Xbox 360 vs PS3: Microsoft Again Trump Sony on Home Turf

Microsoft's Xbox 360 games console has again outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) in its native US.

According to statistics from NPD Research, for the fourteenth consecutive month Microsoft's Xbox 360 has retained the crown of America's favourite games console.

In its report NPD stated that the Xbox 360 currently speaks for 42 percent of current-generation US console sales, having sold 426,000 units in February. The news marks the twelfth consecutive month the Xbox has held over 40 percent of the US market.

NPD went on to report that Xbox 360 software, hardware and accessories retail spending in February had reached $383m. The research firm highlighted the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, UFC Undisputed, NBA 2K12 and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim titles as selling particularly well.

The news follows on from the Xbox 360's strong Q4 2011 performance. Similar research from the NPD Group suggested the Xbox 360 had solidified its home lead over Sony's PS3 during Christmas, outselling it by more than 2.7 million units.

Specifically the NPD's findings suggested Microsoft's console had captured 49 percent of 2011's games industry consumer spending, accruing roughly $6.7bn in hardware and games sales.

The news has since led analysts to speculate about whether Microsoft will be able to keep its lead in the next generation of consoles - an area currently full of gossip and hearsay. Most recently, as well as pegging the device with a 2013 release date, a rumour from MCV suggested that the next Xbox will not have a disc drive.

Citing a number of unnamed sources, MCV reported that instead of a disc drive the next Xbox will house an interchangeable solid-state card storage unit - potentially similar to a microSD card slot.