Online retailing company Rakuten conducted a study that discovered the PlayStation 5 is the most in-demand Christmas gift this year. The company ranked the PlayStation 5 at the top of the list for Christmas gifts in the United States for 2022.
The newest console from Sony released in November 2020, and it was immediately difficult for fans to get their hands on a console. This was partially a condition of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting manufacturing and supply chains, making the available stock of consoles lower and harder to restock. When coupled with the high demand for the console, even big-name stores like Walmart were selling out of PlayStation 5 consoles immediately well into 2021. Although the supply chain issues have been improved and more stores are able to get PlayStation 5 consoles in stock, the consumer demand for the next-gen console is still through the roof.
Rakuten used Google Trends to research which items are the most searched for in each state in the US during the Christmas period. Their research revealed that the PlayStation 5 took the top spot, with it being the most searched-for item in thirteen states, including Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and Utah. The second-highest item was the Nintendo Switch, with it being the top item in ten states. This is no surprise, since there has been exceedingly high demand for the Switch as well. Third place breaks the gaming console pattern, however, with the iPad being the top item searched for in seven states, including Indiana, Hawaii, and West Virginia.
The next-gen Sony gaming console has been incredibly popular, so it's no surprise that it's topping the search lists in thirteen states. What is somewhat surprising is that the PlayStation's primary rival, Microsoft's Xbox Series X, was only in fifth place on the list. It was the top searched-for item in five states, which is significantly lower than the thirteen that the PlayStation 5 ranked in. The Xbox Series X had similar shortages as the PlayStation 5, but it seems that for whatever reason, the next-gen Xbox console has not been in as high demand as the PlayStation 5.
One of the reasons that the PlayStation 5 is in such high demand could be the amount of PlayStation exclusives that are seen as better than Xbox exclusives. With big titles like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War Ragnarok, The Last of Us, and Marvel's Spider-Man, it makes sense that consumers would want to get their hands on the PlayStation 5 in order to play these games at their best. Nintendo is also well known for having incredibly popular exclusives, which could explain it's top two spot on Rakuten's list. And while there will always be diehard fans for each console—and PC—it seems that the Playstation 5 is taking the trophy home this Christmas season.
Source: Rakuten