Xbox might not have the biggest userbase this generation, with PlayStation 4 consoles outnumbering Xbox One units over two to one, but the customers are 'more hardcore' than competitors. That's what Aaron Greenberg, Senior Director for Global Product Marketing at Xbox, said in an interview with IGN Italia at Gamescom 2018.
I notice the same and identical thing on my friends list and the data we have available suggests exactly that. Hardcore players, those who prefer the best gaming experience, have always been on our side, from the first Xbox to Xbox 360 and now with the Xbox One X. Looking at the numbers and results of the competition, we have a smaller installed base, but the attach rate and sales data for many games are much higher on Xbox. This is due to the fact that our userbase is made up of more hardcore gamers, and we return to the previous point: it is our relationship with the community that puts us in this position. We are at Gamescom especially for our users and the Xbox Fan Fest and we do similar activities all over the world. Along with Phil Spencer we are always very attentive to this aspect, it is really important to spend time with our fans and we will continue to do so, it is part of our way of being.
Of course, Sony and Nintendo might very well beg to differ on this count.
In recent Xbox news, Phil Spencer admitted that for a long time at Microsoft the Xbox division was akin to the garage band which shouldn't play too loud. However, Xbox has now found a major sponsor in Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella, who decided to promote Spencer on the senior executive team a while ago. This is expected to allow for greater investment and we've already seen Microsoft bolstering its roster of first parties with five new studios at E3 2018, with more possibly to come.