Support NeoGAF

[RetroGamingUK]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/21/xbox-console-war-playstation-switch.html

Sales of the Xbox Series S and Series X fell 70% year-over-year in November, the worst performance among major consoles.

In 2025, Xbox Series S/X sold around 1.7 million units, far behind:

Nintendo Switch 2: 10.36 million since its June launch.

PlayStation 5: 9.2 million units in the year.

 

[bitbydeath]

That's VGChartz.
They likely will see between 500K and 1M this year.

Last years numbers.

This year they hit new lows and got pulled from numerous stores all over the world.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Sadly cnbc used VGChartz for that number:

Microsoft's Xbox Series S and Series X, at 1.7 million units, couldn't outsell the original Nintendo Switch, which launched in 2017 and has sold 3.4 million units so far this year, data from game sales tracking site VGChartz estimated.

They can't end this generation too soon because too many Gamepass users are on it. I can't see them making a new console in one year when the RAM situation is chaotic and they know that cross gen will be there for a long time.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Far too optimistic estimate

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

 

[adamsapple]

tracking site VGChartz

 

[Deerock71]

There's absolutely no way to spin that as positive.

 

[poppabk]

That's VGChartz.
They likely will see between 500K and 1M this year.

Last years numbers.

This year they hit new lows and got pulled from numerous stores all over the world.

Vgchartz are shit but that number extrapolated from a bunch of other extrapolations is also likely to be way off.

 

[Spukc]

What did spain do tho?

 

[reinking]

I just wonder what the impact on the future console is going to be. Having a dead system going into the new launch is hardly a vote for confidence. I know the selling point of the next console is "open platform" but so is a PC and it can already play everything "Xbox." I really hope they can pull off the console experience and price to make it worthwhile. I am looking forward to some good news but my expectations keep dropping.

 

[bitbydeath]

Vgchartz are shit but that number extrapolated from a bunch of other extrapolations is also likely to be way off.

It's the best we have.
It's taken from professional estimation sites like IDG Consulting, ESA and Newzoo

 

[Mownoc]

That's VGChartz.
They likely will see between 500K and 1M this year.

Last years numbers.

This year they hit new lows and got pulled from numerous stores all over the world.

This is BS speculation based on take twos estimates for gen9 consoles.

The 94m gen9 consoles figure from taketwo was as of November 2024 so subtracting September 2024 ps5 figures (65.5m) is missing 1-2 months of ps5 sales. If you add those ps5 sales in then you get Xbox selling <1m or even negative numbers in 2024.

Meaning either taketwo estimates are wrong, or, they are not estimating shipped but sell-through / installbase. Either way it can't be used as proof xbox sold 2m or less in 2024

 

[Moses85]

 

[Mownoc]

This article is so crap that it's not even quoting the figures it's linking to correctly. The VGChartz article they link to is estimating 1.89m sold in 2025 by the end of October lol.

 

[reinking]

It's the best we have.
It's taken from professional estimation sites like IDG Consulting, ESA and Newzoo

People jumping on VGChartz. I mean, does it really matter? We know it is bad. Very bad.

 

[Synless]

I said yes for the meltdown if it comes true.

 

[SpokkX]

My bet: hey will just stop manufacturing them in 2026

The stock will slowly dissipate and at the end of 2026 they will just not be available to buy in most stores.

This way Xbox does not need to say anything and just let it die quietly with announcing anything

 

[DaleinCalgary]

There's absolutely no way to spin that as positive.

They probably beat Intellivision sales.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

There's absolutely no way to spin that as positive.

They will be valuable down the road as some sort of hipster console due to the low numbers during its life

 

[dragonyeuw]

IIRC Series sold 3 million last year, so no surprise it barely broke half that total this year. And I'm sure most of that total was before the first price increase.

 

[Unknown?]

Probably over estimated.

 

[LectureMaster]

 

[bender]

 

[Soulja]

And that's why they have been raising the prices of game pass etc..not many people are bothered about joining the ecosystem so just milk the ones that are already in it!

 

[DeepEnigma]

That's VGChartz.
They likely will see between 500K and 1M this year.

Last years numbers.

This year they hit new lows and got pulled from numerous stores all over the world.

Sadly cnbc used VGChartz for that number:

They can't end this generation too soon because too many Gamepass users are on it. I can't see them making a new console in one year when the RAM situation is chaotic and they know that cross gen will be there for a long time.

VGChartz is good enough for Greenberg and MS

Spoiler: Screenshot

 

[kevboard]

wasn't there a rumour recently that they are ramping up production due to GTA6 next year?

Microsoft won't discontinue it. but it will increasingly be to Windows what the Deck is to Steam. an optional thing.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

They will be valuable down the road as some sort of hipster console due to the low numbers during its life

It lacks neither the exclusives or the really low sales of the likes of NeoGeo, Saturn etc

It'll be forgotten

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Take that!!!! NEX playground

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

It lacks neither the exclusives or the really low sales of the likes of NeoGeo, Saturn etc

It'll be forgotten

It's the only Xbox I ever owned and I grabbed it solely for BC which I've enjoyed. Had ps1-4 and all Nintendo consoles

I think it will be picked up by people who want to explore a lot of the old catalog.

Funny enough, I ended up not really enjoying most of the Xbox classics but I didn't really know that until I played them. I think for a lot of of this stuff like halo you just had to be there at the time because having no nostalgia doesn't quite do a ton for me.

Although this might be unnecessary as well because it looks like they're trying to bring a lot their old games to cloud

But anyways I think it will have a niche market for BC alone, it's also a good looking console which doesn't hurt

I think it will have a much bigger market if Xbox ends up doing something completely different and drifts away from consoles next gen

 

[PumpkinBoy]

It would help if they actually discount the consoles for sales like Black Friday.

I'm planning on buying a Series S for a long time now, but I'm not paying 350€ or 380€ for one when I got a Series X for 400€ two years ago.

 

[kevboard]

They will be valuable down the road as some sort of hipster console due to the low numbers during its life

it's not enough of a failure for that.
the Wii U is still pretty cheap and has the Nintendo bonus, while also selling fewer than half as many units as the Series consoles have already sold.
I can get a used white Wii U for like 80€, often with at least 1 game.

the OG Xbox, which also sold fewer units, also is like maybe 100€ in decent condition.

a console needs to be really rare to become actually valuable.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

it's not enough of a failure for that.
the Wii U is still pretty cheap and has the Nintendo bonus, while also selling fewer than half as many units as the Series consoles have already sold.
I can get a used white Wii U for like 80€, often with at least 1 game.

the OG Xbox, which also sold fewer units, also is like maybe 100€ in decent condition.

a console needs to be really rare to become actually valuable.

Now I want to get a Wii U didn't realize they were that cheap

Wind waker hd is only available on that one

 

[LordCBH]

Sadly cnbc used VGChartz for that number:

They can't end this generation too soon because too many Gamepass users are on it. I can't see them making a new console in one year when the RAM situation is chaotic and they know that cross gen will be there for a long time.

This fuckery with the memory is going to be devastating for all 3 platforms. I'm not happy about it.

 

[LordCBH]

Now I want to get a Wii U didn't realize they were that cheap

Wind waker hd is only available on that one

They're also super easy to hack.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

I just wonder what the impact on the future console is going to be. Having a dead system going into the new launch is hardly a vote for confidence. I know the selling point of the next console is "open platform" but so is a PC and it can already play everything "Xbox." I really hope they can pull off the console experience and price to make it worthwhile. I am looking forward to some good news but my expectations keep dropping.

Honestly I just hope Valve nail it with Steam Machine because if it's between them and Microsoft for a PC/console hybrid, I'm going with Valve 10 out of 10 times no question.

This is BS speculation based on take twos estimates for gen9 consoles.

The 94m gen9 consoles figure from taketwo was as of November 2024 so subtracting September 2024 ps5 figures (65.5m) is missing 1-2 months of ps5 sales. If you add those ps5 sales in then you get Xbox selling <1m or even negative numbers in 2024.

Meaning either taketwo estimates are wrong, or, they are not estimating shipped but sell-through / installbase. Either way it can't be used as proof xbox sold 2m or less in 2024

Not irrefutably, no. But considering Series X & S were tracking with or below OG Xbox since 2024 launch-aligned by CY, it's not hard to figure they indeed sold ~ 2 million throughout 2025 in particular.

OG Xbox CY 2003 was 6.2 million, CY 2004 was 4.1 million, a drop of slightly more than 50% YoY (51.22% specifically). ~ 1.99 million is the absolute best Xbox would've sold this year, and that's not factoring in the console price increases or Game Pass increases, so very likely they are well below the 1.7 million figure VGChartz is claiming.

We're still dealing with a console that's nowhere close to 35 million even this late into the gen. It's demonstrably performed a lot worst than XBO and arguably is only ahead of OG Xbox launch-aligned because of PS5 & PS4 shortages during COVID lockdowns in 2021 & most of 2022.

If either system's supply (but particularly PS5) were at normal levels and improved during that period, Xbox Series sales would've began slowing down a lot sooner than they actually did.

This article is so crap that it's not even quoting the figures it's linking to correctly. The VGChartz article they link to is estimating 1.89m sold in 2025 by the end of October lol.

Not like 1.89 million the whole year is worth celebrating either, for a console that should've been hitting its peak year in sales or just had a very gradual roll-off from a peak last year.

Also it's VGChartz, so you can shave off 20% to get a more likely Xbox sales estimate right there.

wasn't there a rumour recently that they are ramping up production due to GTA6 next year?

Microsoft won't discontinue it. but it will increasingly be to Windows what the Deck is to Steam. an optional thing.

That rumor was related to Xbox devices in general, including peripherals, and did not specify what period the 4-million or whatever figure was for. That could cover 1 year, or 2 years as one example.

Most of that production is likely going towards the controllers.

 

[Pop]

Well Microsoft doesn't want you buying their consoles

 

[apocaliptic]

That's still to many

 

[xiskza]

 

[Unknown Soldier]

My bet: hey will just stop manufacturing them in 2026

The stock will slowly dissipate and at the end of 2026 they will just not be available to buy in most stores.

This way Xbox does not need to say anything and just let it die quietly with announcing anything

The rumors are that manufacturing ended in early 2025, so they have just been selling through remaining stock the rest of 2025 and the fact they still have some to send to stores suggests they were really overproducing them

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Sadly cnbc used VGChartz for that number:

MS has used them as well...

 

[ByWatterson]

Aaron Greenberg admitted VGChartz numbers are pretty good ackshully

 

[kruis]

The rumors are that manufacturing ended in early 2025, so they have just been selling through remaining stock the rest of 2025 and the fact they still have some to send to stores suggests they were really overproducing them

If the RAM crisis gets worse, MS might make more money selling the individual RAM chips inside of those unsold Xbox than by selling the actual consoles ...

 

[Unknown?]

wasn't there a rumour recently that they are ramping up production due to GTA6 next year?

Microsoft won't discontinue it. but it will increasingly be to Windows what the Deck is to Steam. an optional thing.

No, that's for total hardware, including accessories.

 

[Robb]

I'm confused. What are these numbers?

The Switch 2 has sold 10.32M as of September 30th - not so far this year?

Similarly, the Ps5 has sold 84.2 as of September 30th, so the 9.2M numbers is also not this year so far.

Xbox seems to be a VGcharts guess?

 

[SpokkX]

The rumors are that manufacturing ended in early 2025, so they have just been selling through remaining stock the rest of 2025 and the fact they still have some to send to stores suggests they were really overproducing them

oh really.. this cant be proven? the consoles dont have manyfacture dates?

 

[reinking]

Aaron Greenberg admitted VGChartz numbers are pretty good ackshully

I forgot about that...

 

[Metnut]

Wow those are almost as bad as Steamdeck numbers.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Aaron Greenberg admitted VGChartz numbers are pretty good ackshully

Because corporate marketing guys never lie, especially when you can't verify the numbers via some independent source.

He never admitted anything.

 

[ByWatterson]

Because corporate marketing guys never lie, especially when you can't verify the numbers via some independent source.

He never admitted anything.

Our boy A-Berg is the Most Honest Man in Gaming

 

[Pimpbaa]

They won't discontinue the series s/x in 2026. Not until their next "console" comes out (late 2027?). But I see 2026 the last year of support by most devs, most likely we will see a large drop off in 2027 and perhaps just major titles released.