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Microsoft's Xbox Ane X debuted in early November, to muted optimism and mildly positive reviews. The general summary was that the console admittedly had promise, but questions remained regarding how robustly it would back up 4K rendering or increased visual effects. Microsoft has been outsold by Sony more 2:1, and the company is looking for a way to opposite that trend. November sales reports suggest they may not have hit on a winning formula only yet.

According to the NPD Group, Sony shipped more PlayStation iv'south in November than it has ever shipped in whatsoever calendar month previously. NPD too reports that the PlayStation 4 (Run into it on Amazon) sold more units than any other console in the calendar month, finally claiming back some momentum from the Nintendo Switch.

Microsoft can claim a feather for its own cap: It collection more than spending than any other platform, likely cheers to its $500 toll tag on the Xbox One X (Run into it on Amazon). Xbox I too generated more sales in November than in any previous November to appointment. In short, sales accept been robust for both platforms. Beating their Nov totals from previous years is a significant win for both companies, even if Sony is taking domicile a bigger slice of the pie — plenty of people boot off Christmas shopping in this month.

global-hardware-year-over-year-comparison

Equally this nautical chart from VGChartz shows, Nov is 2d only to December for panel sales. Click to enlarge.

There are a few means Microsoft tin try to win back customers who have already bought into Sony'southward ecosystem. Given the Xbox One X has a UHD Blu-ray player and the PS4 Pro doesn't, MS can effort to market its machine as a useful media center tool to pick up other customers. It can push forward with PC/Xbox integration, with added support for concepts like app sharing beyond systems. There's no reason, after all, why the Xbox One X couldn't be treated similar a calculator — information technology is a computer. Microsoft can cut prices and offer attractive bundles, bringing itself into more direct cost competition with Sony. Or it can await.

Right now, the Xbox One 10 is quietly racking up wins in many games, with superior operation to the PlayStation 4 Pro. The difference isn't corking, and it doesn't win every game, but it does win a number of visual quality comparisons according to Eurogamer. Microsoft could be playing a longer game, hoping to hook gamers with its excellent backwards compatibility and the growth of 4K as an expected resolution. So far, Sony has relied on checkerboarding more than MS, and Microsoft could be hoping to plough that to its advantage. We'd love to see the sales split between PS4 and PS4 Pro, or Xbox One versus Xbox One X, but so far that data has not been forthcoming.

Sales comparison

Besides, if these figures are authentic, PC Gaming is a really, really tiny business. This information includes Steam data, which is typically thought to account for fourscore-ninety% of game spend. Admission to Blizzard data might nudge things upwards a bit… but not nearly enough to shut that gap. Image via DualShockers

Either way, the competition betwixt the two platforms remains intense. Total hardware spend in Nov rose by xix percent compared with 2016, while software sales ticked upwards 6 percent, at $5.4B. Star Wars Battlefront two wasn't about as much of a contributor to that increase as EA would've liked; lifetime sales projections for the franchise are now 12.5M copies (withal an insane number), only down 2.5M from the 14 meg target due to ongoing controversies with loot crates and microtransactions. We're merely torn to pieces over that.

Now read: The Best Cheap Games Enhanced for the Xbox One X