Xbox One vs PS4: Sony still leading for the eight consecutive month

The NPD results for August 2014 are in and there are very few surprises to talk about. Seeing as how there were few game releases last month, software sales were not exactly incredible and we’re actually looking at an 21% decrease compared to August 2013. On the other hand, PS4 and Xbox One consoles continued to sell very good, which resulted in a substantial increase of 116% in hardware sales compared to last year. Overall, gamers spent a total of $561.3 million on new hardware and software at retail in the U.S., an increase of 8% from last year’s $521.1 million. In the never ending Xbox One vs PS4 battle, Sony leads once again and the NPD results show that in August most games sold better on the PS4 than on the Xbox One. The only title that did better on the Xbox One was Call of Duty: Ghosts, but this is hardly surprising as the franchise has been traditionally associated with Microsoft.

All in all, the next-generation of consoles is selling 70% faster than their predecessors and both the PS4 and the Xbox One have contributed to the results. But which one of them sold the most units in August? Well, NPD doesn’t reveal specific figures when in comes to hardware sales, but Sony confirmed that the PS4 ranked number one for the eight consecutive month. However, Microsoft may not have been that far behind as analysts speculate that in August the PS4 sold around 175,000 units while the Xbox One managed about 150,000. This is not a huge difference all things considered, but it still counts in the grand scheme of things. Below you can find a breakdown from Sony along with a statement from Microsoft regarding the August PS4 and Xbox One sales.

“PlayStation 4 was #1 in hardware sales for the eighth consecutive month and remains the cumulative leader for next generation game consoles. PlayStation led the month for next generation software with Madden NFL 15 for PS4 taking the #1 spot for overall software sales. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition and Madden NFL 15 had their strongest sales on PS4 and were the biggest third party releases of the month. The Last of Us Remastered continues to have strong momentum on PS4; it was the top selling first-party title in August. For the third consecutive month, PlayStation was #1 in combined home console hardware sales (PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3).”

“Xbox One sales are on a positive trajectory, nearly doubling sales in August in the U.S. compared to July due in part to strong demand for the Xbox One Madden NFL 15 bundle. We’re looking forward to bringing the best value bundles, incredible offers like the ‘Buy a Console, Get a Game Free’ promotion running now, and more great games as we gear up for the launches of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2, Destiny, Grand Theft Auto V, and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.”

While there were few releases in August, software sales are certain to pick up again this month and the following one thanks to the many new titles being released during this period. The latest high profile game launched was Destiny and rumor has it that it’s already selling much better on the PS4. The fact that Bungie made a deal with Sony to release timed exclusive content for the console and a Destiny themed PS4 surely helped a lot with this.