Dismal Xbox Series X|S Console Sales Spark Gamer Hysteria But Is It Warranted?

The current console generation has been a difficult one for Microsoft’s Xbox gaming division, where plans for an anticipated handheld have been put on hold. While it has been known that the company wasn’t selling as many boxes as its chief rival PlayStation, there wasn’t any concrete information about how many Xbox Series consoles were in people’s homes. Now, thanks to known leaker, we have a better idea, and the numbers are uglier than many thought.

In a thread on the NeoFAG forums, AMD leaker KeplerL2 says that Xbox hasn’t even managed to reach the 30 million unit mark. They provided a breakdown of data that included AMD chip sales combined with sales figures of the PlayStation 5 and Steam Deck, which point to there being no more than 29 million Xbox Series consoles being sold. By comparison, the PS5 is estimated to have shifted roughly 75 million units.


While it’s surprising to see the Xbox struggle so badly with hardware sales, it put the company’s current strategy into sharper focus. Earlier this year it launched a new marketing campaign, “This Is an Xbox,” which goes out of its way to inform potential customers that they don’t really need dedicated hardware to enjoy the games it publishes. Additionally, it has leaned into being a third-party publisher, happily bringing its games to the PS5 where they have enjoyed strong sales.

Of course, this revelation caused lots of chatter, with many comments showing that the console wars are alive and well. One commenter posted “Holy f**k that's bad. Any idea if they're even running manufacturing lines for the Series consoles?” While another commenter chimed in with, “they've thrown in the towel 100%.”

The hysteria surrounding Xbox hardware sales is understandable, with a price increase that kicked in a few weeks back that will likely to slow down sales even more. Although this doesn’t mean the Xbox is going anywhere anytime soon. The company is still able to find success with its software, especially after moving its games to PS5 and the potential of a new customer base on the Switch 2.