PS4 vs. Xbox One: Sony Posts 4 Million PlayStation 4 Units Sold In Q2, 29.3 Million Total Since 2013

The PS4 vs. Xbox One console war may just be about over. Sony announced 4 million PlayStation 4 units were sold in its second quarter of fiscal year 2015 as part of its earnings report released Thursday. That's a one million unit increase from the first quarter and brings the total sales of the PS4 since its release in 2013 to 29.3 million.

Unlike Microsoft, which released its first quarter earnings last week, Sony had no problems sharing its PS4 numbers. For fiscal year 2013, 7.5 million PS4 units were sold. Fiscal year 2014 saw 14.8 million units sold. In quarter 1 of 2015, 3 million PS4s were sold, followed by 4 million units sold in quarter two.

Sony's quarter two earnings report included a 16.5 percent sales increase compared to the second quarter of its fiscal year 2014. For the six months ending on September 30, Sony reported 360.7 billion Yen (close to $3 billion) in sales, with an operating income of 23.9 billion yen (roughly $197.7 million). Sony cited an increase in PS4 software sales for the bump in sales. PlayStation 3 software sales did decrease, but those losses were outweighed by the PS4 gains.

The PS4 was credited for helping make Sony profitable for the second quarter. Sony raised its fiscal year 2015 forecast of PS4 units sold to 17.5 million based on the recent price drop.

Gamers eager to know how many Xbox One units were sold during Microsoft's first quarter were disappointed to find nothing in its earnings report released last week. The only Xbox news was a 17 percent decrease in sales -- due to a drop in Xbox 360 console sales -- and Xbox Live active users growing to 39 million. Based on rough estimates, VentureBeat put a guess of 1.99 million Xbox One units sold in Microsoft's quarter one. It's estimated that 15 million Xbox One units have been sold since its 2013 launch.

The good news should continue for Sony based on the upcoming slate of PS4 exclusives that will be released in early 2016. "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End," "Street Fighter V" and "Ratchet & Clank" are all slated for spring 2016. Sony's Playstation VR is also expected to make a splash sometime next year.