Sony isn’t worried about Xbox Series X hype, says 'wait for PS5 sales'

(Image credit: Future)

For anyone who has been keeping on top of the Xbox Series X vs. PS5 so far, there is little question that the Xbox Series X is dominating the conversation and receiving the most praise, but according to Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki, the company is not worried.

In a recent investor call, Bloomberg reporter Takashi Mochizuki asked him about the seeming failure of Sony to keep up with the Xbox Series X marketing, and in response, he said, "I would wait for PS5 sales to make that judgment" (via The Verge).

Given the current discourse around the Xbox Series X and the PS5, it's a little surprising to hear a Sony executive take such a strong stance. That said, the PS4 is estimated to have outsold the Xbox One by more than a two to one margin, so it's easy to see where that confidence comes from. 

However, for those who remember the run-up to the Xbox One and PS4 launch, Microsoft had swagger coming into that generation after at least winning the mindshare battle in Xbox 360 versus PS3. Still, the sales story didn't work out so well for them.

Part of this is likely that Sony doesn't have the marketing budget for the PS5 that Microsoft has for Xbox Series X, but Sony hasn't even revealed some basic details regarding the console. So far, we've only seen the DualSense controller unveiling and some of the tech specs in a developer-focused presentation.

(Image credit: PS5)

The PS5 did have some bright news this week as it was part of the Unreal Engine 5 demo and Epic Games CEO, Tim Sweeney, highlighted the impressive SSD and data architecture of the PS5. But neither was really something Sony appeared to have coordinated.

Not revealing details is one thing, but Sony hasn't even told anyone when it will actually announce more info or show us the actual console. The latest rumors suggest it is coming in early to mid-June, meanwhile, Microsoft has created and kicked off an entire Xbox 20/20 monthly series surrounding the Xbox Series X.

Perhaps Sony knows what it's doing and it will manage to build interest in the PS5 to a crescendo as we get close to that holiday 2020 launch date.

Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.