Sony's PS4 Outsells Microsoft's Xbox One For Eight Months Straight

The Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) PlayStation 4 outsold the Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox One for the past eight months, according to market research company NPD Group's latest report, which was distributed this week. Sony's device has led the battle of the consoles for almost a year now, as Microsoft struggles to keep up.

“PlayStation 4 was No. 1 in hardware sales for the eighth consecutive month,” PlayStation's senior vice president of marketing, Guy Longworth, said. “And it remains the cumulative leader for new-generation game consoles.”

Both eighth-generation devices are nearing the one-year anniversary of their launches in November 2013.

Hardware, software and accessory sales increased by 8 percent in August 2014 over August 2013, following a pattern of previous months with an increase in hardware sales by eighth-generation consoles like the Xbox One and PS4.

Hardware sales doubled last month from August 2013, resulting from a more than 200 percent growth in console hardware sales with perpetual strong sales of current-generation hardware, including Nintendo's Wii U.

“Eighth generation hardware represented close to 70 percent of August 2014 hardware sales, which is the highest percentage share since the release of the Xbox One and PS4 back in November 2013. When lining up sales of PS4 and Xbox One after ten months on the market, the combined PS4 and Xbox One hardware sales are greater by over 70 percent compared to their predecessors.”

Software sales slipped 21 percent from August 2013, falling from $293.4 million last year to $231.6 million this year. Last month’s best-selling titles are listed below.

1. Madden NFL 15

2. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

3. Minecraft

4. The Last of Us

5. Call of Duty: Ghosts

6. Lego Marvel Super Heroes

7. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare

8. Watch Dogs

9. Battlefield 4

10. The Lego Movie Videogame

Despite Sony’s continued success, Microsoft is hopeful that its sales will improve this holiday season.

“Xbox One sales are on a positive trajectory, nearly doubling sales in August in the U.S. compared to July due in part to strong demand for the Xbox One ‘Madden NFL 15’ bundle. We’re looking forward to bringing the best value bundles, incredible offers like the ‘Buy a Console, Get a Game Free’ promotion running now, and more great games,” Microsoft, the Redmond, Washington-based company, said.