Sony's Playstation 4 was a big seller over the recently concluded Black Friday shopping blitz.
A recent study from a market research firm InfoScout revealed that Sony's latest home console was a big hit among millennial (18 to 35 yrs. old) consumers. According to the data, younger consumers flocked to Sony's system last Friday, capturing 48% of the market during the 24 hour period. Its closest rival, Microsoft's Xbox One managed 32% while Nintendo's Wii U managed just 19%.
On an average day, the battle between the Xbox One and PS4 is usually much closer, with Microsoft's system at 39% and Sony's slightly ahead at 40%. Nintendo's standing barely shifted at 20%.
Among older gamers (36 to 35 yrs. old) the market was more evenly split on Black Friday. Xbox One held a slight edge at 37% with the PlayStation trailing at 33%. Nintendo fared better with a 30% share, hinting at the company's bigger appeal among gamers from the 80's and 90's.
Infoscout's findings show that the PlayStation 4 was the best seller at Best Buy, shifting at least 150,000 systems based on receipt data gathered from cell phones.
One can infer from this report that Sony's strong exclusive marketing push helped boost the Playstation 4's image among the younger crowd. For the Holiday season, the company inked deals with big name video game franchises such as Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Star Wars Battlefront, in addition to their existing partnerships with games like Destiny, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Batman Arkham Knight.
This news will no doubt be a disappointment for Microsoft, who was banking on their highly touted Holiday exclusive lineup of Halo 5 Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Forza 5 to help close the gap on the Playstation.
