Microsoft hasn't been sharing specific sales figures for the Xbox One, but new estimates stemming from comments made by publisher Electronic Arts could give us an idea of the number of units sold.
During EA's recent financial call, the game publisher revealed what it estimated to be combined sales of both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. "Our estimate is 55 million units out there, which has exceeded virtually everyone's forecast this year," said EA CFO Blake Jorgensen, "and is now almost 50 percent higher than the previous console cycle."
On the surface, it doesn't say much, other than both consoles are performing incredibly well. Digging a little deeper into past reports, however, reveal a major discrepincy in the number of PS4 consoles sold vs Xbox One consoles.
In early January Sony announced it had sold more than 35.9 million PS4s, including 5.7 during the holiday season. Using some math, and assuming EA's numbers are correct (or at least close to correct), it can be estimated that the Xbox One has sold around 19 million units.
Again, it's not 100 percent accurate or confirmed; but, it is almost in line with the number estimated by Microsoft analyst Mary J Foley earlier this month. Using the number of Windows activations, Foley estimated Xbox One sales to be "at least" 18 million.
Assuming either of these estimates are correct, that would mean Sony's PlayStation 4 is outselling Microsoft's Xbox One at a rate of almost 2-to-1. That could explain why Microsoft has been so shy in revealing specific sales figures and instead focusing on more vague (yet positive) metrics like a 30 percent increase in monthly active users on Xbox LIVE.
Xbox One's apparent struggles aren't too shocking, given its rough start, but I figured a strong 2015 holiday season, aided by incredible bundles and impressive exclusives, would close the gap. Despite record-breaking sales, PS4 still managed to top Xbox One during the months of November and December. And just think, that was without any true blockbuster exclusives from Sony.
With Uncharted 4: A Thieve's End, Street Fighter V, No Man's Sky, and more on the horizon for Sony, things may start to get real ugly for Microsoft and its Xbox One if it doesn't turn things around quickly. To Microsoft's credit though, the company has been making major improvements to the Xbox One, recently implementing backward compatibility. Not only are you now able to play certain Xbox 360 games on Xbox One, but it's free; unlike Sony which charges anywhere from $9.99 to $14.99 to play PlayStation classics on the PS4. So there is some hope for Xbox One, as the company — after some bad decisions early on — appears to be back on track, in terms of catering to fans' wishes.
