Last year's announcements have made it pretty clear that 2019 was the final year for the current generation of consoles to stand on their own. This year will see the PS5 and Xbox Series X hit shelves, and a few factors are indicating it may be a lopsided competition between consoles, especially if Microsoft's finances from this year are any indication.

There have been several questions raised and speculations breached about the overall performance of the Xbox Series X, and while many of these have been answered, they have not exactly brought comfort to those looking to see which console to buy. The end of year numbers for Microsoft in its game department bring further uncertainty as to the future of its console line.

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The overall revenue for console sales showed a significant decrease this past holiday season for Microsoft and the Xbox One as compared to 2018's holiday season. This decrease extended to sales for games for the actual Xbox One as well, adding up to an overall decrease in sales. Phil Spencer seemed unshaken by the news, stating that Microsoft makes its real money from software, which includes subscription services as well as games. Subscriptions have seen an overall increase, even though the sale of games has not. This is not out of line with the reason a former Xbox VP for choosing the PS5 over the Xbox Series X as his console in the upcoming console generation.

xbox series x 2020

The most obvious reason behind this decrease is the fact that the Xbox Series X is right around the corner at this point, with the new consoles on their way at the end of the year. If a new console is about to come out, why buy the old one, especially when the new Xbox Series X is rumored to have full backward compatibility? This, combined with an uncertainty of all the places people will be able to stream games on the Xbox Series X from, has likely led to an expected drop in the console and game sales.

While the question of the Xbox's future remains up in the air, the success of the subscriptions services is beyond question. In fact, some of the drop of hard game copy sales can also be laid at the feat of features like Xbox Game Pass, which eliminate the need for individual, concrete game purchases, and there are many quality games on the Xbox Game Pass to choose from.

That said, the success of the Xbox Game Pass may ring hollow for many players for a few reasons. Not only is there a certain permanency and reliability in owning a physical copy of a game, there is also the issue that it seems more exclusives will release for the PS5 than the Xbox Series X at launch. Innovation is the lifeblood of the industry, and as successful as a streaming service is, it doesn't count for much if there's nothing to keep you on it.

The Xbox Series X will release during the holiday season of 2020.

MORE: Xbox Series X Will Benefit Greatly from Game Pass

Source: GameSpot