Sony topped Microsoft again for U.S. current-generation hardware sales in August as its PlayStation 4 trumped the Xbox One for the fourth consecutive month. The company has outsold Microsoft for U.S. console sales each month of 2015, with the exception of April.
Sony also finished No. 1 for software sales in the U.S. last month.
“We continue to demonstrate our commitment to delivering the best content line-up with the launch of first-party exclusives like Until Dawn and third-party titles like Madden NFL 16, which sold more on PS4 than any other platform,” Sony Computer Entertainment America said in a statement.
Sony noted that it had the “most successful beta in PS4 history” with Call of Duty: Black Ops III.
Microsoft, meanwhile, said that Xbox One sales increased 26 percent from August 2014.
“With more of the greatest games lineup in Xbox history, support for Xbox 360 games, the New Xbox One Experience system update in November alongside Xbox One Backward Compatibility and award-winning Xbox Elite Wireless Controller to follow this holiday, we’re excited to further build on this momentum in the months to come,” Mike Nichols, VP of Xbox Marketing, said in a statement.
Neither company provided specific sales data; the NPD does not reveal exact numbers, either. The last count, based on earnings statements, was 34.4 million total combined PS4 and PS3 sales and 23.4 million combined Xbox One and Xbox 360 sales since the current generation consoles launched in November 2013.
Microsoft has priced the Kinect-less Xbox One at $349 since Jan. 16; the PS4 has sold at $399 since both consoles launched in November 2013.
Microsoft last month announced a new $499 Xbox One Elite Bundle on Monday, armed with top-tier specs for the competitive gaming-inclined. The console itself features a 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive, and the bundle also comes with the recently announced Xbox Elite Wireless Controller.
NPD noted that overall hardware sales dropped 2 percent from last year. Madden NFL 16 was the top-selling game during August and is the third-best selling franchise since NPD started tracking video game sales in 1995.
