Microsoft announced over the weekend that it sold more than 1 million Xbox One entertainment consoles to consumers in its first 24 hours of availability, a record launch for the product line. The number matches Sony's earlier performance for the PlayStation 4, which launched the weekend before. But the Xbox One launched in far more markets than did PlayStation 4, somewhat undercutting the milestone.
"The launch of Xbox One was the biggest launch in Xbox history, with more than one million consoles sold worldwide in less than 24 hours," Microsoft notes in an official statement, "surpassing day-one Xbox 360 sales and setting a new record for Microsoft."
The Xbox One launched in 13 markets on Friday, November 22. Sony's initial launch weekend for PlayStation 4 was only in North America. But Sony had previously revealed that it had acquired more than 1 million preorders for the PlayStation 4, whereas Microsoft never made such a claim. Both sales milestones represent sales to end users, not to the channel.
Microsoft did surpass Sony in one very critical area, however: Unlike Sony's PlayStation Network, which was down for the count for many during the first 48 hours of the PlayStation 4's availability, Xbox Live stayed up during the entire launch weekend.
Microsoft notes that although the Xbox One is now sold out, it is working to replenish stock as fast as possible "to meet the unprecedented demand." It also provided some fun statistics for the first 24 hours of Xbox One availability:
- More than 60 million zombies killed (Dead Rising 3)
- More than 3.6 million miles driven (Forza Motorsport 5)
- More than 7.1 million combos (Killer Instinct)
- More than 8.5 million enemies defeated (Ryse: Son of Rome)
"We are humbled and grateful for the excitement of Xbox fans around the world," Microsoft Corporate Vice President Yusuf Mehdi said in a prepared statement. "Seeing thousands of excited fans lined up to get their Xbox One and their love for gaming was truly a special moment for everyone on the Xbox team. We are working hard to create more Xbox One consoles and look forward to fulfilling holiday gift wishes this season."
