According to recently revealed sales data from publisher Take-Two, it looks like Sony's PS5 has outsold Microsoft's Xbox Series X|S by a factor of roughly 2:1. Microsoft stopped trumpeting console sales a while back, so getting to a concrete number requires taking a slightly circuitous route.
As reported by GameSpot, according to a slide listed in Take-Two's latest earnings report, there are "77 million Gen 9 consoles outstanding worldwide, as of 31st December 2023." Math never was our strong suit, but thankfully, Sony made things relatively straightforward for us by announcing more than 50 million PS5s have been sold as of December 2023, meaning the remaining number must belong to Xbox. That puts the combined sales of both Xbox Series X|S at about 27 million, depending on how December shook out.
Things get even more grim when you consider that Sony no longer sells PS5 consoles at a loss, whereas at least as recently as 2022, Microsoft was losing nearly $200 on every Xbox sold, with the idea being that that money would be made back on games and accessories. We all wait with bated breath to hear from the Xbox leadership team this week as to what fate awaits the platform, although it's unlikely the company will stop manufacturing consoles anytime soon.