14 DAY TRIAL // The NPD Group released the figures for sales of both hardware and software on the United States market for the month of November and the Xbox 360 managed to beat out the PlayStation 3 in sales, 820,000 to 710,000 units.
Microsoft was quick to emphasize that it was a return to the pecking order that was in force before the price cuts started hitting in late summer and early autumn. Aaron Greenberg also pointed out that the performance was not tied only to the multi-million selling Modern Warfare 2 but also to the promise of exclusive DLC for the title at some point in 2010.
Jack Tretton, who is the president and the Chief Executive Officer at Sony Computer Entertainment of America, responded by stating that “In November, PS3 was the only hardware console to see any growth when compared to last November, experiencing an 88 percent lift.”
The Sony console has already had three full months in which it performed better than the Xbox 360 and there's hope that as sales of Modern Warfare 2 start to slow down in December, the fight between the two gadgets for second spot behind the Nintendo Wii will be more equal-footed.
Sony is also probably looking to 2010 in order to again gain ground on Microsoft. Modern Warfare 2 and the release of Halo 3: ODST boosted the Xbox 360 and will probably again see a surge as DLC arrives for the Infinity Ward shooter and as Halo: Reach is finished by Bungie. But Sony has several exclusive titles, like MAG, God of War III and Gran Turismo 5, supposed to ship towards the beginning of the year, with Final Fantasy XIII, which is regularly tied to the PlayStation platform, also set to be outed in late spring.