Phil Spencer Thinks The Xbox Series S Will Outsell The Series X

I think Phil is right on the money. Early adopters and die-hard Xbox fans are going for the Series X.

Casuals just looking to play next-gen versions of [sports title], [competitive shooter], [YouTube streaming game of the season] are going to go for Series S.

Plus, there might be a bunch of people looking to use a Series S as a secondary console.

I think this is the first time i disagree with Phil.. People love physical media and they always want to have that option available to them.. I'm not buying that this is the last gen with physical media either

Certainly the current generation the base consoles continued to outsell the Pro and X but I'm not sure about a new generation as there's little to compare it to. It may well do as a secondary console but I feel they're banking on Gamepass to replace people's desire for physical media

He’s probably right, it’s the cheapest way to jump into ‘next gen’. The casual market might snap it up and with gamepass it’s a pretty good little machine.

I think Sony has gone the better route with a disc and digital version of the same console, the demand is there for true next gen consoles and it puts the S in a weird position I feel.

I think I made this same argument a while back.

A lot more casuals than hardcore gamers so it makes sense. Plus a great companion console for the price.

Isn't this obvious, most generations have proven that cheapest sells the best. PS4 outsold XB1, Wii outsold PS3 and 360, PS2 outsold GC and Xbox, PS1 outsold N64 and Dreamcast, etc. The list goes on, Wii U being a big exception against this.

I think by the end of this generation, the sales will go like:

Switch > Series S > PS5 digital edition > PS5 > Series X

@Kefka2589 do you think the S will take sales away from the X then? I think it’s an interesting question.

It’s really hard to predict how the series S will do. We’ve never seen a less powerful console launcher along side a more powerful counterpart before. So far we’ve seen a lot of promotion of the series X but no real advertising for the series S.

I would expect the series X to sell in the 20 to 40 million range whereas for series S would be in the 5 to 80 million. I don’t know whether it’s going to be viewed as basically the same but at a lower cost or inferior and to be avoided. It would depend on how it’s marketed and whether it works as intended.

I suspect the casual market won’t understand it and the series X will end up selling better. With most people buying online the won’t be the interaction with the shop worker who can explain a series S is basically the same but cheaper.

@Grumblevolcano I agree. People are drawn to the cheapest option, especially since it will play all the same games.

Gamestop is accepting xbox series s pre-orders with xbox all access right now. I just pre-ordered mine.

I have pre-ordered one of each, both for my house. I am strangely more excited about the S, I think due to being intrigued on how it will perform. That said if I could only buy one then it would be the X, I just want the best as my main experience.

@Kefka2589 aesthetically I think the X is the best looking of the lot but the S is compact and quite powerful for the money. I think a lot of PS5 owners could potentially pick up the S as a side console for a small amount of money instead of the more expensive X.

@Kefka2589 Happy to spread the news to my fellow Xbox gamers 😎

I think it will be the series x now and in the future. Don’t forget overtime the price of the series x will reduce through reduced manufacturing costs and competition.
I think instead of series s they should have gone disc less series x for £350.
But I understand they needed to try something different to Sony and also have a console in the Switch price range.
Anyway time will tell and you can still preorder series s in the U.K. but it is getting harder to do so.

@Kefka2589 yep same as me. The 24 month gamepass is free i do believe. It's a really great deal i think, plus with it being the cheaper of the two consoles, I went with same day shipping so I'll have it on release day. It was an extra $18 but I can live with that.

@Bmartin001 Fortnite, FIFA, and COD fans don’t care about that though and they make up a ton of players.

Probably about right alongside the digital ps5. I think casuals and gamers looking to buy both will likely take those options.

I've gone for ps5 digital and series x because I'm a bit of a resolution snob... :s

@Dezzy70

Edit "Sony forget the inevitable" was supposed to read "don't forget the inevitable"
Don't forget the inevitable bundles for the s though. 299 sounds great. 249 or big bundles sells itself.

And the advertising for x for now is because the causal mass market isn't the launch customer at all. The s market won't wake up to new consoles until next year.

If the marketing is right end the s is just an x for. 1080p screens for users that want better looking games than a ps4 or switch but doesn't care about df stop motion breakdowns.....s will win by far.

Of course it will. It is one of the least expensive consoles on the market. That is the reason that the Wii went on to be a money printer.

@Kefka2589 here here! 🍻

@NEStalgia
Some good points, let’s wait and see
Will be interesting to see how it goes over the years. I think marketing and general gaming public perception will be two big factors.

Hard to predict really, time will tell.

@Kefka2589 yep. I got the alert that they wouldn't be able to fulfill my order due to high demand 🙄