Microsoft’s Xbox One has been crowned the fastest-selling video game console to date in Australia, as its key rival, Sony, struggled to fulfil pre-orders for the PlayStation 4.
Market research firm NPD Group said a total of 65,917 Xbox One consoles were sold in its first three days on sale in Australia, more than doubling the previous launch record for the Nintendo Wii in 2006, and beating out previous records for number of consoles sold in a week.
The record sales numbers provided a much-needed boost to the games industry, which has in recent years suffered from faltering sales due to the lengthy shelf life of the previous generation of consoles and greater competition from mobile devices.
Australians were among the first in the world to purchase Xbox Ones on November 22 as it launched progressively across 13 countries, with games retailer EBGames calling demand for the console “unprecedented”.
