Xbox One Finally Bests PS4 During Blockbuster November

Microsoft’s recent price reduction and assorted console bundles paid off for the month of November. According to the NPD Group’s data, Microsoft’s Xbox One passed Sony’s PlayStation 4 in console sales in the US and UK. 

"Response to the holiday lineup of games on Xbox One was incredible, with Xbox One fans buying more games in November in the U.S. than any other gen eight platform and enjoying over 357 million hours of gameplay globally," said Xbox corporate vice president of marketing Mike Nichols in a statement. "In fact, more fans logged into Xbox Live across Xbox One and Xbox 360, and enjoyed more entertainment, than any other month in the history of Xbox."

A record 1.2 million Xbox One units were sold in the U.S. last month, making it the first time this year that the Xbox One has pushed ahead of the PS4 in monthly sales and effectively ending a 10-month streak for Sony. But while NPD didn’t release sales numbers for the other consoles, it stated that total dollar sales from video game hardware in the U.S. declined 23 percent to just over $1 billion for the month of November.

“While the majority of the decrease in dollar sales of hardware stemmed from an expected drop of seventh generation console sales, eighth generation sales also decreased and represented 38 percent of the total declines in hardware sales from November 2013 to November 2014,” said NPD analyst Liam Callahan in a statement. “Despite a decline in dollar sales, hardware unit sales for eighth generation consoles increased by 3 percent over November 2013.”

Microsoft’s aggressive marketing strategy has paid off for the month of November, but it remains to be seen if that momentum will carry on into the month of December. Sony’s PlayStation 4 is still selling at its original price point of $400 and while there are no signs of an upcoming price drop, that could all change if Sony decides to be aggressive with the console's price. 

To date, the PS4 has sold over 13.5 million units shipped worldwide while over 10 million Xbox One consoles have been shipped. 

Do you think the Xbox One will outsell the PlayStation 4 in December as well? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

If you are debating whether or not to purchase the Xbox One, then check out our in-depth Xbox One review to help you decide.