Mere weeks after launching, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 are virtually neck and neck in console sales, according to Microsoft's sales figures.

As IGN reported, the Xbox One's sales figures reveal that in the 18 days since the console launched on Nov. 22, over 2 million units have been sold in 13 countries. In comparison, Sony announced on Dec. 1 (16 days after the PlayStation 4 launched) that the PlayStation 4 had sold over 2.1 million units in the territories that have the console.

At first glance, it may seem as though both consoles are fairly even; however, the sales figure comparison is more nuanced than that. Currently, the PlayStation 4 is available in 32 countries, while the Xbox One is only available in 13 countries. That means that the Xbox One has kept pace with the PlayStation 4 despite being available in fewer markets. This is similar to how both consoles managed to sell over 1 million consoles in the 24 hours after they were launched, but the PlayStation 4 was only available in the United States and the Xbox One was launched in 13 countries simultaneously. 

What is most interesting is that each console seems to be favored in different countries, leaving some regions firmly behind the PlayStation 4 and others favoring the Xbox One. For example, the PlayStation 4 was the fastest-selling console in the United Kingdom when it was released there on Nov. 29, and the Sony machine generally is more popular in Europe. However, in Australia it was the Xbox One that broke records for console sales. This back and forth war between the consoles is good for all gamers. It means both consoles are enjoying a healthy amount of success and increased competition could make Sony and Microsoft push even harder to create content that fans want rather than resting on their laurels.

In any case, it looks as though the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will indeed hit the projected 5 million consoles sold by the end of the financial year (March 2014) that EA Games predicted. If both consoles were able to pass 2 million sales in less than a month, and holiday sales of the consoles continue to be strong, then it appears likely that the two consoles will be dueling for the top spot of the sales chart for years to come.