Microsoft knew that it would have to be aggressive this holiday season in order to give the Xbox One a fighting chance to take the top spot. Pulling no punches, Microsoft unbundled the Kinect, began indiscriminately slashing prices and released enough bundles to attract just about any gamer with even a passing interest in the new generation of consoles.
Now that one of the busiest shopping days of the year has come and gone, did Microsoft’s gamble pay off?
FROM EARLIER: This is how Microsoft thinks the Xbox One will finally catch up to the PS4
According to the latest data from market research firm InfoScout, it did indeed. Based on more than 180,000 receipts collected by InfoScout panelists, the Xbox One captured 53% of the console market share on Black Friday. The PlayStation 4 came in at 31% and the Xbox 360 snagged 9%.
It was complete domination for the Xbox brand. Microsoft’s console was the best selling gaming console at both Target and Walmart, two of the biggest retailers in the country. The Xbox One sale at Target for Cyber Monday sold out before we could even publish our post.
When asked if they purchased the console for their kids, over 66% of InfoScout panelists who bought an Xbox One said yes, while only 45% of PS4 buyers were planning to gift the console.
If Microsoft can maintain this momentum going into the holiday season, there might be a new leader in the console gaming market.
