The console wars have begun anew in 2020, with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X vying for hardware supremacy in an ongoing battle to win the hearts and minds of gamers.
The PlayStation 5 started things out strong in what is sure to be a war that rages for many years over the lifecycle of these gaming platforms.
Sony’s PlayStation 5 beat out its Microsoft developed rival to earn the record for the best launch month from a unit and dollar sales perspective in US history for a video game console.
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It’s important to note the “unit and dollar sales perspective’ aspect of that figure.
While the PlayStation 5 broke sales records, the number one selling video game console in terms of units moved for November 2020 was still the Nintendo Switch. The Switch has held onto this title for a record 24 months, giving it a full two years as the gaming industry’s undisputed king of the mountain.
So, while the PlayStation 5 made more money, Nintendo sold more consoles.
That’s not to say that the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S did not perform. While no records were set, Microsoft’s new consoles sold out everywhere immediately upon release.
We also saw a number of games release alongside these consoles. Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War managed to take the title for best-selling game in November 2020. It has already become the best selling game of 2020 year-to-date, which should come as no shock. It actually beat out Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for this title.
For 13 consecutive years, Call of Duty has been the best selling game of its launch month. The last time that it was beaten out was in 2007, when Guitar Hero 3 was able to unseat Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
The second biggest game of November was Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which released alongside the Xbox Series X and set a new record for the highest launch month sales of an Assassin’s Creed Game. It beat out 2012’s Assassin’s Creed 3 for that honor.
The number three game for November 2020 was Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which had the second biggest launch for a superhero game on a PlayStation platform, trailing behind Marvel’s Spider-Man.
So, there you have it. The next generation of gaming hardware has been released, and they are off to the races for the Holiday 2020 season.
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It’s interesting to note that, despite the popularity and excitement surrounding these new consoles, it was still the Nintendo Switch that moved the most units as the holiday season kicked into gear.