Bragging rights go to Sony Inc.’s PlayStation 4, as far as sales are concerned in Europe. We reported recently that the PS4 has a “significant market leadership” across the pond and beyond, even though on the world stage Xbox One is faring well in some countries. Nonetheless, Microsoft is not just a little behind in the race to command Europe, as Jim Ryan, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe stated: PS4 has a 70 – 90 percent market share in various European countries, something that might leave a sour tastes in its competitors’ mouths.

Microsoft didn’t waste any time in responding to the lopsided sales figures, with Xbox chief Phil Spencer saying that “We need to do better in Europe”, adding that, “When I look globally, mainland Europe is definitely an area we want to focus on.” In an interview with EDGE, Spencer acknowledged that Xbox One has always played bridesmaid to PlayStation 4 in that part of the world, saying, “Sony does a really good job in those markets, and they have a long history – long before we were in this business – and they’ve earned the success that they get in those regions.” The competition, he says, is healthy, but not before he points out that Xbox One sales are doing “really well” in Latin America; while on U.S. soil the consoles seem to be sharing the top spot from month to month.

We reported in December last year that for the first time since the two consoles went on the market in 2013 Xbox One took the number one spot in the U.S. The lead didn’t last long, and PS4 held on to top spot until April, when Xbox One saw a 63 percent hike from April 2014 to take the first spot. But alas, according to the NDP Group, a video games market research company, PS4 was back in the driving seat in May in the U.S.

While Microsoft has made some headway in competitive pricing and alluring bundles, why is Sony still winning the console war? When asked about the PS4’s bounding success Shuhei Yoshida, Sony’s President of Worldwide Studios, famously said he wasn’t quite sure. In an interview with Eurogamer he said with absolute modesty, “It’s just beyond our imagination. We are so happy. But I for one am a bit nervous because we do not completely understand what’s happening.”

Photo credit: Tarcil Tarcil via Flickr