The monthly numbers from the NPD are in, breaking down the sales of hardware and software across the video game industry. Accompanying that data is an announcement from Microsoft declaring that the Xbox One outsold the PS4 in November.
"November set a new record for sales of Xbox One, and Xbox One was the best-selling console in the US and UK," said Xbox marketing corporate vice president Mike Nichols in a statement.
On the software front, this was a big month, with new launches generating 14 percent more sales than the same period last year. However, overall software sales were down 2 percent.
The top 10 best-selling games for the month are:
1. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, PC)
2. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
3. Super Smash Bros. (Wii U, 3DS)
4. Madden NFL 15 (360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3)
5. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire (3DS)
6. Far Cry 4 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
7. Pokemon Omega Ruby (3DS)
8. NBA 2K15 (PS4, 360, Xbox One, PS3, PC)
9. Assassin's Creed: Unity (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
10. Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One)
It's worth pointing out that platforms are listed in order of sales performance, so Xbox One had the edge on big titles like Advanced Warfare and Madden, while PS4 led with GTA, Far Cry 4, NBA 2K15, and AC: Unity.
Conspicuously absent from the list is Dragon Age: Inquisition, which released on November 18, but the competition for the month was clearly fierce.
Note: NPD covers retail sales in the United States only.
[[Correction: The article initially stated that this was the first time the Xbox One has outsold the PS4. We apologize for the error.]]
Our Take
This is good news for Microsoft, but the company was clearly (and aggressively) aiming for this distinction. This isn't meant to diminish the accomplishment, but considering the deep price cut and generous bundles, it would have been surprising (and damning) if Microsoft hadn't beaten Sony. Microsoft actively campaigned for this exact moment, and it paid off in the number of units sold. Does that necessarily amount to a huge financial gain? Maybe not on each console, but Microsoft definitely needed to get more Xbox Ones in the hands of gamers, and that's going to be a good strategy in the long run.