Microsoft’s Xbox One was the most popular video game console on Black Friday, according to a survey of early shoppers by shopping market research firm InfoScout.
The Xbox One video game console dominated the rankings at Walmart and Target, coming in No. 1 with a 31 percent share even though it had the highest purchase price at $499. These rankings may not hold up, but they’re they earliest indicator in a console war that will go on for years to come.
The news isn’t entirely bad for Sony as sales were evidently constrained by limited availability of its new PlayStation 4, which launched on Nov. 15, one week ahead of the Xbox One. But it does suggest that Microsoft succeeded in preparing its supply chain for a torrent of sales.
At No. 2 was Microsoft’s older Xbox 360 console, which had a 30 percent share. The Xbox 360 sold for $180 at Target and at a door-buster price of $99 at Walmart. Meanwhile, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 tied for third with a 15 percent share each. The PS3 sold for $149 at Walmart and $199 at Target while the PS4 sold for $399 at both chains.
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Nintendo’s Wii U console came in a distant fifth place with 6 percent market share. It sold for $299 at Walmart and $275 at Target while Nintendo’s older Wii console was sixth at 1 percent market share, selling for $99 at Walmart and $129 at Target.
Together, the Microsoft consoles had 61 percent of the market, and the next-generation consoles (the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) had a total of 46 percent of the market.
Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Ghosts was the No. 1 selling game by a large margin, based on the chart from InfoScout. Of those who bought a console, 85 percent said they plan to purchase two or more video games during the holiday period.
About 80 percent of consumers said they purchased their machine as a gift, but 10 percent admitted they would likely open it up before Christmas. The survey was based on about 83,000 shopping receipts from about 3,000 people on Black Friday, which was about double the normal shopping trips that InfoScout tracks in a day. InfoScout’s mobile apps, Receipt Hog and Shoparoo, incentivize 125,000 Americans to submit pictures of their everyday shopping trips. The company processes this information and comes up with analyses within 24 hours of purchases.
