PS4 Top-Selling Console in US For September 2015

For the fifth straight month, PlayStation 4 maintained its spot as the best-selling console in the US according to the NPD.

While specific sales figures were not made available, Sony wrote in a press release, "As we kick off the holiday season, we would like to take a moment to thank fans for making PlayStation 4 the best-selling console and #1 in software sales in September. PlayStation 4 was the number one console for NBA 2K16, Madden NFL 16, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and FIFA 16. Including the highly successful limited edition console bundle, PS4 also led retail sales for Destiny: The Taken King.

Regarding the NPD's, Microsoft's corporate VP of marketing, Mike Nichols, provided the following statement: "Xbox One continued to see strong momentum in September on the heels of Forza Motorsport 6 and EA Sports FIFA 16, with solid year-over-year growth in console sales and strong engagement on Xbox Live. This holiday Xbox One owners will enjoy the greatest games lineup in the industry and in Xbox history, led by Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Fallout 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Star Wars Battlefront, and the ability to play Xbox 360 games. Xbox One owners will have all this on the fastest, most social Xbox experience ever and with advanced hardware such as the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. Xbox fans and first-time console buyers can look forward to an epic holiday!"

Overall, according The NPD Groups' Liam Callahan, "The majority of hardware platforms increased their sales from August 2015 to September 2015 when comparing sales on a per-week basis. All 8th generation consoles experienced double-digit growth when comparing sales on a per-week basis."

And compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360, the PS4 and Xbox One are showing strong growth with combined sales that are "40 percent higher than the combined 23 month totals for PS3 and 360."

Year on year, the comparison is less rosy, with September 2015 sales down 23 percent compared to September 2014. Callahan attributes part of this to the strong performance of Destiny last year, adding "Contrary to past months, hardware sales declines were seen across 8th generation consoles, 7th generation consoles, and portables.”

The PS4 was also the best-selling console in August, though the holidays will be an interesting time for Sony. While Microsoft has several exclusive games lined up, including Rise of the Tomb Raider and Halo 5, Sony will be relying on its new partnership with Activision in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 to maintain its lead.

As for September's top 10 titles, sports games dominated the month, with Madden and NBA 2K16 beating out The Taken King and The Phantom Pain.