According to the reports and charts, it looks like the PlayStation 5 has cemented itself as the console of choice, hitting 10 million worldwide units sold late last July. At its pace, it's the fastest selling PlayStation console and outpacing the PS4. Something that has been rather surprising is the sales for the Xbox Series X and S have been very strong.

These sales figures are based on VGchartz through August 7. Even though the pandemic has effected rollout and manufacturing, domestically, the Xbox Series X and Series S is performing significantly better than its predecessor the Xbox One, netting over 6.5 million units, and the console is doing well in Japanese markets, where the Xbox has struggled that most. Their efforts to broaden the number of Japanese developers to the platform with third party games, like Phantasy Star Online 2, has paid dividends.

Year to date sales comparison

(Image: VGChartz)

Total Sales and Market Share For Each Year

(Image: VGChartz)

With this generation's launch lacking premium exclusives, no doubt the PlayStation is the place you go for their wealth of games under their umbrella. Phil Spencer and the team at Xbox have worked to make their ecosystem more enticing to consumers. There's likely more growth in confidence for the Xbox product after the major purchase of ZeniMax, acquiring all of the studios including Bethesda, ID Software, and Tango Gameworks, along with their other studio additions like Ninja Theory, the developers of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and its upcoming sequel Senua's Saga, and Obsidian, makers of The Outer Worlds.

Game Pass also has been one of the best deals in modern gaming. Even if mainstream Xbox exclusive content isn't available out the gate, Game Pass grants a plethora of titles through its subscription service. Even though early development seemed troubling leading up to the gameplay trailer teaser last July, Halo Infinite is still down the pipeline, and if 343 Industries has worked to right the ship on production, it will certainly be a top seller for the Series X|S. The Xbox brand has made a lot of positive decisions for their ecosystem and consumers. While the PlayStation 5 is certainly the hot commodity, and the Switch has the OLED model is hitting shelves this holiday season, the pace for Xbox will likely continue, and their outlook is pretty strong.

SOURCE: VGChartz