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Sony has announced that 4.2 million PS4 has been sold in 2013, trumping the Xbox One's 3 million units sold in roughly the same period.

While the PS4 has been made available in more markets than the Xbox One, 48 compared to 13, both consoles are available in the major American and European markets. Only the major market of Japan awaits for both consoles, but the PS4 is expected to outsell the Xbox One by an even larger margin there.

Analysts point to the PS4's lower price tag, some $100 less than the Xbox One in North America for example, as being the key to the PS4's success so far. The tighter and more gaming oriented nature of the PS4 is also winning over hardcore gamers, according to reports.

The PS4 numbers makes it one of the best selling consoles in history, easily beating that of its predecessor, the PS3. While the PS4 has only been available for 6 weeks or so in 2013, the Wii U having launched a full year ago has struggled to sell just over 5 million units. It is expected that both PS4 and Xbox One will exceed that of the Wii U in early 2014, and this is despite stock constraints for both of the newer consoles.

Despite the Xbox One falling behind the PS4 in sales, Microsoft was bullish in its appraisal of the Xbox One's reception so far. 

"It’s been incredible to see Xbox One selling at a record-setting pace for Xbox, and we were honoured to see Xbox One become the fastest-selling console in the U.S. during our launch month in November. Since our launch, demand for Xbox One has been strong, selling out throughout the holidays at most retailers worldwide. We are continuing to work hard to deliver additional consoles to retailers as fast as possible," Microsoft said in a statement.