World map of PS5 and XBSX demand shows Sony coming out on top worldwide

Cal Jeffrey

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A heated battle: I find it interesting to follow the prognosticators leading up to a high profile competitive console launch. Who is going to win the next-generation console war? It much depends on whom you ask, but one British search firm believes it will be the PS5 and shows a landslide in its world map graphic.

Internet search analysts at UK-based Rise at Seven have tallied Google search results and concluded that Sony would retain its title of Console King in an overwhelming landslide. The firm broke down search results of the two consoles to determine consumer demand on a per-country basis. Its report found that demand for the PlayStation 5 dwarfed consumer interest in the Xbox Series X.

Those findings are however in stark contrast to US search firm The Hoth, which concluded earlier this month that XBSX sales would outshine PS5 by a 2:1 margin.

According to Rise's study, Sony tipped demand in its favor in 148 of the 161 nations surveyed—a 148-13 victory. Part of this wide margin of preference could be marked down to brand loyalty. Rise at Seven notes that since the PlayStation launch in 1994, Sony has virtually cornered the home console market, owning a whopping 84 percent of the pie.

However, interest by country does not necessarily mean Sony will ship more units. Setting aside the inherent uncertainties of predicting sales via internet search results for a moment, let's consider how the battle breaks down in a few key regions.

Interest in the PS5 is higher than the XBSX by roughly a 14-point margin in both the US and UK. However, Microsoft has a 10-percent lead in China. Even with a smaller margin, China still has the potential to boost Xbox sales by nearly double the combined US/UK PS5 sales.

Of course, Sony has a near 100-percent advantage in another key gaming market, namely Japan. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that the PlayStation 5 is favored by 98.94 percent in its country of origin.

What do all these numbers really mean? As I have said before, it isn't easy to equate internet search queries to real-life sales. In my opinion, it is still anyone's game. However, if I had to make a bet, I'd go with what oddsmakers have to say because they put their money where their mouths are.

The most recent odds given by bookmakers for the most sales in the first month (in the UK) have the PS5 listed as the favorite at -350, with underdog XBSX being the long shot at +250.

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I already expected as much.

The Xbox SX may be technologically superior, but SONY at this point has better IP and a larger fanbase.

Thing is, over time, many people will probably end up with both systems anyway + whatever Nintendo offers.

"Console wars" are OVER.
 
Got ps5 pre-ordered and with new 6800x or 3070 I'm set. No really reason to get xbox, and I think I'll wait for switch pro.
 
I always loved "search analytic" data that were either bought by Sony or other corporations and where they asked like 5-10 people :D Really these type of posts are SO pointless that it is just cringe at this point.

They are just farming their Ego...
 
Winning in China is a not really something to get excited about. The government locked-down market means it takes forever to release new games, and it sounds like cracking-down on Grey-market consoles is going to cost more than they will earn.

https://venturebeat.com/2020/06/09/...d-tv-game-market-to-hit-2-15-billion-by-2024/

If you're not selling first-party consoles/accessories, and you are limited on output rate for new games, it's going to be hard to grow revenue. So yeah, take that China win with a huge dumpster full of salt.
 
I find it hilarious how the other search analyst thinks that X will beat PS 2:1. I mean, did the PS4 even beat the Xbox 2:1 this generation despite being immensely more popular. Whenever you come up with the methodology for a search, you gotta think and ask, is the result realistic representation of what we want to show?

Whereas the data here is quite deceiving. It don't matter if PS5 beat the XsX by 99-1 or 51-49, it shows one result. I hate these kind of data presentation, though they touched upon that on the article.

Personally, search results as a mean to gauge popularity is rubbish, they are mixing up correlation and causation. I mean, I definitely search Trump more than Biden, does that mean I am a Trump supporter? No (is moot, because I am not eligible to vote anyway).
 
I search for the PS5 a tonne, to get photos of how ridiculously huge and ugly it looks. Doesn't mean I'm gonna buy one. Search results don't remotely correlate to sales.
 
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