Xbox One Vs. PS4: Microsoft Sells One Million Units In First 24 Hours, But Which System Will Prevail On Black Friday?

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) says it sold more than 1 million Xbox One gaming systems in the first 24 hours on Friday. The console hit shelves in 13 countries that day and was priced at $499 in the U.S.

The Redmond, Wash.-based company stated Sunday that the new console went on sale in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Ireland, Mexico, the UK, the U.S. and Australia. The corporation was forced to eliminate eight countries from its original sales list due to quality and production conflicts.

One week earlier, the Sony PS4 sold more than 1 million units on Nov. 15. The next-gen console launched at $399 in North America and is still currently sold out at places like GameStop and Wal-Mart.

Once inventory is replenished for Microsoft and Sony (NYSE:SNE), industry experts predict that both consoles will sell around 3 million units by the end of 2013. “We expect that the launches of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony PS4 will continue to fuel consumer excitement and spending for games heading into the holiday season,” global market research company NPD Group stated.

With the PS4 and Xbox One going head to head this holiday season, it’s difficult to know which system will outsell the other. “We’ll get a better picture of PS4 sales when Euro gamers get their hands on it this Friday,” said Matthew Humphries of Geek.com. “But even so, a million units for both consoles is a very good start, and establishes both platforms on the market and for developers/publishers to consider releasing games for.”

U.S. sales of physical and online-delivered games increased by 17 percent from August to September, which has been the industry’s largest profit increase since the second quarter of 2011. Though the release of both consoles arrived just in time for the holiday season, the better-selling system will only be revealed with time.

Are you planning to purchase either system on Black Friday? Leave a comment below.