March 29, 2024

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The Xbox Has Recently Outsold The PlayStation In Japan Because It’s Still Nearly Impossible To Find A PlayStation 5

Recent sales data in Japan have shown that for the first time since 2014, the Xbox has outsold the PlayStation. However, this is hardly surprising considering that the PlayStation 5 is still incredibly hard to get a hold of here.

There’s also more going on here in terms of the sales data, as the Xbox in question that has sold better than the PlayStation is the Xbox Series S, at 6,120 units sold. The more typical Xbox Series X has only managed to sell 105 units, though again that’s down to reduced availability.

By contrast the disc version of the PlayStation 5 has sold 2,240 units and the digital edition only amassed 453 units. For reference, the OLED Switch sold 35,868 units in Japan.

What’s interesting here is that the Xbox Series S, of all the current generation consoles is the only one that is readily available in Japan. That means it’s hardly surprising that it has outsold the PlayStation 5, which is suffering from the parts shortage more than most.

After all, it’s not like the Xbox outsold the Switch, as that would have been significant in showing a cultural shift towards the Xbox.

In anycase, I’ve already written at length why Microsoft has continued to drop the ball with the Xbox in Japan, but this current situation is more a symptom of a broader supply chain issue than anything noteworthy.

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