Can't stop that shine

Strong sales of Xbox family semi-exclusive Titanfall did little to stop the PlayStation 4’s momentum in April, as the system registered a fourth consecutive month at the top of the hardware charts in the United States. While firm figures aren’t available at the time of typing, research firm NPD reports that the Japanese giant’s next-gen device extended its lead over the Xbox One yet again, even though Respawn Entertainment’s first-person shooter topped the charts.

Format wars aside, both next-gen consoles propelled total industry sales to $580.3 million – a 17 per cent improvement year-over-year. More specifically, hardware sales increased by 76 per cent to $192.8 million, while accessories also soared by 21 per cent to $159.7 million. We’re guessing that everyone decided to stock up on DualShock 4 controllers in anticipation for Sportsfriends. Either way, software sales did decline by 10 per cent, registering just $227.9 million for the month.

The software sales charts painted a familiar picture to March, though inFAMOUS: Second Son fell out of the top ten. Buoyed by its belated Xbox 360 release, Titanfall topped the charts, while Call of Duty: Ghosts came in second. Elsewhere, NBA 2K14 hit the backboard in third, while LEGO The Hobbit, The LEGO Movie Video Game, and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes occupied fifth, sixth, and seventh position respectively. Meanwhile, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 swung low in eighth.

Interestingly, the superhero escapade sold best on Sony’s machine, hinting at a steady shift to the relatively new platform. “PS4 software combined with Xbox One software sales are up over 40 percent compared to sales of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 through their first six months,” explained analyst Liam Callahan, adding that next-gen hardware sales have already doubled those of their predecessors during the same period.

We’ve included the full list of best-selling software in the space below. Next month’s report should be similarly intriguing, as Watch Dogs is likely to have a big impact on hardware sales towards the tail end of May. It’ll also be interesting to see how the PS4 fares in relation to the Xbox One – especially now that Microsoft has announced a price cut which isn’t set to go into effect until early June.

Top Ten Physical Retail Releases: April 2014

1. Titanfall (360, XBO, PC)
2. Call Of Duty: Ghosts (360, PS4, PS3, XBO, NWU, PC)
3. NBA 2K14 (360, PS4, PS3, XBO, PC)
4. Minecraft (360)
5. LEGO The Hobbit (360, PS3, One, PS4, 3DS, NWU, PSV)
6. The LEGO Movie Videogame (360, 3DS, PS3, NWU, XBO, PS4, PSV)
7. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (360, PS3, NDS, 3DS, PS4, NWU, XBO, PSV, PC)
8. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (PS4, 360, PS3, NWU, 3DS)
9. Grand Theft Auto V (360, PS3)
10. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (360, PS3, PS4, XBO, NWU, PC)

[source gamesindustry.biz, via venturebeat.com]