For the first time, Xbox Series X/S sales surpassed PS5 sales in Europe. The reason for this is due to the fact that there are more Xbox consoles available in stores than Sony.
The North American giant’s strategy in the face of the component shortage crisis has thus been shown to be more effective than that of the Japanese competitor, which fell in European sales.
The war in Ukraine could accentuate the global chip crisis
The global component shortage crisis affected several areas, with the console market being one of the most visibly affected. There were several reports that demand significantly exceeded supply and there were even reports of empty shelves, due to manufacturers’ inability to replenish stock.
According to analysts, the situation that was also caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is now suffering a new blow with the war between Ukraine. All because this country supplies 40 to 45% of the neon gas, a fundamental raw material in the production of chips.
The immediate consequence is that the forecasts for overcoming the crisis in 2023 and beginning to show signs of improvement already this year, have now become more conservative with few analysts making predictions for the resolution of the situation. Once again, the console segment may be one of the markets where the crisis becomes more palpable and visible.
There are more Xbox S consoles on store shelves
Apropos of all these variables, GSD shared today that, for the first time in Europe, Microsoft’s latest console outsold its rival PS5.
This achievement is mainly due to the Xbox S model being more easily found on store shelves than the Sony competitor. Of course, the more affordable price has also contributed to the model’s sales success.
From this now revealed data, we realize that Microsoft’s strategy is proving to be more effective with regard to component shortages. So effective to the point of having surpassed PS5 sales in the European market, which should alert Sony.