A survey recently conducted by DealNews attributes Sony's success with the PlayStation 4 to “swing gamers”. The PlayStation 4 has been in the sales lead for some time now, with the Xbox One finally catching up, but it's no question that Sony has turned and captured the interest of many gamers prior to the start of the current console generation.
DealNews (by way of BGR) reports that out of a survey of 1,727 readers, 35% of gamers who owned both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 last generation now own a PlayStation 4. 23% of those gamers bought an Xbox One console instead. 27% of voters bought neither and the remaining 14% bought both (because they can and you should be jealous).
This news doesn't surprise me in the slightest as my personal preference for console makers has done a complete 180 this generation. I began last generation with an Xbox 360 (if you count before that, I also favored my Xbox) and ended with all three major consoles. At the onset of the current console generation, I saw myself favoring Sony considerably more than Microsoft. I attribute this to value, games, and business practices. Sony's E3 2013 conference didn't hurt either; I needed a cigarette after that one.
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The reasons for these “swing gamers” are no doubt diverse. The PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One have been in a resolution war since before they've both been available. Microsoft's Xbox One policies prior to launch upset many people and their odd requirement for Xbox Live Gold, which still has a heavy emphasis on dashboard ads, didn't win people over either.
With the PlayStation 4 sporting technically stronger hardware, an adoption of indie developers, and a subscription service that offers a lot of value, it's hard not to see why the console is still in the lead. But, like many things, this could change in time; this console generation has only just begun.
