With both the Microsoft Xbox One and the Sony PlayStation 4 having been released at around the same time, safe to say that the race was pretty neck to neck right out of the door, with both companies fighting for the attention and wallets of gamers around the world. However based on the figures released by both companies, it seems that Sony might be in the lead at the moment. Last we heard, Sony boasted 7 million units sold while Microsoft talked about shipping figures, which does not necessarily translate into sales. That being said, it seems that Microsoft’s head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, is willing to admit defeat for now. Speaking to GamesIndustry, Spencer pretty much congratulated Sony on their lead, but also stated that this is a long-term battle which means that Microsoft could pull ahead later on.
The Xbox One has been outsold by the PlayStation 4 to date, but Xbox head Phil Spencer isn’t about to concede defeat. Speaking with GamesIndustry International just after Microsoft’s E3 media briefing earlier this month, Spencer acknowledged Sony’s lead, but noted there was plenty of time left for Microsoft to erase it. “You look at what Sony has sold, and congratulations to them; they’ve had a great launch,” Spencer said. “Maybe we’re 10 percent of the way into this generation, so we’re early, early days in how this will all play out. I tip my hat to them. I think they’ll likely have a great show, and they should; they’re coming in with a lot of strength. But this is a long-term competitive space, which is good for consumers.” When asked why Xbox One fell behind in the first place, Spencer only stressed how important it was that Microsoft recently rolled out a version of the hardware without Kinect for $399, the same price as a PS4. Despite the removal of a core part of the original Xbox One vision from the base hardware package, he dismissed notions that it would make it more difficult for developers to justify supporting the peripheral.
