According to a report back in July, the PlayStation 4 held the lead as far as hardware sales were concerned but predicted that the Nintendo Switch would eventually steal the top spot in the fourth quarter of this year. That said, the Xbox One had demonstrated encouraging growth, with industry analyst Mat Piscatella commenting that it was "on pace to have the highest time-aligned annual growth rate for console unit sales since the Xbox 360 in 2010."
As we head into the final quarter of 2018, another line in the sand has been drawn which provides an indication of how well Microsoft's top-tier console, the Xbox One X, has fared. According to claims by UK retailer, Argos, the Xbox One variant has doubled the rate of growth year-on-year compared to Sony's offerings, with Fortnite having potentially influenced this increase. It also seems to have resulted in an uplift for peripherals, with year-on-year growth of headset, gaming chair, and controller sales boosted by 65%, 24%, and 20% respectively.
With respect to this performance, Argos Head of Buying, Nick Hill said that:
"It’s incredible to see how much Fortnite has influenced our customers and inspired a new generation of gamers. Demand for gaming laptops, controllers, gaming chairs and headsets has soared as customers look for ways to further enhance their gaming experience.
Based on previous gaming phenomena like Pokemon Go two years ago, we predict that Fortnite fever will peak this Christmas as more of our customers spend their free time immersing themselves in the game. The Nintendo Switch continues to be a big seller for us, with sales up nine per cent year-on-year, as it allows customers to play games like Fortnite on-the-go or plug it into a TV at home."
With just under three months to go before the holiday season and the end of the year will be upon us, it will be interesting to see exactly how well sales growth has done for each of the consoles in 2018 according to official sales figures.
Source: PlayStation Universe | Image via Xbox (YouTube)
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