Microsoft's console is on the back foot, after Sony's PS4 outsold it month after month

Jul 22, 2014 07:14 GMT  ·  By

The latest Xbox One ad puts Microsoft's console in the shoes of the ultimate underdog, Rocky Balboa, while also offering a glimpse at its heaviest hitters.

The Xbox One: Best Games spot is one that will surely garner some sympathy for the Xbox One, which is currently on the ropes, figuratively speaking.

The Xbox One computer entertainment system has been beaten by its main competitor, the PlayStation 4 from Sony, which sold more units in every market so far, the latest NPD sales report for North America showing that the PS4 has been ahead of the Xbox One in terms of monthly sales for the past half year.

Furthermore, Microsoft has just announced the largest round of layoffs in the company's history, accounting for 14 percent of its total work force, with its ambitious Xbox One Entertainment Division among the dismissals, after less than a year since its inception, so the quote from Ricky Balboa is definitely fitting.

The ad campaign highlights some of the best games coming to the Xbox One this holiday season, the platform-exclusive Sunset Overdrive along with Assassin's Creed Unity launching on October 28, followed by Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, coming out on November 4, and by Halo: The Master Chief Collection, another Xbox One exclusive, on November 11.