If you snapped up a Black Friday deal, there’s a good chance it wasn’t an Xbox console. According to a new report from Circana, Microsoft’s top console was handily outside by just about everything else.
In the data shared by Mat Piscatella and The Game Business, UK gamers moved to Sony’s system in droves, with the system accounting for 62% of consoles sold, while the Nintendo Switch 2 followed behind with 23%. In the US, PS5 hit 47% of hardware sales, followed by 24% for the Switch 2 and 14% for the NEX Playground – a small Android console that offers Kinect-like motion gaming.
Did Microsoft expect any different?
Not only is Switch 2 the new hotness, but there were plenty of bundle options available with games and accessories. For a time, Amazon even dropped the price of the Mario Kart World bundle by $50.
The PS5, owing to its launch in 2020, saw even more discounts. Sony sold multiple models of its console at a $100 discount, and other retailers offered bundles for prospective buyers.
Over on the Xbox side of things, it was just like any other day. Microsoft’s consoles aren’t as readily available as their rivals’, and the fact that Xbox Series S and Series X consoles saw two price hikes this year alone has meant that the most expensive Series X model (the 2TB Galaxy Special Edition, which is the same as the 2020 model but with more storage) was more expensive than a discounted PS5 Pro over the Black Friday period.
If there was ever any doubt that Microsoft considers this console race run, then this was it. The company has begun to discuss the next console generation, but reports suggest it’ll be a very expensive system.
Did you pick up a new console over the Black Friday period, and if so, what was it? Let us know.
Last Updated On: Dec 8, 2025 12:14 pm CET