PlayStation 4 tops US console sales in February, but Xbox One narrows the gap

It looks like Sony's commanding lead in next-gen console sales didn't last long in the US. The NPD Group reports that the PlayStation 4 was the top-selling game console in the country this February, but only just -- the Xbox One managed to get over 90 percent of the PS4's sales volume. Microsoft says that it sold 258,000 units of its flagship, which suggests that Sony moved roughly 287,000 PS4s. Neither of these figures compare to what we saw during the systems' launch windows, but they're very healthy. Total hardware sales were up 42 percent year-over-year, and 44 percent over January. While Nintendo isn't divulging its numbers, it may have performed relatively well when analysts saw "double-to-triple digit increases" in month-to-month sales for most consoles.

Software was another story. Overall game revenue was down 11 percent in February, and the aging Xbox 360 was the platform of choice for six out of the top 10 releases; the PS4 and Xbox One rarely fared better than second place. The decline isn't surprising, the NPD Group says, since game sales are "expected" to taper off as the old generation makes way for the new. That transition should happen relatively quickly. Titanfall is considered an early system seller for the Xbox One, and high-profile releases like Watch Dogs may help Microsoft and Sony alike.