PlayStation 4 leads jump in U.S. console sales

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Sony’s PlayStation 4 led a surge in console sales that lifted the U.S. video game market in April, said figures released Thursday by market research firm NPD Group.

Sales of video game hardware, mostly consoles, jumped 76% to $192.8 million during the month compared to a year ago, more than offsetting a 10% drop in sales of game software to $227.9 million, NPD reported.

Overall video game sales rose 17% to $580.3 million from the same month last year, according to NPD.

PS4 was the top-selling console for the fourth consecutive month, followed by Microsoft’s Xbox One.

“Titanfall” was the top-selling game, followed by “Call of Duty: Ghosts.”

NPD estimated that the total spent in the U.S. on video games topped a billion dollars during the month after adding in rentals, mobile apps, social network play, subscriptions, digital downloads, and other non-traditional revenue channels.

Microsoft said Tuesday it would sell a reduced-price version of its Xbox One console without the Kinect motion detection system.

The move comes with Microsoft locked in a tough battle with Sony, which has been leading the game console market with its next-generation PlayStation 4.