Provided global market research company NPD's figures are spot on, both Microsoft and Sony have cause for celebration today. According to the group's November figures, Microsoft's next-gen Xbox One is whizzing out of stores at a rate of over 100,000 sold each day. During the same month, a total of 909,132 consoles were sold alltogether in the U.S. Comparatively, in Sony's corner, the PlayStation 4 was the best selling console that month, surpassing the Xbox One. For those of you who've kept track of console launch numbers over the last few years, that would make the PS4 the largest console launch in history.
After NPD's data was released, Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, put out a press release, "PlayStation 4 sales in North America and worldwide have been incredibly strong since launch, culminating in PS4 being recognized as the largest console launch in history. In North America alone, more than one million PS4 units were sold in only 24 hours and we're pleased NPD has reported that PS4 was the top selling next gen platform for both hardware and software in November. We are humbled by the passion and excitement demonstrated by gamers for PS4. Demand continues to overwhelm supply, but we're working hard to get PS4 units into the hands of customers throughout the holiday season."
Sony also put together a video to celebrate the news, which you can check out below:
While Sony seems to have won the November battle for the consoles' debut, Microsoft should feel no shame about its standing. Here are a few of the company's November highlights for its new system according to Xbox.com:
- Total retail spend on Xbox platforms (including the consoles, games, and accessories) reached $1.21 billion, themost for any console in the U.S.
- Xbox One and Xbox 360 held five of the top 10 spots on the console game title list
- Xbox One sold nearly three times as many units compared to Xbox 360 in the U.S.
As Microsoft said yesterday, since it's worldwide November launch, the Xbox One has moved "over" 2 million consoles.
"We continue to be humbled and overwhelmed by the positive response from our fans," said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of strategy and marketing, Xbox. "We are thrilled to see sales of Xbox One on a record-setting pace, with over 2 million Xbox One consoles in homes around the world.
"Demand is exceeding supply in our 13 launch markets and Xbox One is sold out at most retailers. We're also particularly excited to see consumers engaging in a wide range of games and entertainment experiences on the platform, with more than 1 million paid transactions on Xbox Live to date."
Xbox One users have also unlocked 39 million Achievements, achieved 595 million in Gamerscore points, and spent over 83 million hours in games, TV, and apps on Xbox One since its November 22 launch.
We learned earlier this month that as of December 1, Sony sales were at 2.1 million consoles sold worldwide since the console first launched in North America on November 15, over a million of which came from the first 24 hours. Obviously, over 2 million and 2.1 million aren't comparable since "over" isn't exactly a specific term, but this is what the firm said according toGI.biz.
"The initial success of the PlayStation 4 bodes well for its future. The PlayStation 2 and Wii went on to be the best selling console systems ever. DFC Intelligence does not believe that the PlayStation 4 will surpass those systems but reiterates its forecast that the PS4 will be the number one system of this generation." It also noted that the PS4's early sales numbers are "the best start for any game console in history." Prior, the best record was held by Nintendo's Wii, which sold 1.6 million in its first two weeks.
At the time Sony had revealed its initial sales, Sony Computer Entertainment President and Group CEO Andrew House wrote on the PS Blog that the sales were "an impressive and record-setting accomplishment for our company and for our industry, and we couldn't have done it without you. I want to personally thank PlayStation fans, both old and new, for your vote of confidence. The best part: the PS4 journey has just begun. In addition to an incredible line-up of PS4 games from the best developers in the world, we will continue to introduce valuable new features and services to PS4 in the months and years ahead."
He continued, saying that the "PS4 delivered the best launch in PlayStation history," while claiming that "demand remains incredibly strong and continues to overwhelm the supply worldwide."
Going back to Microsoft territory, we also learned recently according to market research firm NPD Group, the Xbox One was the top selling console in the history of Australia. Close to 66,000 consoles were sold in the first three days of the worldwide launch, which is more than double the sales of the previous console record, Nintendo's Wii in 2006.
Combined with European sales, Sony had sold 700,000 PS4 consoles. The PS4 also managed to sell 250,000 in the U.K. in the first 48 hours, making it the fastest selling console in the U.K. according to MCV, outperforming the PSP record set back in 2006.