While the PlayStation 4 Outsold Xbox One in March 2017, the Newly Released Nintendo Switch Topped Them Both
Console sales reports for hardware in North America during the month of March 2017 were published by NPD Group today. While the PlayStation 4 outsold Xbox One, the newly released Nintendo Switch swept them both under the rug, taking the number one spot for console sales. For the fifth month in a row, Sony’s PS4 firmly held its place as the top-selling brand name console, but on March 3rd Nintendo began to climb its way to the top of the charts.
The last time Microsoft’s Xbox One was in the lead was back in October 2016, and first-party software sales and the release of the Xbox One S greatly aided them in this victory. Nintendo’s next-gen console swept them even further under the rug with its first week of confirmed sales reaching over 500,000 units in NA. At the end of the month, Nintendo had hit a landmark grand total, averaging around one million sales, depleting GameStops and bank accounts alike.
Microsoft has high hopes for Project Scorpio, which could bring their console hardware sales right back up to the very top. Alongside the new lineup of games coming to both Xbox One and Scorpio, they don’t seem worried about the dip in stats.
Mike Nichols, Xbox Corporate Vice President of Marketing, had this to say:
“This past quarter, from January to March 2017, we saw record Xbox Live engagement with 1.1 billion multiplayer hours logged globally, a 14 percent increase year-over-year. Looking ahead, we are excited to share more about our plans for Xbox One, including launching the world’s most powerful console – Project Scorpio – alongside an amazing lineup of new Xbox One games. We are thrilled with the incredible response we have received to date for Project Scorpio, and look forward to sharing more about the Xbox One family of devices in the coming months.”