Microsoft is happy. Since the launch of both consoles almost 3 years ago, Sony’s PS4 has topped the sales charts almost every month. However, in both July and August Xbox One took the lead.
Better times for Xbox One
Xbox One has lagged behind and Microsoft holds part of the blame. The box was positioned as part game console, part TV box and Microsoft insisted on including Kinect. Since these early missteps, Microsoft has made changes, dropped Kinect as standard equipment, and launched the Xbox One S.
In both July and August 2016, Xbox One has outsold PlayStation 4 in the US, according to NPD and Microsoft. The sales numbers were not announced. Xbox One S is included under the “Xbox One” umbrella. PlayStation 4 Pro will also be included under “PlayStation 4” once it arrives.
Xbox One S was launched in early August and surely contributed to sales during that month. In July, Microsoft outsold Sony with the old Xbox One.
In May 2016, Sony confirmed that it had sold “over 40 million” PlayStation 4 consoles. At the same time, it was estimated that Microsoft had sold around 20 million Xbox One consoles.
Microsoft is highlighting UHD Blu-ray
Microsoft is using the opportunity to remind everyone that Xbox One S is the only game console to feature UHD Blu-ray.
- “Thanks to our fans and their excitement for new Xbox One games and the recently launched Xbox One S — which is the only console available this holiday with built-in UHD 4K Blu-ray, 4K video streaming, and HDR for video and gaming — Xbox One was the best-selling console in the U.S. in August, according to NPD Group” said Mike Nichols, chief of Xbox marketing.
Many expected Sony to include a UHD Blu-ray in the new PlayStation 4 Pro but that did not happen.
Whether Microsoft can maintain the lead in the US depends a lot on how well the PlayStation 4 Pro is received. PS4 Pro will launch on November 10 this year. Microsoft will launch a more powerful Xbox One ”Scorpio” with support for 4K games in late 2017.
- Source: NPD, Microsoft
