PS4 Vs. Xbox One: Sony's Device Outsells Microsoft In March, 'Battlefield Hardline' Best-Selling Game

Sony’s PlayStation 4 has once again outsold Microsoft’s Xbox One, according to market research firm NPD’s latest sales results from March, which were released Thursday evening.

“We are truly honored PlayStation 4 is the top-selling console and No. 1 in software sales again according to NPD sales data for March 2015. PS4 remains the cumulative sales leader both globally and in the United States and we want to thank gamers worldwide for their ongoing support,” a Sony representative said in a statement.

Not only was the PS4 the top-selling console, but software for the device outsold software on any other platform. Two of the best-selling games in March were PlayStation 4 versions -- “Bloodborne” and “Battlefield Hardline.”

This is the 17th month of sales for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which both reached North America in November 2013. By early March, the Japanese multimedia conglomerate had sold 20.2 million PlayStation 4 units since the product launched. By contrast, Microsoft in December said it had shipped a total of 10 million units of Xbox One, which debuted one week after the PlayStation 4.

In January, the eighth-generation PlayStation 4 reached 18.5 million in unit sales. The gaming console hit that figure just days after the holiday shopping rush came to a close. Sony also announced it had reached 10.9 million subscribers to PlayStation Plus, up about 3 million from the end of October. PlayStation Plus is a subscription-based service that grants users access to exclusive content. It’s priced at $50 per year.

Sony’s PlayStation 4 continued to hold a big lead in the eighth-generation market. Its worldwide launch on Nov. 15, 2013, saw 1 million devices fly off shelves within 24 hours. More than 2.1 million PS4 consoles were sold worldwide by December 2013. Less than one month later, that figure had reached 4.2 million.

In February, a report by Strategy Analytics predicted that Sony would outsell Microsoft by a whopping 40 percent until 2018. That means the PlayStation 4 would be the leading console through the first five years of its availability.