Microsoft hasn't announced an official number in quite a while, but Microsoft analyst May J Foley, of GameSpot sister site ZDNet, has reported "from a source" that the latest figure puts sales of the Xbox One around "at least" 18 million consoles. And that would be consoles sold through to consumers, not just shipped to retailers.
While not official, the figure is presumed accurate since it was derived from the 200 million Windows activations, of which 18 million were for the Xbox One. Microsoft is including Xbox One consoles with the Windows activation number since the console now runs a version of Windows 10 since the New Xbox One Experience update in November.
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that "active" means any device that's been "active" in the past 28 days. Foley explains the 200 million Windows 10 activations breakdown to 180 million on PC, 1 million-plus Windows 10 phones, and 18 million Xbox One consoles making up the rest. It's possible the console's true sales could be a smidgen higher, assuming there are some people who have gone 28 days without playing their Xbox One.
Assuming the 18 million consoles sold is legit, that would mean Sony's PlayStation 4 is outselling Microsoft's Xbox One at a rate of 2-to-1. Last week, Sony announced PS4 sales surpassed 35.9 million units globally as of January 3, 2016.
[Windows Weekly via Gamespot]
