It’s been a little while since we’ve gotten any further numbers from the great console sales race of 2013, and now as CES kicks off, Microsoft has given us an update. In a blog post from Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Marketing, Strategy and Business, Xbox, the latest tallies have been revealed:
“Over 3 million Xbox One consoles were sold to consumers in 13 countries before the end of 2013. It’s been incredible to see Xbox One selling at a record-setting pace for Xbox, and we were honored to see Xbox One become the fastest-selling console in the U.S. during our launch month in November. Since our launch, demand for Xbox One has been strong, selling out throughout the holidays at most retailers worldwide. We are continuing to work hard to deliver additional consoles to retailers as fast as possible.”
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That’s 3 million sold worldwide in about 5-6 weeks of sales in 2013. Last we heard, Microsoft hit 2 million sales in early December. Just before those numbers were announced, Sony unveiled 2.1M in global PS4 sales, though we haven’t heard updated figures from them since. If Sony has numbers to top Microsoft’s 3 million in 2013, we’ll likely hear about it shortly as they attempt to steal the Xbox One’s thunder.
For now, we only have Microsoft’s data, and three million Xbox Ones sold in about six weeks after launch is undeniably impressive. As a reference, Microsoft shipped 1.5M Xbox 360s during that console’s launch in the last few weeks of 2005. This figure is easily double that, considering units shipped doesn’t necessarily equal units sold.
Microsoft also made a point of highlight brisk US sales in this announcement. Traditionally the Xbox outperforms Sony’s PlayStation in the US Market, but Sony pulls ahead worldwide, especially in Asia, for obvious reasons. If PS4 is ahead overall, they have the global market to thank.
I do expect we’ll hear Sony’s figures shortly now that Microsoft has made this announcement. If I had to guess, Sony may still have the edge in terms of total sales, but it won’t be by much, and Xbox does have an extra $100 on its price tag. If there have been more than six million next generation consoles sold this holiday season between the Xbox One and PS4, this was a winter without equal for Sony and Microsoft.
Mehdi ends his post saying how much he’s looking forward to 2014, listing anticipated games that will be out for the One like Destiny, Titanfall, Watch Dogs, The Division and more. With barely a handful of truly worthwhile next-gen games out on either system right now, 2014 will be the time when these new consoles go from hopeful Christmas presents to absolute must-haves.
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