Microsoft has apparently weighed in on the PS4 vs Xbox One sales debate, telling Brazilian authorities that PS4 sold twice as many units as the Xbox One did. It’s almost unheard of for Microsoft to talk about video game hardware and software sales, but it looks like the company made a rare exception while arguing in defense of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Yes, this tidbit of information comes from the same court documents that have given us gems like Microsoft accusing Sony of “blocking” games from landing on Game Pass, and the company dismissing Sony’s concerns about potential Call of Duty exclusivity.
Microsoft’s statement on PS4 vs Xbox One sales
As spotted by GameLuster and later verified by Eurogamer, page 17/18 (paragraph 46) of the aforementioned court documents roughly translate to: “Sony has surpassed Microsoft in terms of console sales and installed base, having sold more than twice as many [as] Xbox [One consoles] in the last generation.” The company then goes on to claim that Sony historically has more of a loyal fan base than Microsoft does, and hence, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard or any future exclusivity deals are unlikely to sway PlayStation players towards Xbox consoles. But let’s go back to sales for a minute…
Sony is no longer reporting PS4 shipments which means the final total for the console is ~117.2 million as of March 2022. pic.twitter.com/hWHv7NZ6RL
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) August 10, 2022
When it comes to the PS4’s lifetime sales, Sony has settled for 117.2 million units sold. If we assume that Xbox One sold roughly half of this amount, that puts the entire Xbox One console family (including the One S and X) at 58.6 million units sold. That’s significantly less than the PS3’s lifetime sales of 87 million and the Xbox 360’s lifetime sales of 84 million. Ouch!
In other news, dataminers have found references to multiplayer in Spider-Man PC files, and PS Plus Premium users are upset over a lack of classics in the August 2022 lineup.
