2,939,647 units. The covered video game console sales are for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch.
Coronavirus isolation inspires more video game unit sales
The Safe Betting Sites research also compared the unit sales for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2020 on a Year-to-Date basis. The two are dominant players in the game consoles business. The PS4 remains dominant with 6,424,801 unit sales compared to 2,204,848 X-Box One unit sales.
For both PS4 and Xbox One, the highest number of game console sales was registered in April at 1,416,480 and 478,347 units respectively. It worth mentioning that during this period, the pandemic had crippled most parts of the world.
The increase in the number of video game console sales for this year correlates with a period when the Covid-19 health crisis was spreading globally. During the pandemic, many authorities encouraged citizens to self-isolate at home as a means of containing the health crisis. With people bored and restless at home, many found solace in video games.
PS4 dominance over Xbox One continues
With the increased demand for video games, came new challenges as most developers and large corporations faced a hurdle in meeting the production needs. Several factories were closed with workers being forced to work at home, in return delaying the scheduled release of new console versions and upgrades. Notably, with the health crisis originating from China, it might limit hardware availability in return affecting the supply chain.
From the data, PlayStation 4 has enjoyed overwhelming success over the Xbox One since both consoles launched back in 2013. However, Microsoft has turned the Xbox One into a better product in recent years with several back end changes, two significant hardware upgrades, and an overall refocus on games. Despite the changes, the Xbox One still has a long way to go is shaking up the PS4 market.
The continued PS4 high sales can be attributed to several factors like a user-friendly interface. The PS4 user interface has remained largely the same since launch, with some minor changes. However, despite overhauling the Xbox One interface it is still viewed as more complicated. Additionally, the Sony consoles boast of a wide range of games and better graphics.
