Poll reveals PS4 is the preferred next-gen console

Reuters and Ipsos have conducted a poll of 1,297 US shoppers to see which of the two forthcoming next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony they preferred. The result? The PS4 has a clear lead.

With money still tight following the economic crisis, it’s not surprising to find a low percentage of consumers planning to be early adopters and purchasing a PS4 or Xbox One this year. However, 26 percent of those asked said they were probably going to buy a PS4. The Xbox One only managed 15 percent. The situation gets worse for Microsoft when considering just consumers under the age of 40. The same poll revealed 41 percent are going to opt for the PS4, where as only 27 percent want the Xbox One.

Of course, this is only a small subset of the consumer market, but it does reinforce the fact Sony has had a much easier time promoting its new console. That’s mainly because of the decisions and reversals on those decisions Microsoft has had to make in the last few months. Add to that the price difference of $100, and it’s not surprising that cash-strapped consumers are leaning more towards the cheaper machine that hasn’t been hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons.

With Sony aiming to get 5 million PS4s into homes by March next year, if these poll results hold true, Microsoft will have an installed user base of around 3.25 million over the same time period. That’s still a pretty healthy base, and certainly something Microsoft can build on for the rest of 2014.

How Microsoft can close the gap to Sony, though, will ultimately come down to price and game exclusives. A well timed Halo andGears of War release, for example, matching the PS4 on price as soon as possible, and proving why gamers really need a Kinect, are all things Microsoft has to do as soon as possible.