Gamers switch over to Nintendo

The Sony PlayStation 2 spawned a new era of gaming in 2000, with the Xbox following suit in 2001. 

Fast forward over 18 years and competition between the two brands is as fierce as ever. Rivalry between the two heated up again with the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2014. However, in 2006, a certain familiar face made a huge comeback and for the last two years, has impressively claimed the number one home console spot.

But now, it’s game on for Nintendo.

According to brand new insights from PriceSpy, the fully impartial price and product comparison site, for the last two years Nintendo has outplayed that of Sony and Microsoft when it comes to overall popularity:

• Nintendo Switch is currently the most popular console on PriceSpy (1 January 2019 to date), followed by the Sony PlayStation 4 Pro 1TB and Microsoft Xbox One S 1TB
• Nintendo now ranks overall most popular brand within the gaming shopping category on PriceSpy, followed by Sony and Microsoft (1 January 2019 to date)
• In 2018, Nintendo Switch also claimed the top spot as overall most popular console, followed by Sony PlayStation 4 Pro 1TB and Sony PlayStation 4 Slim 500GB

Most popular consoles (Source: PriceSpy)

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “Our data suggests consumers appear to be making the switch, increasingly searching for Nintendo over the other big gaming players.

“Whilst consumer interest appears to be up the up, historical pricing insights for the Nintendo Switch show the console’s actual price point has remained fairly static, varying by just $79 NZD between $469 NZD to $538 NZD.

“In comparison to the second and third most popular consoles, the historical pricing insights tell a different story. Both the Sony PlayStation 4 Pro 1TB and Microsoft Xbox One S 1TB have varied massively in price points, suggesting retailers are offering bigger discounts on these models to entice consumer in to make a purchase.”

Historical price insights for most popular consoles (Source: PriceSpy)

Liisa conctinues: “Looking at our popularity data, what’s particularly interesting is this price-drop tactic appears to have paid off for Microsoft, as our insights show that popularity for the Microsoft Xbox One S 1TB has increased significantly since the start of 2018, jumping from 856/108,000 (1 January 2018) to an impressive 40/108,000 today.

Popularity insights for most popular consoles (Source: PriceSpy)

Liisa concludes: “With the limelight shining bright on Nintendo at the moment, now may actually provide a good opportunity for PlayStation and Xbox fans to pick up a bargain console.

“Using a price comparison website or app such as PriceSpy allows consumers to keep a close eye on the price points of gaming consoles, so that can closely monitor what retailers are charging. For the latest pricing information, we suggest consumers download the app for free today. They can then set up a price alert that automatically sends through a push notification if the price of the console they are looking to buy drops.”

Download the PriceSpy app here.

[rns_reactions]