We finally know how many Xbox One consoles Microsoft sold compared to PS4
We finally know how many Xbox One consoles Microsoft sold compared to PS4
PS4 outsold Xbox One by 'more than twice as many' units, new court papers reveal
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
🆕 New documents filed in Brazil have given us an idea of how many Xbox One consoles Microsoft has sold
😲 The PS4 sold more than twice as many Xbox One units, according to Microsoft
🤔 That means it’s likely that over 50 million Xbox One consoles were sold to date
We finally have a better idea of how many Xbox One consoles Microsoft sold compared to PS4 – and it turns out Sony had an unassailable lead last gen.
New court documents about Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard have been presented to the Brazilian competition authority, CADE, and include an admission from Microsoft that Sony won the last console generation handsomely.
Spotted by GameLuster and via the magic of Google Translate, on page 18, Microsoft says: “Sony has surpassed Microsoft in terms of console sales installed base, having sold more than twice as many Xbox [One units] in the last generation.”
The PS4 has sold 117.2 million units, so based on Microsoft’s statement, we can deduce that it’s sold around 50 million Xbox One consoles. That’s significantly less than the Xbox 360, which sold 85.8 million units during its lifespan, but more than the original Xbox, which sold 24 million units.
Ampere Analysis data predicted that Microsoft had sold 51 million Xbox One consoles in 2020, and judging by this new information, it appears that Ampere was spot on.
The fight isn’t over yet
Microsoft hasn’t shared console sales information since 2015 and focused on engagement as the new “key metric of success.” The company is more concerned about growing its Xbox Game Pass membership, up to 25 million members in January, and how many people are playing (a new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate family plan should help with that goal).
🆚 PS5 vs Xbox Series X: is there really a winner?
Sony revealed that PS5 sales had reached 21.7 million consoles, largely hampered by the fact retailers still can’t guarantee when the next PS5 restock will occur. However, Sony has said more PS5 stock will improve in time for the holidays.
Meanwhile, Microsoft said that the Xbox Series X|S continues to break records and has sold more consoles life-to-date than any previous system. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shared that the Xbox Series X|S outsold the PS5 for three straight quarters in its Q4 financial earnings results, with many predicting that Microsoft has sold over 15 million consoles.
Sony and Microsoft have been throwing all sorts of shade at each other over the Activision Blizzard acquisition recently. Thanks to the Brazilian government making its documents available to the public, we know that Sony really doesn’t want Microsoft to own Call of Duty, and Microsoft has accused the Japanese company of paying developers “blocking rights” to keep games off Xbox Game Pass.