Microsoft has just passed another milestone as the Xbox One has officially shipped 40 million units worldwide. The eighth generation console is still going strong, even as Microsoft and its competitors look at what comes next for the upcoming ninth-gen.

First available to buy toward the end of 2013, the Xbox One has remained a strong rival to the likes of the PlayStation 4 and newcomer Nintendo Switch. Boasting titles like Cuphead, Halo: Master Chief Collection, and Sea of Thieves, the Xbox One has continued Microsoft's legacy of bringing supercharged consoles into our homes. With the Xbox One X being the most powerful console on the market, the Xbox family has come a long way since its humble roots at the turn of the century.

VGChartz reports that as of the week ending November 17, the Xbox One sold a further 207,143 units and brought its lifetime sales to 40,020,713 units. The site also confirmed that 268,969,618 million Xbox One games have been sold at retail as of November 3. Looking around the globe, the Xbox One has the USA to thank for 22.5 million of those sales and a market share of 56%. Elsewhere, Europe has sold 10.9 million consoles (27%) but just 101,500 in Japan (0.3%).


While it's undoubtedly great news that the console has hit the 40 million milestone, the Xbox One is still trailing behind the PlayStation 4. The Xbox One's biggest rival recently celebrated its own in-house success when the PlayStation 4 sold over 86 million consoles and passed the benchmark set by the PlayStation 3. That being said, it's important to note that the current generation of game consoles is the fastest-selling in history and that the Xbox One X outpaced the PlayStation 4 in terms of growth in its first year.

So, just why is the PlayStation 4 so far ahead? Although Microsoft's backward compatibility is a pull for nostalgic gamers, Sony has made a name for itself with first-party games. 2018 has been a particularly big for the PlayStation 4 thanks to titles like Spider-Man and God of War. Xbox One's biggest exclusive was Halo 5: Guardians and sales of 4.89 million units — a figure that was eclipsed by God of War and Spider-Man in a matter of weeks.

Gamers should also remember that the Xbox 360 rounded off its own life cycle with impressive sales of 86 million units worldwide and that Microsoft will be aiming for similar figures. It may seem hard to find anyone likely to buy an Xbox One that hasn't already, but with rumors of a digital-only version coming in 2019, Microsoft is far from done with getting the most out of its current console. Microsoft boss Phil Spencer even teased that there are more exclusives coming, meaning there's still life in the Xbox One yet.