Xbox One vs. PS4 News: Xbox One Breaks Records in Australia, Is Console Ahead in Sales Worldwide?

The Xbox One has set a new sales record in Australia, showing that the console is dominating in the country.

According to figures from market research company NPD Group obtained by IGN, Microsoft sold 65,917 Xbox One consoles in the first three days the console was available, setting a new record in the process. The previous record was held by the release of the Nintendo Wii, which sold 32,900 consoles when it was released in the country. This both shows the popularity of the Xbox One and the general rise in popularity console gaming has enjoyed internationally since the launch of the previous generation of consoles.

Jeremy Hinton of Microsoft Australia believes the early success of the console is due to Microsoft listening to their Australian fans to see what they wanted as well as advertising on local TV:

"We attribute a key part of our success to listening to the Australian community...This led to the inclusion of the Bathurst track in Forza Motorsport 5, entering the Xbox One Racing Team as a wildcard in the 2013 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, through to the launch of local entertainment apps Network Ten's TenPLAY, SBS On Demand, Quickflix and local music, TV and movies within our Xbox apps, right through to TV and voice control support from day one."

Sony has yet to reveal their sales figures for the PlayStation 4 in the country, but if Microsoft is claiming the record for most three-day sales, it is likely that the PlayStation 4 was unable to surpass the console in the country.

While Microsoft may be able to claim Australia as its own, the PlayStation 4 has been the dominate console in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe. In the United States, the console appears to be on more even footing, however exact sales figures have yet to be revealed. Both consoles managed to sell over 1 million units in the 24 hours after the consoles were released, however the PlayStation 4 was only released in the United States at launch and the Xbox One was launched in 13 countries, including Australia. Curiously enough, neither console has been released in Japan, which will get both consoles in 2014.