Xbox Series S Reportedly Best-Selling Console on Black Friday in the US - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 04 January 2022 / 8,588 Views
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X remain hard to find as the consoles quickly sell out whenever stock becomes available. It is the same for the recently released Nintendo Switch OLED Model.
It is a different story for the entry level next-generation consoles from Microsoft, the $299 Xbox Series S, which has been readily available at retailers and online stores.
A report from Adobe spotted by Insider says the Xbox Series S was the one of the best-selling items for Black Friday 2021 in the US. Adobe in the report measured "over one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites."
The PlayStation 5 is available for either $399 or $499 depending on if it comes with a disc-drive or not, while the Xbox Series X is priced at $499 and the Switch OLED Model is priced at $349.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Should probably mention that this is in the USA in the title.
In Germany and Switzerland we know Black Friday for about 5 years, not much longer. For a long time it was unknown or very extraordinary to celebrate, just like Halloween and Superbowl. That changed a bit in the last couple of years. But it's still not that big like in the US.
What seemed like a dumb design move initially has been proven as a smart option.
I think many people were always open to a cheaper option that plays the same games with lower resolutions. However, I became skeptical of Series S when I saw they reduced the RAM speed and size.
Thus far however, Series S has been a fine alternative to PS5 and Series X for many. I hope sales remain strong as well to encourage developers to properly optimize for the specs.
Very dumb indeed. Who in their right mind would suggest launching a cheaper updated XB1X with the newest tech for next gen? Sometimes you just get lucky...
Not sure if serious....?
Good call.
I was super early in suggesting that, for MS to get back in the game, especially hardware, that they should replace XB1X with a next gen option, with next gen tech, at a cheaper price than XB1X. Which would also mean XB1X would no longer be necessary.
Seems like it's working out fairly well so far, and I'm not surprised, beyond that the pandemic has made XBSS an even worthier product at this time.
Ah. Then yes, I 100% agree. Apparently Microsoft predicted (as happened in the PS360 era) that prices wouldn't drop quickly this gen. The motivation for the Series S was partly in anticipation of that, so they say. If so, it'll likely pay off handsomely for them.
Conversely, if prices DO fall fast this generation, it won't pay off nearly as well.
The chip shortage lends itself to thinking that we won't see much in the way of price drops until at least 2023, , if not longer, so it looks like Microsoft's bet is almost sure to pay off.
Considering how Series S is sitting on the shelves all the time and barely any units are moving, in a time where all other options are out of stock, the thing that's in stock pretty much automatically becomes number one in sales over that specific time frame.
Over where I live, a few months after it launched, the Series S price has already been discounted and it's been like that ever since. It has also never been out of stock.
Where do you live?
Europe. MSRP is €299. Even Microsoft themselves sell it at €275.99 currently in Germany, €287.96 in Poland: https://geizhals.eu/microsoft-xbox-series-s-512gb-weiss-a2378114.html
At most the Series S was out of stock at a specific store for a while but never generally. It's different for the Series X and the PS5s which are out of stock at trustworthy retailers all the time.
Doesn't take a genius to figure out that if Europe isn't keen on buying up all the Series S Xboxes, European retailers are ordering fewer and in turn more are sent to markets such as the US that have a higher Xbox brand engagement than Europe.
If 50,000 people want a Series X and another 30,000 people want a Series S and Microsoft can only ship 25,000 Series X units but 33,000 Series S units, Series S will sell better despite there being more demand for Series X.
Yes, Microsoft has done a better job of matching production to demand for the Series S than has been the case for the other current-gen consoles, so in some markets they are not too hard to find.
Yet in other markets they have been harder to find than you describe. In Canada, for example, the Series S is typically sold out on about half of the major electronics websites (Best Buy, EBGames, WalMart, the Source, Microsoftstore, Amazon, etc.) at any given time.
And even if more stores are starting to actually have them in stock more of the time, that doesn't mean they're not selling. All the stores near me have toilet paper, that doesn't mean toilet paper isn't selling.
Part of the reason you see XBSS selling quite decent in Canada is due to how much higher our prices are. It makes even more sense to get an XBSS in Canada than it would in the US or EU when it comes to affordability.
XBSS hits that PS4 launch sweet spot range in Canada. XBSX and PS5 prices are pushing the PS3 limit here.
I've been saying this since the XSS was revealed. This little machine was designed with the holidays in mind. You will see in a couple of years when it reaches the $199 price point.
the last few weeks best buys in san antonio texas has had the series S in stock, even at the end of the day on black friday.
They can still be the fastest selling without selling out
yes! wonder why they dont produce more of the series X?
I have an Xbox Series X and a Playstation 5 and a Switch and High-End PC that is vastly superior.
However... The one console I wanted was the Xbox Series S so I could set it up at work and get some Halo in.
The Series S is the smallest of the current-gen consoles. It's a lot smaller than the Series X, and a LOT smaller than the PS5, so perhaps he's space constrained. I am, and I'm glad I resisted the temptation to wait for Series X and instead got a Series S, for that very reason. And also for the fact that I've been enjoying current-gen gaming for about a year on the Series S, whereas I'd still be waiting if I'd insisted on a Series X or PS5!
Awesome!! I love my series S
It was the only sku not sold out
It's sold out at about half the sites when I look, so it depends on where you are. It's clearly the current-gen system where supply and demand are closest to each other, but there's also still definitely significant demand for it (and that demand is definitely further inflated by an inability to find other systems, no question).
I'll wait for NPD. At least going by Amazon, PS5 is # 9 for the month of Nov. XSS is #25.
It's just for the day of Black Friday. This report could be completely correct, and yet not agree with the November NPD.
True. I don't think any of the other consoles were in stock Fri. So, XSS could win BF day, but I highly doubt it will win BF week. Or Nov.
MS must be happy to hear that. It's an excellent console for kids and as a complementary system.
Since every shop has a series s available thats not surprising.
Series S is relatively easy to find in some markets, relatively hard to find still in others. I have never seen one in a physical store, and about half the online retailers are sold out in my country (Canada) whenever I check for Series S stock. So supply is definitely closer to demand with Series S, but it's not correct to say that "every shop has a series s [sic] available".
Nintendo and Sony must have had heavy shortages then. Under normal circumstances it would have been very unlikely this year. But congrats!
Tried to get a series X in time for Halo and Series S was the only system in stock.
If this is true then it just goes to show how may Series S consoles Microsoft made. It's the best selling console, so it sold more than the Switch, Switch Lite, Switch OLED (if the Switch is counted in this), Series X, PS5, and PS5 Digital. And it's still in stock at most places, while the rest are sold out.
So if this report is accurate and the Switch skus are included then just how many Series S consoles did Microsoft make?
This is not surprising, they even come up with a bundle right on time. For the rest of the world, the Switch probably dominated.
Didn't Gamestop mess up and sell the S for buy 1 and get one for 10 bucks?
The Series S is designed for these monsters sales. The flexibility in the price alone is huge. This is a very hard machine to undercut and out produce.
is it actually measuring sales or site visits? THat's different especially when it's the only console you could jsut look up and buy.
Does this include digital sales
So many triggered lol.
Yes and No, because half of them went to China
You're correct that it's the cheapest. And it's correct to say that you can usually find one. They're relatively easy to find in some markets, and a bit tougher in other markets. But despite the Series S clearly selling well, a determined purchaser will definitely find one as supply and demand are definitely closer to each other on this system than other current-gen consoles.
For sure. That's why the first current-gen bundle out is for Series S, and we'll see more bundles over time. Despite there being seemingly steady demand for Series S, supply and demand are closer to each other for it than for the other current-gen systems.
