Though Sony stood on the brink of a sixth successive NPD coup, the latest figures published by the retail analysts have revealed that it was Microsoft and Xbox One that topped the console sale charts in the US for the month of October.
While the group no longer releases specific platform numbers, Microsoft confirmed the console’s achievement via press release. Buoyed by such AAA releases as Gears of War Ultimate Edition, Forza Motorsport 6 and Halo 5: Guardians, the Xbox One’s strong holiday line-up has evidently had an impact on the standings, and Xbox marketing corporate VP Mike Nichols believes that the company’s software offering has paid dividends.
“The strength of the greatest games lineup in Xbox history drove record Xbox Live usage for October and made Xbox One the best-selling console in the U.S. with 81 percent growth compared to October 2014.”
This is despite Sony cutting the base price of the PlayStation 4 for the first time, aligning it with the entry level Xbox One at $349. However, it would seem that Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection couldn’t match up to Microsoft’s first-party offerings, which paints an interesting picture going into the crucial holiday season.
Overall, though, hardware sales didn’t notice a particular increase or decline. Highlighting the power of bundles, NPD reports that over 90% of console sales were sold in a package deal, with current-gen systems accounting for 60% of the total figures. That dovetails neatly with the notable drop off in last-gen consoles as NPD points to a 62% stoop.
Hardware dollar sales were flat from October 2014 to October 2015, with sales totaling $270.3MM. Console sales were up 3 per cent as portables declined 27 per cent due to difficult comparisons to October 2014 sales.
With exclusive content in Fallout 4 along with the launch of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Xbox One is poised to have another strong month in November, but can Microsoft’s console make it two on the trot for the first time?