Analyst tips Xbox One to win launch window next-gen sales race

Baird Research analyst Colin Sebastian has predicted that Xbox One will enjoy slightly higher launch window unit sales than its rival PS4.

Part of his reasoning is the fact that eBay listings for Xbox One are currently attracting mark-ups in the region of 60 per cent, while PS4 mark-ups are hitting around 50 per cent.

"While many forecasts still give an edge to Sony/PS4 in North America sales, we continue to expect similar or even slightly higher sales of Xbox One by the end of the launch window," he told investors, as reported by Games Industry.

He adds that between them the pair could shift up to 6m consoles this year, with each selling 1.5m-2m units in North America and 2.5,-3m units worldwide.

Sell-outs, he believes, are inevitable.

"Retailers in our checks indicate there is consumer demand well in excess of supply, as evidenced by fast sell-outs of incremental unit allotments, such as at GameStop," he added.

"Looking further ahead, we still believe a more accurate gauge of new cycle demand should be made after the initial sales window, dominated by core gamer fans."