Thanks to a strong showing at this year’s E3 and a significant price drop, Xbox One successfully outsold PlayStation 4 in July and may do it again in August.
Since releasing in 2013, Sony and Microsoft have been in a fierce battle to win the hearts and money of console gamers. Both companies have worked hard to promote their respective platforms and offer unique bonuses and exclusives that woo and interest gamers.For the most part, PlayStation 4 has come out ahead in this console war having sold about twice as many consoles worldwide compared to Xbox One. However, as has happened a few times in recent years, Xbox One was able to claim a single month in the ongoing console battle. That was the case last month, when Xbox One grabbed the top spot for console sales in the United States for the month.
Speaking with GamesBeat, Xbox’s marketing head, Mike Nichols, offered a few thoughts about Microsoft’s success last month, along with his excitement for how many people are playing on Xbox One:
We’re honored that Xbox One was the best-selling console in the U.S. in July, and that total gaming hours on Xbox consoles globally were up 18 percent over last year, reaching 1.55 billion hours.While the win is good for Xbox, it won’t do much to close the gap between Xbox One and PlayStation 4 sales. Traditionally, July and August are slow sales months for consoles, so although Microsoft outsold Sony, the numbers themselves likely weren’t extremely high.
As for how Microsoft was able to claim the top spot in console sales, there are two likely reasons. First, Microsoft dropped the price of the Xbox One again in preparation for the launch of the Xbox One S on August 4th. Couple that with the various additional discounts and offerings provided by retailers around the nation, it’s not surprising to see Xbox One do well during July. The other reason is Xbox’s strong showing at E3 this summer.
Considering how well the Xbox One S has been received so far by gamers, it’s likely Microsoft will also claim August in the console war. Nichols offered some thoughts about the console’s success so far:
Following its release last week, the 2TB launch edition of Xbox One S sold out in the U.K. and is nearly sold out in the U.S. Later this month on August 23, we will launch 500GB and 1TB options for Xbox One S at $299 and $349, respectively. We’re excited about all the fun gamers are having on Xbox One and all the new releases we’ll be bringing them this holiday.It’ll be interesting to see the results of console sales in August, as well as how Sony responds in the coming months. With holidays now on the horizon, both companies will likely start ramping up marketing for their respective hardware.
What do you think about Xbox One’s success in July?