- It took one of the industry's slowest months, but in a rare occurrence the Xbox One (MSFT -0.6%) has bested the PlayStation 4 (SNE -0.7%) as July's best-selling game console in the U.S., according to NPD Group.
- Microsoft pointed to its June E3 showing as reason for its success, though the company also shuffled console prices around the Aug. 2 launch of its Xbox One S. A new Xbox One (launch version) is selling in some locations at $250, vs. the cheapest upcoming price for the Xbox One S at $299.
- “Following its release last week, the 2TB launch edition of Xbox One S [retailing at $399] sold out in the U.K. and is nearly sold out in the U.S.,” said Microsoft's Mike Nichols. “Later this month on Aug. 23, we will launch 500GB and 1TB options for Xbox One S at $299 and $349, respectively."
- The PlayStation 4 has almost always outsold the Xbox One month to month since the consoles were launched. Sony has shipped 43.5M PS4 consoles into the retail chain so far, and it expects to sell 20M of them in its 2016 fiscal year (which ends in March).