PlayStation 4 outsold Xbox One at U.S. retailers in January

Sony’s home gaming console got off to a strong start in 2016.

The PlayStation 4 outsold the Microsoft’s Xbox One in the first month of the year, according to data from industry-intelligence firm The NPD Group provided to GamesBeat by Sony. NPD only tracks new sales at retailers in the United States, so this doesn’t fully reflect the multibillion-dollar worldwide console market — one of the most important segments of the $91 billion global game industry (based on market researcher Newzoo’s estimates). January isn’t as big of a sales month for games as November and December, but it is still relatively large compared to the summer quarter thanks to consumers wanting to use gift cards and make exchanges following the holiday shopping season.

This continues a key sales streak for the PlayStation 4, which has outsold the Xbox One every month since October. In 2015, Xbox One only outperformed its Sony counterpart in April and October. This is despite Microsoft offering several discounts and bundles to attract players. This doesn’t mean Xbox One is falling into irrelevancy. Microsoft has a lot of gamers spending money, and Ubisoft’s latest financial report is evidence of that. But the hardware momentum is clearly with PS4.

Here’s the full statement from a Sony spokesperson:

Thanks to our fans and partners for making PlayStation 4 the top-selling platform and software sales leader in January, according to NPD. PS4 also saw impressive year-over-year growth in both hardware and software sales. We appreciate the support and will continue to deliver on our promise to bring the best entertainment experiences to gamers.