x oneWhen the Microsoft Xbox One was announced, it was priced at $499, a good $100 more than their rival, the Sony PlayStation 4. This meant that if gamers were still on the fence about either platform, they could end up leaning towards the cheaper PS4. After all not everyone wants or needs the Kinect, right?
As you might have heard, Microsoft has since removed the Kinect from the Xbox One bundle and is now selling the console at $399, putting it squarely in line with the PS4’s price. So with the drop in price, how is the Xbox One faring? While it might be too early to tell, GameStop has recently announced that they have started to see an increased amount of interest in the Xbox One ever since it had its price reduced.
Speaking during a post-earnings financial call, GameStop’s president, Tony Bartel, was quoted as saying, “I definitely think we’re already seeing in our stores with our reservation program as well as dialogue with PowerUp Rewards [members that] there’s a stronger demand as a result of the price drop. The good news for us is… we’ll sell a lot more units.”
An earlier report by the NPD Group revealed that in April, the PS4 outsold the Xbox One, but this was before the price cut of the Xbox One. Perhaps with the drop in price and assuming that other retailers are similarly experiencing an increased interest in the Xbox One, there is a chance that Microsoft could close the gap and maybe even overtake the PS4.