“Xbox has lost the console wars” say Microsoft

thesixthaxis.com:

Microsoft, and indeed Sony, have played down the idea of  “console wars” many times, suggesting the concept was created by fans. The fact that Microsoft and Sony consoles always launch around the same time is just coincidence, console wars don’t exist.

Unless you’re Microsoft fighting a court case in which case console wars are totally a thing.

The latest round of legal wrangling in regards to Microsoft buying Activision has started in the US and this time its the FTC vs. Microsoft, as the FTC are trying to delay the buy out. “Xbox has lost the console wars,” reads a document submitted by Microsoft which then goes on to say that in every generation Microsoft has come third behind Sony and Nintendo.

“Xbox has lost the console wars, and its rivals are positioned to continue to dominate, including by leveraging exclusive content,” said Microsoft in its filing. “Xbox has consistently ranked third in consoles behind PlayStation and Nintendo.” It also says that currently, Xbox consoles make up 21% of the install base, the numbers for Sony and Nintendo are obscured.

It’s been clear for a while that PlayStation 5 has been outselling the Xbox Series X and S to the point where Microsoft stopped reporting hardware sales and now use “user engagement” statistics, but perhaps they are more relevant. Game Pass users don’t need a console to play games, you can use a PC or a TV linked to a Xbox controller, and the Game Pass install base is way ahead of Sony’s subscription offerings.

So given that it’s a bit odd that Microsoft are bringing up the console wars and focussing on hardware sales, something they have avoided for quite a few years.

The case is expected to run  until June 29th with District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley giving her