重點資訊
September 2026 saw a challenging landscape for the United States console market, characterized by a 3% decline in total unit sales. Despite a robust selection of new game releases, the industry struggled as major manufacturers, including Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, implemented price increases for their hardware throughout the year.
Mat Piscatella of Circana reported that Xbox Series X|S sales plummeted by 27% year-over-year in September. This performance marks a new historic low for the month, surpassing the negative record established in 2025. By August, cumulative unit sales for the platform were already tracking 33% lower than the previous year.
Financial metrics for Xbox were heavily impacted by pricing adjustments. While unit sales dropped significantly, total consumer spending on Xbox hardware fell by only 2% because the average price per unit surged by 33% to 663 dollars. This average cost currently exceeds that of both the PS5 and the Nintendo Switch 2.
In contrast, Sony experienced a 22% increase in PS5 unit sales for September, leading to its highest monthly hardware market share by dollar value since May 2025. Meanwhile, the broader market saw total hardware spending rise by 12% to 362 million dollars, a trend Circana attributes to supply chain issues and rising RAM costs.
