2 million – that’s the latest number that Microsoft has given for global Xbox One sales. Last week , Sony came out with a 2.1 million figure. But one analyst claimed this week that the Xbox One was being outsold 3 to 1 in the US whilst another saw their sales as “ relatively balanced ”, the Xbox One launched later in the States and earlier in the UK and Europe, and neither manufacturer has put its reputation on the line by outright claiming to be ahead. What do the number tell us? How close is this race, so far, and how much will it matter for the next year?

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“ The facts say that the PS4 is unquestionably ahead at this moment – the question is how far ahead.

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“ Both these launches have been very successful.

The two consoles’ launch sales presented an interesting puzzle: a series of numbers that have to be pieced together to make sense. The PS4’s US-only launch on November 15th resulted in more than 1 million sales in 24 hours, whereas the Xbox One’s launch – in 13 countries – also generated “more than 1 million” sales in 24 hours. That put them neck-and-neck in terms of pure sales, but the Xbox behind the PS4 in the States. Interestingly, neither company has outright claimed the title of the “best-selling console launch of all time” – a title that must surely belong to one or the other of them. The previous record holder, the Wii, sold a million in its first few days, but stock quickly ran out.What we’re comparing, then, is one global launch in 19 countries with a staggered launch in 32 countries (and it’s rumoured that the Xbox One launch in the remaining European countries may be pushed further back into 2014). It’s in no way a direct comparison. Looking at individual countries, the PS4 is ahead in the UK (where it became the country’s fastest-selling console ever, selling 250,000 to the Xbox One’s estimated 160,000), but the situation may well be more even in the US –one analyst claims that the PS4 might have sold 66% more during November than the Xbox One, which would put the gap in line with the UK, but based on the overall numbers (especially this new 2 million figure from Microsoft) I find that difficult to believe. outperformed the Xbox One in the UK, previously the only European country that favoured the Xbox 360. If Sony turns out to have the upper hand in the US, too, Xbox's home turf, it will be a significant coup. One analyst , Colin Sebastian of Robert W. Baird & Co., expects that tomorrow's NPD November US sales data will show sales of 1.3-1.4 million versus 800-900,000 Xbox Ones.The facts say that the PS4 is unquestionably ahead at this moment – the question is how far ahead. 2 million versus 2.1 million is barely a difference, but If the PS4 has continued to sell at roughly the same pace since last week’s announcement of 2.1 million, it could have sold another 750,000 by now, which would put it at 2.85 million. The waters are muddied by the console’s staggered launch; are US sales slowing down whilst UK and European sales are spiking thanks to the delayed release, or is the PS4 maintaining momentum in all territories in the run-up to Christmas?Globally, I wouldn't be surprised if the total difference between PS4 and Xbox One sales by the end of the year was around 650,000 units - which would be a bigger difference, but by no means a thrashing. Let's spare a moment at this point for the Wii U, which has struggled to sell at all since a moderately successful launch and currently sits at 3.91 million units (only about 910,000 of which were sold in the past year). In the UK, as pointed out by Eurogamer , more people bought a copy of Knack in its opening weekend than bought a Wii U in the entirety of 2013, even during Super Mario 3D World launch week. There's a fact to make you sad.Here's the thing, though: either way, both consoles have already seen massive success. Both have smashed the records that the previous generation set, evidence not just of pent-up demand, but of much the gaming audience has expanded in that time. Neither, it turns out, has suffered from significant hardware issues or an embarrassing lack of supply to meet the demand. EA reckoned they'd sell 5 million each by next April, which seems all but certain now. I reckon they'll exceed it.PS4 is ahead, then, but it success has not been at the expense of the Xbox One's. Both consoles are meeting expectations, a heartening sign for everyone involved with video games. Both these launches have been very successful, and that's a great note to end the year upon.

After all of this, Keza MacDonald is really, really looking forward to Christmas. You can follow her on IGN and Twitter