Circana warns US console sales are in their worst state since the early 1980s
Circana says the US console hardware market is in its most precarious position since the early 1980s. Through August, Xbox unit sales were down 33% year over year and PlayStation unit sales were down 25%, with Xbox reaching an all-time low. Average selling prices have climbed to record highs, which Circana attributes largely to component shortages tied to AI data centers.
". Plain text. No markdown? Fine. Need ensure EXPANDED entirely original wording, never copying source phrasing. We used "component shortages tied to AI data centers" source says "component shortages caused by AI data centers" close but not exact? "tied to" okay. "price sensitivity is a serious issue" source "Price sensitivity is becoming a real problem" close but paraphrased. "Xbox unit sales fell 33% year over year" source "Xbox hardware unit sales are down 33% versus a year ago" okay. "PlayStation units dropped 25%" okay. "lowest point since 2013" source "lowest point since 2013" exact phrase? It's factual phrase, maybe okay but "never copying source phrasing" maybe avoid exact. Could say "PlayStation's weakest showing since 2013." Better. "record low" okay. "Average prices have reached unprecedented US levels" source "Both prices are at all-time US highs." Fine. "$529 for a new Xbox, up 26%, and $597 for a PlayStation, up 20%." factual. "Circana's Mat Piscatella links much of this