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Xbox One US sales jump on back of $399 model, Microsoft says

Microsoft crows that Xbox One sales in the US shot up in June after it introduced a cheaper model.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Brooke Crothers

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Xbox One sales bumped up in June. Microsoft

Xbox One got a lift in sales last month as it continues to do battle with market leader Sony.

"Over the past month, we've seen a strong spike in interest in our Xbox One console options, including the new $399 offering," Microsoft said on its Xbox Wire blog on Wednesday.

"Since the new Xbox One offering launched on June 9th, we've seen sales of Xbox One more than double in the US, compared to sales in May, and solid growth in Xbox 360 sales," the company said. What Microsoft declined to say was exactly how many Xbox Ones it sold in either month.

That $399 model was first announced in May and debuted on June 9. The new model does not include Kinect, a sensor that allows motion and voice control.

Microsoft also touted its upcoming releases for Xbox, including Madden NFL 15, coming in August. And other future titles such as Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2.

In May, the PS4 was the top-selling game console for the fifth consecutive month, according to the NPD Group. June sales numbers are expected from NPD before the end of the week.

The most recent official global sales numbers for both Sony and Microsoft were in March, according to GameSpot. That showed Sony with a sizable lead.