The NPD released its report on hardware and software sales for the games industry in November and believe it or not, the PlayStation 4 was found to be the top selling console. It also managed to achieve top sales on the software side, though practically none of its launch exclusives debuted in the top 10. The PlayStation 4 saw a highly successful launch in which over 1 million consoles were sold in the first 24 hours in North America on November 15th.
SCEA America CEO Jack Tretton stated that, “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.
“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.”
Meanwhile, the Xbox One – which went on sale worldwide on November 22nd – managed to ship 909,132 in just nine days. This, according to Microsoft, makes it the fastest selling console in the UK. The Xbox One “significantly outpaced the nearest competitor” with 101,000 consoles sold per day – though we think its the law of averages that gave it that record, since it was on sale for a shorter amount of time than the PS4.
Both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 accounted for $1.21 billion in total spending for hardware, games and accessories, with the Xbox 360 being the top-selling console among the current-generation at 674,000 units. Microsoft also stated that Xbox One consumers purchased 2.1 games for the platform on average, and that it sold nearly three times more than the Xbox 360 did during its launch.