PS4 vs. Xbox One: Why Hasn't Microsoft Reported Its Xbox One Sales Figures Lately?

We’re almost one year into the battle of the eighth-generation consoles, but as we approach the holiday season, we’re still not exactly sure where Microsoft’s sales stand for the Xbox One.

In early August, Sony (NYSE:SNE) confirmed that more than 10 million PlayStation 4 devices had sold globally, but last we heard, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) had sold 5 million Xbox One consoles to retailers like Best Buy and GameStop. That was in April.

When both devices launched last November, Microsoft and Sony were fairly open about the early success of their respective consoles. Both moved 1 million devices from shelves within 24 hours of launch, and both were selling better than their brand's previous-generation console.

While Sony continues to update fans on how well the console is selling, we haven’t heard from Microsoft during the past few months regarding Xbox One sales. Why?

The head of marketing for Xbox games, Aaron Greenberg, addressed the issue on Twitter when a fan asked why Microsoft’s sales figures were often missing from analytics firm NPD Group’s monthly reports.

In July, it was Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison who revealed that Sony’s PS4 had sold 9 million units.

"Hats off to Sony: they've had a great start. They have been in more countries and -- to date, at least -- at a lower price. We have announced a new Xbox One at a lower price. We go to 29 new countries starting in September,” Harrison told Edge magazine.

Will Sony outperform Microsoft this holiday season as well? There’s no way to know for sure, but with the availability of Microsoft’s $400 Kinect-less Xbox One, it may be more of a fair fight. Last year, Microsoft’s Xbox One was priced at $500 when it launched on Nov. 22, one week after the PS4 hit shelves for $400. In June, Microsoft launched the budget-friendly Xbox One for $100 less than its original price, though it didn’t include the Kinect.