Microsoft Xbox One Vs. Sony PS4: How PlayStation has taken early lead

In the head-to-head battle of the world’s top gaming consoles, Sony’s PlayStation 4 has taken an early lead on Microsoft’s Xbox One, selling a million-plus consoles more than its arch-rival’s.

Sony has announced today at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show that its PlayStation 4 has now sold more than 4.2 million units worldwide as of December 28, 2013. This is well above the 3 million Xbox One units Microsoft sold to consumers by the end of 2013.

Is the lead decisive? Gamers and market enthusiasts think Sony’s early lead may translate into an overall victory in the fierce battle for our gaming rooms although Microsoft may not put down its arms so easily.

Together, there are now more than 7 million combined next-generation gaming systems on the market, within a span of less than two months.

Sony earlier said it sold more than 1 million PS4 units during its first 24 hours on the market, while Microsoft announced that it hit the 1-million-mark in less than a day, beating PS4 on Day 1 numbers.

On December 3, 2013, Sony announced that 2.1 million PS4s had been sold since the November 15 launch. Microsoft followed that up on December 11, 2013, announcing that the Xbox One sold 2 million units in its first 18 days on the market. Sony seemed to have a slight lead (100,000 units) as of then.

Now, with both announcing their 2013 numbers, Sony seems to have a lead but we must also remember that the PS4 was launched about a week earlier – but that doesn’t give any leeway for the 1.2 million less Xbox One units sold by Microsoft.

Gamers believe it isn’t just the Dh367 ($100) difference between the price of the two that is responsible for the PS4’s early win. The Xbox One was launched on November 22, about a week after rival Sony PS4’s launch. While the Xbox One is priced at $499.99 (and includes the Xbox One console, the Kinect sensor, the Xbox One wireless controller and the Xbox One chat headset), Sony stole a march by pricing its PS4 at $399.99 (all inclusive).

 “Thank you for an epic 2013,” Microsoft said on its Xbox blog to its users.

Sony on other hand said in a media statement that cumulative sales of the PS4 reached 4.2 million as of December 28, 2013, demonstrating the explosive growth of the PS4 platform.

“The momentum of the PS4 system keeps getting stronger and we couldn’t be more thrilled gamers worldwide are enjoying the incredibly immersive gaming experiences along with deep social capabilities and entertainment provided by our network ,” said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

“After a remarkable launch, we look forward to bringing even more exciting content and continuing to explore the power of the PS4 system by adding new features and services, including PlayStation Now, in 2014.”

So, is the war decisively over? Far from it.

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