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.

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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

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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.

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