Analysts have reached a new low – oops, I mean a new tier of comparative analytics, utilizing social media as a new battleground to measure potential sales data, since they apparently couldn't afford to conduct a legitimate marketing survey with real people.
Anyway, Now Gamer spotted the sales data courtesy of Leadsift. They breakdown the numbers in an infographic that – despite being based on a shoddy metric in which to gauge the numbers – is pretty interesting nonetheless.
Based on the Twitter usage data (and yes, analysts have gone there) they estimate that sales could lead two-to-one in favor of Sony and the PS4, over Microsoft's Xbox One. This is based on the fact that more than 145,574 people tweeted about the Xbox One while more than 253,182 people tweeted about the PlayStation 4. Additionally, 7,601 people tweeted about intentions to buy a PlayStation 4 while only 4,333 tweeted about their intentions to buy an Xbox One.
That's some crazy insightful research data right there folks.
Of course, Now Gamer makes the same observation that anyone else with common sense would make: these comparative figures from Twitter certainly don't translate into hard data or accurate measures for real-world sales, but it's an interesting infographic nonetheless.
On the less disputable side of things, GameStop, Console Deals and a few others have all noted that the PlayStation 4 is outselling the Xbox One in pre-orders on an average of two-to-one. The pre-order data has consistently said as much ever since E3, which took place this past June.
A lot of the lead-in from the PlayStation 4 came at the hands of the revelation of Microsoft's DRM plans for the Xbox One, which were about as discomforting as a midnight cookie eating session at a maximum security prison, or a public cavity search at a Foxconn manufacturing plant.
The pre-order sales lead shortened between the PS4 and Xbox One after Microsoft did more policy flipping than Newt Gingrich flips wives.
As it stands, the PS4 still has a sizable margin of sales over the Xbox One in pre-orders alone and Microsoft's continued foot-shooting sessions hasn't helped them make up for any lost ground.
Gamers disgruntled at Microsoft's piss-poor marketing have suggested that the company shut up all their marketers, talking heads and executives, stop releasing terrible information that damages the Xbox brand and start focusing on promoting the good parts about the Xbox One (or at least the parts that aren't out-classed and out-shinned by a $1 brick).
There's still some time for Microsoft to gain some footing; otherwise it will reflect in a rather atrocious way on Microsoft, if their latest console gets outsold by the PS4 and manages to live up to the poor expectations from a Twitter-based research infographic. Now that would be more embarrassing than Dave Wilson's Houston, Texas mayoral win.
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