Xbox One X sales expectations have risen but catching up to PS4 seems out of reach

The Xbox One X went out on sale today and while initial sales predictions were fairly low, it looks like pre-order numbers and talk of demand outstripping launch supply has boosted forecasts. Two notable analysts have updated their 2017 sales predictions for the Xbox One X, bumping expectations up a considerable amount.

As reported by gamesindustry.biz, Michael Pachter has updated his Xbox One X 2017 sales forecast from 1 million consoles to 1.5 million. Beyond that, firm IHSMarkit has also raised its numbers. IHS previously expected Microsoft to sell 500,000 units before the year's end, but now, it is expecting around 900,000 sales.

At this level, Xbox One X would take up around 20 percent of Xbox One family console sales, which is fairly close to the PS4 Pro at launch. If Microsoft manages to exceed this, then IHS will consider the One X to be “a major launch success”.

It's not all sunshine and rainbows though, IHS reckons that in the long-term, the Xbox One X won't have a dramatic impact on market share between the PS4 and Xbox One. At this point, Sony's install base in Europe is so high, that it would be difficult for Microsoft to catch up this generation. By the end of 2017, Sony is expected to have 26 million PS4 consoles sold in Europe, whereas the Xbox One family is poised to sit closer to 8 million.

KitGuru Says: With the launch of the Xbox One X, Microsoft can proclaim itself as the provider of the most powerful console on the market. This sounds great on paper and in commercials but at this point, it might just not be enough to catch up to the PS4 before this generation comes to an end. Do you guys think the Xbox One X will be a success? Do you think it will do enough to close the sales gap? 

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