Analyst firm S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan believes that the dominant player in the next-generation game console market will still be Sony. Experts predict that by the end of 2030, PS6 sales will overtake the new Xbox code-named "Project Helix".
According to predictions, PS6 may be launched in 2028. Sales are expected to be approximately 4 million units in the first year of launch, with cumulative sales reaching 17.2 million units by 2030; sales expectations for the new Xbox are much more conservative. Analysts expect Project Helix’s initial sales to be about 2 million units, and this number will only grow to 7.3 million units by 2030.
S&P experts pointed out that the current console market is going through difficult times. High hardware prices, rising component costs, and a lack of large-scale game titles continue to affect market demand. However, analysts stressed that this is only a preliminary forecast. The future of Xbox depends largely on Microsoft's strategy, as the company becomes increasingly aggressive in developing an ecosystem that blends consoles and PCs. If Project Helix becomes more of a general-purpose gaming platform with PC elements than a traditional console, traditional sales statistics may no longer apply.
Experts also believe that the final competitive landscape will not only depend on the performance specifications of new devices, but also on the decisions of various manufacturers, and they have not yet officially announced plans for the next generation of consoles.