PlayStation 4 was the top-selling console in US in November, according to figures from US industry tracker NPD Group.

According to a statement from SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton, PS4 outsold its rival Xbox One in the consoles' opening month on sale. The PS4 was released on November 15, one week before Xbox One which arrived Nov. 22.

Microsoft, however, extracts positives from another angle, claiming Xbox One to be the "fastest-selling console" in North America in November, averaging 101k units sold per day since its November 22 launch, according to Larry Hryb. But with the vast majority of units for both console having been sold within their first day on sale, (around 1 million according to prior announcements from both firms), and fewer days to divide these sales between than the PS4, this counts as little more than a simple mathematical spin.

Xbox One sales in North America in November totaled 909,132, says Microsoft citing NPD. Exact PS4 figures are yet to be confirmed, but Sony previously claimed around 1 million launch-day sales alone in the region.

"Xbox One was the second highest selling platform for the month, which marked the largest launch for a Microsoft console," noted NPD's Liam Callaghan.

Jack Tretton commented, "PlayStation 4 sales in North America and worldwide have been incredibly strong since launch, culminating in PS4 being recognized as the largest console launch in history.

"In North America alone, more than one million PS4 units were sold in only 24 hours and we're pleased NPD has reported that PS4 was the top selling next-gen platform for both hardware and software in November," added Tretton.

"We are humbled by the passion and excitement demonstrated by gamers for PS4. Demand continues to overwhelm supply, but we're working hard to get PS4 units into the hands of customers throughout the holiday season."

Nintendo highlights another successful month for its 3DS handheld, selling around 770,000 units of the Nintendo 3DS family pushing the lifetime total past 10 million to nearly 10.5 million units. But Wii U continues to suffer disappointing retail performance; Nintendo touts "more than 340 percent over sales in October" which still only puts the console at around 220,000 units sold.

Xbox 360 topped sales of last-gen consoles in the month, with roughly 647,000 units sold, says Hryb.

Hardware sales were up 58 per cent year-on-year, despite an overall software sales decline of 24 per cent, down to $1.085 billion from $1.434 billion in 2012. Total consumer spend in November was just under $1.9 billion. Vita sales went unmentioned.

"This is the fourth consecutive month for an increase in combined physical sales across hardware, software and accessories," said Callaghan. "Unlike the past three months where growth was driven by software, positive trends for both hardware and accessory sales drove on overall increase of 7%."

Sony has released a video celebrating its record-breaking PS4 launch:



Posted: Dec 13, 2013 12:04 am
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/442452/npd-ps4-tops-xbox-one-in-north-american-november-sales/