Xbox One may already be cementing its position as the best-selling console in the United States after consistently beating PlayStation 4 in the past four months. This is considered the longest Xbox One dominance in the history of the consoles' rivalry since they were both launched in November 2013.
Xbox One October Sales
The information is based on data gathered by The NPD Group and GfK Entertainment and was promptly shared by Microsoft. It found that in October, Xbox One outsold the PlayStation 4 not just in the United States but also in the United Kingdom and Australia.
"Thanks to the passion of Xbox fans worldwide and their continued excitement for Xbox One S, Xbox One was once again the best-selling console in October in the U.S., U.K. and Australia according to NPD Group and GfK Entertainment," Mike Nichols, Microsoft's corporate vice president said.
Platform-Exclusive Titles And Competitive Advantage
Microsoft also touted the inroads it is making on Xbox Live, which saw a 52 percent increase in multiplayer gamers compared with last year's figure. It also highlighted how games exclusive to the platform bested other titles and these include Gears of War 4, which is the number one platform-exclusive game in October and Forza Horizon 3, which emerged as the best-selling racing game for 2016.
Microsoft maintains that the number and quality of games available to Xbox One is driving the uptick in sales. It specifically credited Gears of War 4 and Battlefield 1 for the increase in multiplayer users. To help maintain this advantage, Microsoft has released the Xbox One bundles targeted for the holidays. These include Gears of War, Battlefield, Minecraft, and FIFA options.
Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4
There are those who are suggesting that Xbox One's winning streak could be halted by the release of the PlayStation 4 Pro last Nov. 10. However, one could turn to the sales performance of both consoles in September and October. Xbox One still prevailed despite the release of the PlayStation 4 Slim and the PlayStation VR during this period.
One can argue that the Xbox One S was also released in August and it must have countered the impact of the PlayStation 4 Slim. But it must be noted that this PlayStation version even got a price cut but it did not seem to have caused any dent on the Xbox One's sales performance.
More insights to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 rivalry will be available to the public once the full NPD Group report is released next week.
