In a new report scheduled to be released by the International Data Corporation, we have a new look at how each of the new consoles is scheduled to perform throughout 2016. According to the report, the PlayStation 4 will take the lead in sales with nearly 51 million consoles sold, while Microsoft will feel the pressure and release an Xbox One SKU without the Kinect. According to the research firm, this is the best way to bring price parity between the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
The presumed unbundling of Kinect and Xbox One, which should facilitate rough price parity between it and the PS4, should lead to a spike in Xbox One sales; assuming the console and sensor are unbundled in 2015, IDC expects Xbox One to recover and emerge with the largest installed base of any console in North America by the end of 2016.
As for the Wii U, IDC says it expects the console to receive a $50 price cut either in late 2014 or early 2015, which will bring the price down to just $250 here in the United States. Despite the price cut, IDC isn’t predicting the Wii U to make a dent in the install gap between the Wii U and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The full report hasn’t been released yet, but GamesIndustry.biz was given a preview of this information.