Video Game Sales High, Both Sides Take Lead in Console War

Last Updated: January 17, 2014

xbox-one-vs-ps4

Whenever new consoles are released, a “war” of sorts begins, as fans insist that one console must win over the others. This often leads to interesting interpretations of data. The results are in for the video game and console sales in December, and both Microsoft and Sony have reported the data in such a way as to suggest the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 is in the lead, respectively.

Microsoft noted that the Xbox One was the highest-selling console in the United States during December, with 908,000 sales. Additionally, the Xbox 360 sold 643,000 units, which made it the highest-selling last-gen console and the third best-selling overall.

Sony, on the other hand, emphasized that the PlayStation 4 has sold over 4.2 million units overall, across the world. When it comes to cumulative sales, they are in the lead. Meanwhile, the Nintendo 3DS took the lead for 2013 hardware sales, and the Wii U sold more units in December than in any month so far.

The highest-selling games were Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4, although Grand Theft Auto V sold more copies in 2013 than any other game. Overall, video game sales for December were quite high—total game sales rose 2% from the previous year and hardware sales rose 28%.

With everyone giving the data their own spin, the most accurate view that can be taken from the sales is that the video game market is doing well, and all three of the major console companies have their own successes to celebrate.