PlayStation 4 sales leap past 40 million
That puts Sony's PS4 at roughly double the number of Xbox One consoles that Microsoft has sold.
Sony's PlayStation 4 has numbers on its side.
On Thursday, Sony revealed that it has now sold more than 40 million PS4 units since the console debuted in November 2013. It got a big push during last year's holiday shopping season: Consumers scarfed up 5.7 million PS4 devices during the fourth quarter, pushing the overall total sold by the start of 2016 to around 36 million.
That's significantly ahead of its chief rival, Microsoft's Xbox One. In January, Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen said that 55 million combined PS4 and Xbox One consoles were sold worldwide before the end of 2015. Subtract the PS4's 36 million and you're left with roughly 19 million for the Xbox One, which also debuted in November 2013.
In the meantime, PS4 game sales have risen to more than 271 million copies via both retail stores and digital downloads.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on Xbox One sales. But in January, the company said it would start to focus on Xbox Live membership figures instead of console sale numbers.
The PS4 has outpaced the Xbox One in sales virtually every month since the two consoles hit the market, according to research firm NPD. Meanwhile, all console makers have had to reckon with increased competition from mobile devices as more people turn to phones and tablets to get their gaming fix.
In its earnings forecast Tuesday, Sony said it expects to sell another 20 million PS4 consoles over the next year.
The console market is due for a shakeup down the road. Sony is reportedly developing a new and improved version of the PS4 that could launch by year's end, while Microsoft is planning two new versions of the Xbox One over the next couple of years.
Sony did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.