14 DAY TRIAL // Since Microsoft has announced that it no longer plans to offer an official report about the number of Xbox One home consoles that it sells during a quarter, gamers have been wondering about the size of the install base of the device, which is known to be lagging behind the PlayStation 4 from Sony.
According to information that Electronic Arts has disclosed as part of its financial briefing, quoted by GamesIndustry.biz, the total for both platforms stands at close to 55 million worldwide.
Taking into account that the current official figure for the PlayStation 4 stands at 35.9 million units, simple math shows that there are more than 19 million Xbox One home consoles that have found their way into the hands of customers all over the world.
The figure is solid when compared to the performance of the Xbox 360 at the same moment during its own life, but it further shows that Microsoft is facing an uphill battle if it plans to ever match the numbers posted by the PS4.
The company has suggested that it is more interested in the number of video games that its customers pick up and the way they engage with it using Xbox Live and other associated services.
For the holiday period of 2015, the Xbox One received a temporary price cut and some very attractive bundles, but it failed to generate enough sales to move ahead when it comes to overall sales in either North America or worldwide.
Microsoft is at the moment offering a range of other packages that are featuring the device and is saying that it has no plans to drop the price during the rest of the year and that exclusive titles, including the upcoming Quantum Break, will lead to increased sales.
PlayStation 4 sold 8.4 million units in one-quarter
According to Sony, the home console has managed to reach 15.4 million for the current fiscal year, which is a solid pace and an improvement when compared to the same period of the previous year.
By the end of the fourth fiscal quarter, the plan is to move past the 17.5 million unit mark, and revenue associated with the entire PlayStation division is also expected to increase.
Sony is also saying that a price cut is not part of its current plans and that it wants to introduce more features to the platform using firmware update while continuing its association with massive franchises like Call of Duty.
Executives at both companies have been saying that competition is good in the long term for all video game fans because it gives them new ways to enjoy their hobby.
This year the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 might also have to deal with new competition from Nintendo, which might officially announce and deliver the NX at some point during the summer.
The new device is supposed to offer equivalent hardware capabilities and might feature new installments for big franchises like Mario and Zelda, although so far no official details have been offered.