Sony’s back on top.
The PlayStation 4 outsold Microsoft’s Xbox One during May in the U.S., according to new numbers from NPD. Sony also finished No. 1 for U.S. software sales.
“PS4 continues to be the cumulative sales leader in the U.S. and globally with more than 20 million consoles already in the market,” Sony Computer Entertainment America said in a statement. “We are truly humbled by this success and we look forward to sharing what’s next for PS4 at our E3 press conference on June 15.”
Microsoft outpaced Sony for next-generation U.S. console sales in April. The two companies have gone back-and-forth for the past several months. Sony outsold Microsoft for the first ten months of 2014; Microsoft finished No. 1 for the following November and December; and Sony took the lead again in January, February, and March of this year.
Sony reported in March that it had sold 20.2 million units since the PS4 went on sale less than two years ago, making the game console the company’s fastest-selling video game console ever.
Microsoft has priced the Kinect-less Xbox One at $349 since Jan. 16; the PS4 has sold at $399 since launch in November 2013.
Microsoft earlier this week announced an updated Xbox One with 1TB of storage and an updated controller with built-in headphone jack. Microsoft’s new 1TB Xbox One, without Kinect, will be available for $399, while the existing 500GB console will permanently drop to $349.
Microsoft originally sold the Xbox One for $499 at launch. It slashed the price a few times since then, and the company’s most recent quarterly earnings report reflected those cuts as revenues from Xbox One and Xbox 360 were down 24 percent from April 2014 to April 2015.
Expect some more announcements for Microsoft when E3 starts on June 16. E3, or the Electronic Entertainment Expo, takes place in Los Angeles and is packed with announcements about new games and accessories.
“I can’t wait to share the passion of our game creators, demonstrate how Xbox One continues to evolve, and provide a closer look at gaming across devices,” wrote Xbox boss Phil Spencer. “I believe this year we have the greatest games lineup in Xbox console history, led by Halo 5: Guardians and blockbuster titles like Forza Motorsport 6 and Rise of the Tomb Raider.”
Microsoft also today announced a partnership with Oculus to bring more games to the new Rift virtual reality headset that Oculus will debut early next year.
NPD noted that overall U.S. sales across hardware, physical software (NPD doesn’t include digital games), and accessories declined by 13 percent from last year.