14 DAY TRIAL // The NPD Group, an analysis firm that offers data linked to the video game industry, is announcing that for the first time in a long period the Xbox One has managed to outsell the PlayStation 4 on the very important United States market for the month of October.
The company says that the total value of sales associated with both hardware and software has increased by 2 percent when compared to the same period of last year, which is a solid performance considering that interest in devices from both Microsoft and Sony is supposed to be declining.
The analysis company says that the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 have dropped a lot in sales, posting a decline of 66%, according to NeoGAF compiled data.
Microsoft is not offering any information about the actual number of home consoles it has delivered to gamers in the United States, but the fact that there's an increase of about 81 percent in its figures means that it has gone over the 300,000 mark.
The company claims that the positive momentum it has created in October will be sustained for the current month by the launch of Rise of the Tomb Raider, a timed exclusive, and the introduction of the New Xbox One Experience, which closely aligns the console with the wider Windows 10 ecosystem.
The PlayStation 4 is on second place regarding sales, but Sony is not saying how many consoles it has managed to move, taking the occasion to thank the player community and to emphasize that it leads worldwide sales.
Nintendo has not offered any information on the performance of either of the Wii U or the 3DS.
Halo 5: Guardians sells better than NBA 2K16
The NPD Group only tracks physical sales, and its figures show that sales for video game have gone down by about 3 percent when compared to last year.
Halo 5: Guardians only sold for a few days in October and is offered just on the Xbox One, but it has managed to generate some impressive numbers, showing how important Master Chief is for Microsoft in the long-term.
Second place was occupied by NBA 2K16, a basketball simulation that offers a lot of content, including a Spike Lee take on the story, while Assassin's Creed Syndicate has managed to take the last podium position, revealing that the franchise still has potential for Ubisoft.
The rest of the top ten includes Madden NFL 16 from EA Sports, WWE 2K16, FIFA 16 from EA Sports, Destiny: The Taken King from Bungie, Yoshi’s Wooly World for the Wii U, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection from Sony and Rock Band 4 from Harmonix.
In November, it's likely that the launches of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Star Wars Battlefront, which have long been linked to the PlayStation 4 by marketing, will make the Sony home console the leader once again.
Both current-gen console manufacturers are interested in making their platforms the best-selling ones in time for Christmas, which means more deals and bundles will be introduced in the coming weeks.