Xbox One "Gaining Momentum," Microsoft Says

The PlayStation 4 was the top-selling home console overall in the United States during August, but the Xbox One was no slouch, either. Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One "continued to gain momentum" in August, with sales in the United States rising 26 percent compared to August 2014.

Sony did not reveal a PS4 sales percentage increase for August 2015 compared to August 2014.

Xbox marketing executive Mike Nichols said in a statement that good times are ahead for Xbox One. Future Xbox One growth will be driven by a strong lineup of games, backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 titles, the New Xbox One Experience, and the new Xbox Elite controller, he said.

"We're excited to further build on this momentum in the months to come," he said.

This isn't the first time a Microsoft executive has talked about the Xbox One "building momentum" as the console tries to catch up to the PS4, which has regularly outsold Microsoft's console.

Speaking during Microsoft's latest earnings presentation in July, CFO Amy Hood said Xbox's strong performance during the last quarter, along with positive buzz at E3, is helping the Xbox One pick up steam.

"This progress, as well as the excitement we generated at E3--with Xbox exclusive gaming content and backwards compatibility--demonstrates the building momentum that exists within the Xbox ecosystem," she said at the time.