Microsoft stopped reporting monthly updates on Xbox One hardware sales last October, a move widely taken as a sign that the tech titan had given up on competing with the PlayStation 4 to become the generation’s “dominant” console. Thanks to publisher Electronic Arts, we now know why.
In a recent financial call, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen disclosed some information about the modern console install base, revealing the combined number of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles sold worldwide.
“Our estimate is 55 million units out there which has exceeded virtually everyone’s forecast for the year and now almost 50 per cent higher than previous console cycle so, all of that is very-very positive,” said Jorgenson. “All the gameplay we’re seeing and the engagement and things like Ultimate Team we’re seeing is positive.”
As Eurogamer pointed out, Sony most recently reported that 35.9 million PlayStation 4 consoles have been sold as of January, 2016. With those two numbers, we can infer that Microsoft has sold just over 19 million Xbox Ones since launch.
While that sales number does look small compared to PlayStation 4, Microsoft would ask you to keep in mind that the number greatly exceeds the number of Xbox 360 consoles at the same point its life cycle. Still, the difference between the two would certainly explain why Microsoft has started distributing statistics related to user engagement, rather than hardware sales.
Meanwhile, Microsoft reported its quarterly earnings for the final months of 2015; while revenue from video games increased by five percent, hardware revenue fell nine percent. Microsoft attributed the decline to a steep drop in Xbox 360 sales, though Xbox One revenue also decreased. Microsoft said that holiday bundles and December price drop were responsible for the Xbox One’s “slight” revenue shortfall.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.