From DailyTech: Midway through the eighth generation of the console wars, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is hard doing its best to close the gap with Japan's Sony Corp.'s (TYO:6758) Playstation 4 (PS4). The efforts -- including software bundles and a price drop to $399 USD -- appear to be working. Now Microsoft and a key retail partner are adding a trade-in discount of up to $175 USD off the Xbox One -- but for this week only.
Sales data indicate that while the Xbox One's sales trail well behind lifetime PlayStation 4 sales, Microsoft has closed the gap somewhat. Still, in Microsoft's corporate Q3FY2015 earnings report (the first calendar quarter of 2015), it acknowledge that the Xbox unit saw a revenue drop of 21 percent on a constant currency basis, versus the same quarter last year. Microsoft blamed that partially on ongoing discounting versus the console's launch price, but it also admitted in the earnings release that it saw "lower console units" volume in the Jan.-Mar. 2015 window vs. Jan.-Mar. 2014.
The last couple months have seen the Xbox One once more heat up sales-wise, though. In April it actually outsold the PS4 for the first time in several months. And while it came in second place in May, evidence indicated a tight race.
Citing data from the NPD Group, Microsoft told VentureBeat last Friday:
"Xbox One and Xbox Live continue to see strong growth in sales and engagement. Xbox One sales in the U.S. were up 81 percent over May 2014 and active global Xbox Live members, Xbox One and Xbox 360, were up 20 percent. We are grateful to our fans for choosing Xbox One and for making Xbox Live the fun and vibrant community that is. We can’t wait to share more on the greatest games lineup in Xbox history at E3 next week."
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