Since its release, Sony's PlayStation 4 has largely dominated the console market, continually revealing impressive sales figures that outstripped those of its closest competitor, Microsoft's Xbox One.
Now, however, it looks like there could be a reversal in fortune taking place as the companies release new slimmer versions of their consoles.
According to data obtained from GfK by MCV, following the release of the new Xbox One S, Xbox One sales rose 989 per cent week-on-week. In fact, in the week ending September 24, the Xbox One console had managed to secure a 71 per cent share of the hardware market for that week, which is a year-on-year increase of 76 percent.
Sales booster activated
This is a significant boon for Xbox since its new console has had to compete with Sony's PS4 Slim offering which thus far hasn't been performing nearly as well in terms of sales.
Last week, PlayStation 4 was looking at a market share of just 19 per cent, with its unit sales declining 66 percent year-on-year. Although week-on-week sales were still up 22 per cent for PlayStation 4, comparing the launch weeks of the PS4 Slim and the Xbox One S shows Microsoft's sales were 361 per cent better.
Of course, Sony might not be too worried about this since it's gearing up for the release of its more high-spec, more expensive PS4 Pro console in November, an entire year ahead of Microsoft's equivalent Project Scorpio console. It's likely many potential Slim owners are instead holding out for the Pro.
Blu-ray boon
Considering Sony has seen some kickback from consumers about the lack of the Ultra HD Blu-ray Player on its upcoming Pro console – a feature which is already available on the Xbox One S – it should perhaps be feeling slightly uncomfortable.
Xbox One S sales have no doubt been bolstered by some excellent bundle offerings, particularly those which included FIFA 17 and gave fans access to the game a week early thanks to EA Early Access membership trials.
Responding to the positive figures, Harvey Eagle, Marketing Director at Xbox UK, said that "it's great to see how popular both the Xbox One S and the FIFA 17 Xbox One S consoles are with fans."
Eagle pointed out that Microsoft's decision to support 4K UHD Blu-ray as well as 4K video streaming has been "extremely well received by gamers and critics" and that he believes "there is no better value right now for those looking to upgrade their console."
Only time will tell whether PlayStation fans are saving their pennies and holding out for the November release of the PS4 Pro console. No doubt Sony is hoping this is the case, though this sudden reversal still doesn't take away the fact that its PlayStation 4 console has sold more than 40 million units since its release in 2013 – a staggering number that it will take Microsoft a long time to overtake.
