Microsoft reports strong sales of XBox One

Washington - Microsoft said on Thursday it has sold more than five million XBox One consoles since they were launched in November.

The news came a day after video game competitor Sony said it had sold more than seven million PlayStation 4 consoles since mid-November.

Sony's numbers refer to sales to consumers while Microsoft's involve sales to retailers.

Sales of XBox One were 60% higher than those of Microsoft's earlier iteration XBox 360 during the same length of time after it hit the market, Yusuf Medhi, vice president of marketing, strategy and business, wrote on the Microsoft blog in announcing the figures.

Furthermore, the new game "Titanfall", which Microsoft was counting on to boost sales of the new XBox, was the world's hottest selling game in March, said Mehdi, quoting figures released on Thursday by analysts NPD Group.

Titanfall, which came out in March, involves a futuristic galaxy torn by fighting between elite fighter pilots and huge, heavily armed titans.