14 DAY TRIAL // The official data from the NPD Group shows that the PlayStation 4 from Sony has managed to sell more units than the Xbox One during the month of January on the United States market, but Microsoft is still aiming to spin the information to highlight the positive elements.
The company says that its platform has managed to deliver record sales in January and has generated more video game sales for each console than for any other platform.
Microsoft has not offered any clear information on how many Xbox One home consoles were moved to gamers or how many titles were delivered during January.
Xbox Live has also posted a 22 percent increase in terms of members and hours spent on the service.
Mike Nichols, the corporate vice president in charge of marketing for the Xbox One, says that the company is grateful for the support coming from gamers.
He adds, “With a special $349 price for Xbox One in the US and an unprecedented lineup of Xbox exclusives including Fable Legends, Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Forza Motorsport 6 plus a host of blockbuster third-party titles such as Battlefield Hardline, Evolve and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt all coming this year, 2015 is shaping up to be another amazing year for Xbox fans.”
Microsoft might be eager to spin bad news into good info, but it would be better served if it offered its fans some hard data.
Xbox One is aiming to boost sales with price cut
After a reduction in its price to 349 dollars (269 Euro) in the run-up to Christmas, the Microsoft home console has managed to gain first place in the United States NPD Group report for both November and December.
Microsoft then returned the device to its original price, but it seems that results were unfavorable so a new price cut was implemented.
Given the January sales numbers, it will be interesting to see whether the gap between the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 will narrow in the coming months.
Otherwise, Microsoft will need to take even stronger measures in order to boost sales for its platform.
Sony has suggested that it currently has no plans to take down the price of the PlayStation 4, but will boost services and game launches for the device.