PS4 Tops Console Sales Charts in US July 2015 NPDs

The PlayStation 4 was the best-selling console in the U.S. in July 2015, marking the third straight month that the PS4 has outsold the Xbox One.

The news comes from a statement provided by Sony about the NPD Group's monthly report about game hardware sales. Sony also revealed that the PS4 led in software sales in the US for the month.

"We are truly humbled by the success of the PS4 and we would like to thank gamers for making it the top selling console and #1 in software sales in the United States in July," Sony wrote in a statement to GameSpot. "The Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 bundle continues to be a top seller and we are looking forward to delighting fans next month with the launch of the Limited Edition Destiny: The Taken King PS4 bundle on September 15."

The last time that the Xbox led was back in April, though overall, Sony's PlayStation 4 has taken the lead more often than not.

The NPD report also gave other statistics about console sales. Consoles sold only two percent better in July 2015 over July 2014, which the NPD attributes to a sharp, 56 percent decrease in last-gen console sales. However, current-gen consoles are still selling really well: the PS4 and Xbox One combined have performed almost 50 percent better after 21 months on the market than the Xbox 360 and PS3 did 21 months after their respective releases.

Microsoft's corporate vice oresident of marketing, Mike Nichols, offered the following statement prior to the NPD release: "Xbox One and Xbox Live continued to see strong sales and engagement in July, with Xbox One sales in the U.S. up 44 percent over July 2014 and active global Xbox Live users (Xbox One and Xbox 360) up 22 percent. Building on that, we just returned from ChinaJoy in Shanghai and gamescom in Germany where we showcased the greatest lineup in Xbox history including an incredible lineup of 15 premium exclusive games releasing this year and next, along with the ability to play your Xbox 360 games on your Xbox One starting in November. Additionally, Windows 10 launched on July 29, enabling Xbox One owners to stream their games to Windows 10 PCs and laptops in their homes. We are committed to delivering gamers the games, gaming experiences and value they can't find on any other platform, and we are pleased to see that they are responding."

July was a month of few blockbuster releases, and the top-selling game at retail in the United States was Lego: Jurassic World, which launched back in June.