PS4 is outselling Xbox One, and Microsoft reckons it knows why

The chief marketing and strategy officer for Microsoft has offered his two cents as to why the PlayStation 4 is currently outselling its flagship video games console, the Xbox One.

Speaking with Forbes, Yusuf Mehdi said that one of the most significant reasons Xbox One is lagging behind its leading competitor is the fact Sony’s machine is available in more territories.

“It's hard to really assess the gap in sales," said Mehdi. "[Sony are] in many more markets right now than we are. They're in 40+ markets, we're in 13."

Aside from that, Mehdi believes that Xbox 360 users have been more content with their current-gen machine in comparison to PS3 customers.

“People have been more satisfied with the Xbox 360 than the PS3, so in that respect people have less of a need to upgrade in the short term due to regular updates for the Xbox 360," he offered. "We could point to any number of things."

Naturally, he did concede that price was a factor, something which he hopes will be smoothed over with the introduction of the Kinect-free SKU.

"That said, we've heard from a lot of our Xbox fans who say, 'Hey look, I want an Xbox One, but at $499, I probably have to wait a little while before I can afford to get one.'

"I do think we're going to get people now who move over, and then buy the Kinect later. So I do think the [price point] broadens the appeal and hopefully brings more people to Xbox One sooner."

PS4 has sold over seven million units since its release in November 2013, while Xbox One has moved five million. While Sony has a two million lead on its rival, analysts believe that Microsoft will surpass PS4 in U.S. sales by as early as 2015.

Sony yesterday posted a Q4 loss of $1.25 billion, which it partly attributed to the costly launch of PS4.