With the next generation of video gaming being around six months old now—it got its start in November of 2013—some, like the Multimedia Research Group (News - Alert) (MRG), are starting to take a closer look at the numbers and see just what kinds of trends can be derived. While the early sales numbers seem to project a clear winner, there's still quite a bit of story left to be told, leading those like MRG to note that the video gaming console market is less of a “sprint” and more of a “marathon” affair.

The early sales numbers hand a big win to Sony. With significant gains in November and December over Microsoft (News - Alert)—and some pretty big comparative wins following in January and February—PS4 had landed some major sales. Numbers from SNL Kagan suggest that around 3.6 million Xbox One consoles have been sold worldwide so far, while PlayStation 4 sales nearly double that at six million worldwide, though Microsoft reported shipping 3.9 million units back in January. Still, it's clear that in terms of install base, Sony has a pronounced edge on Microsoft.

Back when the Xbox One first came out, many looked at the price tag (News - Alert) and balked. With the economy still limping, justifying shelling out an extra $100 over the competition was a difficult prospect for many consumers. Microsoft tried to justify the extra cash required with the Kinect's voice and motion features, but many consumers didn't seem to take the offer seriously, and many started wondering when a version without the Kinect would be available for less.

However, there was one critical feature that the market has overlooked so far, and likely has contributed to a massive sales falloff in January for both sides: games. Looking at MRG's numbers, a clear drop is seen between December and January, almost a two-thirds loss for both sides. While there were plenty of sales initially as gamers rushed to stake a claim on one side or the other—not to mention get a present for that gamer at Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa—there's a massive drop after the ball dropped on New Year's Eve. Here, this is likely an expression of the games; both sides have seen some fairly slow development in terms of new games making appearances—a common development in the early goings of a new console release—and many gamers are likely sitting on their hands until a decent number of titles can emerge. Plus, the overall weakness in the economy may be contributing to some gamers taking the stance of waiting for a price drop, a wait made much easier overall by several game sales recently staged on the Xbox Live Arcade.

Indeed, MRG points out, there's quite a bit of room here for Microsoft and Sony to cannibalize sales of existing products as more services like PlayStation Now emerge, allowing televisions and set-top boxes to stream console-quality games. What point is there in buying a $400 console if a $199 set-top box can do the job?

Still, there's a long way to go before the next generation comes around, and just about anything can happen. Some thought Sony was doomed when the PlayStation 3 first came out, a year after the Xbox 360 and higher-priced besides. But with new games afoot for both consoles, and new developments to follow, there will be plenty of room here for either side to take the lead...or both to lose it.