Xbox One records best U.S. sales ever in December 2015, still loses out to PlayStation 4

Xbox One sales reached a new high point in the U.S during December 2015, according to a new report from the research firm The NPD Group. However, it wasn't enough to beat sales of Sony's rival PlayStation 4 for both the month and the entire year of 2015.

According to GamesIndustry.biz:

"As an indication of the strength of the new consoles, December 2015 marked the best month to date of PS4 unit sales as well as the Xbox One. With growth over 2014 for both these consoles, 2015 was the best year for PS4 and Xbox One hardware unit sales."

The NPD Group did not reveal specific hardware sales numbers for the consoles, but it did state that total console hardware sales dropped by 6 percent in December 2015 compared to a year ago, thanks mostly to a huge 71 percent drop in last-generation console sales along with a 32 percent decrease in portable console sales.

The NPD Group also posted an update on sales of both consoles since they launched in November 2013:

"After 26 months of sales, the combined cumulative sales of Xbox One and PS4 exceeds the 26 month total of the PS3 and Xbox 360 by 47 per cent. The lead from the prior generation has expanded due to the strong PS4 and Xbox One 2015 holiday, going from 38 per cent by the end of October, growing to 47 per cent by the end of November, and maintaining 47 per cent higher sales by the end of December,"

Activision's Call of Duty Black Ops III was the best selling game in retail stores in the U.S., both in December 2015 and for the entire year.

Source: GamesIndustry.biz

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John Callaham