Xbox Finally Outsold PlayStation This Holiday, but Switch Is Still On Top

It was a good year for Xbox, and it's reporting the best holiday console share it's ever seen. Microsoft finally released its highly-anticipated 'Project Scorpio,' which we now know to be the Xbox One X. Boasting the most powerful specs of any home console in the world, the Xbox One X has enabled Microsoft to make the power play it's been dying to make since the release of the original Xbox. In the West, high-end specs are still highly desirable and dominate the conversation, so it's no surprise that Xbox did really well this holiday season.

Thank you to everyone who helped support @Xbox One this holiday, @npdgroup just reported our highest Xbox One December console share ever, looking forward to a big 2018! 🙏

— Aaron Greenberg 🍗🔥🍳🙅‍♂️ (@aarongreenberg) January 11, 2018

Xbox's head of marketing Aaron Greenberg sent out the above tweet in celebration of the phenomenal holiday season. Of course, it didn't take long for the console warriors to storm into the replies and ask for some specifics. The wording was a bit ambiguous, and they wanted to know: Did Xbox sell better than usual, or did it sell better than the competition?

Greenberg actually took a moment to respond to someone in the thread, confirming that, to everyone's surprise, Xbox actually did manage to beat out PlayStation this year:

Was trying to just thank folks for supporting us and the incredible success following the launch of Xbox One X. But yes Xbox outsold PS4 in December for Gen 8 consoles according to NPD data, while Nintendo also had a great month as Switch had most overall units.

— Aaron Greenberg 🍗🔥🍳🙅‍♂️ (@aarongreenberg) January 12, 2018

This is a pretty significant milestone for Microsoft, who has been lagging behind Sony for pretty much this entire generation. PS4 sales have routinely doubled Xbox sales over the years. The fact that Xbox managed to pull out a win during the holiday, especially in light of PlayStation celebrating accelerated sales of its own hardware, is pretty extraordinary.

Of course, both consoles have tipped their hats to Nintendo, as the Nintendo Switch dominated every other console this holiday season, becoming the fastest-selling console in US history. Even in the East it has been reported that the Nintendo Switch is selling faster than the original PS2, which you may recall is the best-selling console of all time.

Things are heating up, folks. 2018 is going to be a defining year for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. The Switch is just heating up, and is still pacing to break records. The Xbox One X is fighting its way into more homes than ever. Sony still has a lot to prove with its PlayStation 4 Pro and the aging PS4. Who will win 2018? The answer, of course, is you. When companies compete, consumers win. Buckle up, guys: it's going to be a wild year.