Microsoft has reportedly has seen a strong finish to 2018 which may have a lot to do with the Xbox One X.
Lauded as the most powerful console currently available to buy on the market, Project Scorpio has proven a hit with fans.
The mid-generation refresh has been well-received by fans in North America and may have also helped Microsoft to a good November sales tally.
But it wasn’t just the tech giant who saw impressive numbers during in the penultimate month of the year, highlighting just how important 2019 could be in shaping the future.
According to a recent NPD report, the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch sold in large numbers in the United States during November 2018.
Each platform saw more than 1 million units sold, meaning that close to 4 million consoles were sold during that period.
And for a company that has lagged behind its rivals when it comes to sales, it certainly paints for a rosy picture for Xbox.
“PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch each sold more than 1.3m units in the US during November 2018, the first time any 3 Console platforms have sold more than 1m units in the same November,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella revealed.
In a follow-up message some days later, Piscatella also hinted that December might have been another good month, although this was left more as a prediction rather than based on solid fact.
Writing on December 22, Piscatella added: “Total speculation, and could very well be wrong (not even sure it could be checked) but today could perhaps be one of, if not the, biggest individual days for console hardware sales in US history.”
As mentioned above, the Xbox One X may have played a role in this uptick in sales for the end of 2018.
Piscatella earlier this year revealed that the Xbox One X has had a big effect on the fortunes of the Xbox One console.
“Xbox One sales show the highest growth of the three major hardware platforms in the U.S. this year, and the Xbox One X, in particular, has been performing phenomenally,” he reveals.
“year-over-year growth like this at this point in the cycle has never been seen before, driven by the launch of the Xbox One X and new content delivery efforts.
“It’s a mid-generation turnaround the market’s never seen before. This qualifies as phenomenal, even if not market leading.”
So it stands to reason that the Xbox One X has played a role in how well consoles sales have held up heading into the end of 2018.
But while things are ending on a positive note, many gamers are wondering what will be coming next.
There are rumours that an Xbox Two and PS5 could be announced next year, setting up the next console war.
Some analysts believe that 2020 will be the year that these new devices will land and will offer a noticeable upgrade in specs.
So there is a real possibility that the Xbox One X will be put in the shade by both its successor and Sony’s PS5.
Industry analyst Michael Pachter has backed both Sony and Microsoft to offer VR as part of their next console, among other impressive-sounding stats.
Speaking about the Xbox, Pachter told Gamingbolt: “So I think there will be a streaming device, like a $100 Xbox console that doesn’t run in 4K or 240 frames per second.
“And then I think there will be a more expensive $400 console that supports 4K, 240 FPS, virtual reality.”
And this week on the new Sony PlayStation consoles: “Whether Sony does it, I think they will probably have that 4K and 240 FPS device that’ll support PSVR.
“Whether they have a PlayStation Now device that is streaming only, I don’t know.
“Maybe there will be two each for PlayStation and Xbox, but I would be surprised if there were more than two, and I’m not sure whether Sony is committed to doing that.”
The battle between the next generation of consoles is coming and is likely to include some interesting new VR news, as well as killer features and games.