Analyst: Xbox One, PS4 to ship 5-6 million units this holiday

Total worldwide shipments for the Xbox One and PlayStation will reach 5-6 million units each this holiday, Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian said in a note to investors today.

Sebastian predicted that both consoles would ship 1.5-2 million each in North America, with the remaining 2.5-3 million coming from international markets.

Though he anticipates identical shipment figures, Sebastian gave an edge to Microsoft, at least in North America.

"While many forecasts still give an edge to Sony/PS4 in North America sales, we continue to expect similar or even slightly higher sales of Xbox One by the end of the launch window," Sebastian said.

Sebastian also called out the significant mark-ups both consoles are seeing on eBay right now as an indication of popularity. Xbox One preorder sales on eBay are close to $800, while PS4 orders are going for around $600, he said.

The PS4 launches November 15 for $400, while the Xbox One will debut on November 22 for $500.

Also in his note to investors today, Sebastian addressed this year's biggest game so far, Grand Theft Auto V. He estimated that the open-world game has shipped more than 22 million units globally to date, with an estimation for a total of 25 million by the end of March. Take-Two Interactive will report earnings for its latest financial period next Tuesday, October 29.