We’re heading into the final stretch of a bitter contest that has divided many Americans into one of two camps.
No, we’re not talking about the presidential election. We’re talking about the looming head-to-head holiday sales battle between the upcoming Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Each is set to hit store shelves for roughly $500 apiece in the second week of November.
And overall, it appears that Sony has retained an edge over Microsoft in terms of gamers’ excitement about each of the upcoming consoles. The results of CivicScience’s September survey almost exactly matched the results of its January survey among those who say they play video games.
And while excitement among gamers doesn’t necessarily translate directly into sales, it appears the PlayStation 5 has a slim edge over the new Xbox in likelihood to be purchased this holiday season as well. Each console is operating within about 15% of the U.S. population that’s either likely to purchase or isn’t sure yet.
Fighting For A Similar Demographic
There are strong similarities between those who are likely to buy a PlayStation 5 and those who are likely to buy an Xbox Series X. Both groups are predominantly male, and both have almost exactly the same age breakdown — which, incidentally, is substantially younger than the general population.
But, in a positive sign for Microsoft, Xbox intenders are higher-income than PlayStation intenders. Forty-five percent (45%) of those who are “very” or “somewhat” likely to buy an Xbox Series X this holiday season have a household income higher than $100,000, compared with 36% for PlayStation intenders.
The PlayStation versus Xbox race is also close among parents ages 18 to 54 — who may be one of the most influential demographics when it comes to actually buying video game consoles for the holidays.
Gamers, Tech Gurus Opt for the PS5
The PlayStation 5 appears to be the go-to console for those who follow trends in electronics and technology “very closely.” Still, the Xbox Series X performs better among this group than it does among the general population.
Judging from the breakdown of how often the intenders for each console play video games themselves, it would appear that gamers will buy more PlayStations for themselves, while non-gamers will buy more Xboxes for other people.
Overall, the PlayStation 5 is generating a bit more excitement among the video gaming community than the Xbox Series X. However, the Xbox’s strong showing among parents and higher-income Americans vaults it into contention in the impending Console Wars this holiday season.