In an interview with Pocket-lint, the general manager of Xbox Studios at Microsoft credited Sony for its launch and continued success of PS4. "They've got great momentum right now," he said.

Now the head of the entire Xbox division, Phil Spencer, has added his congratulations to his company's biggest rival. But warns that while Sony may have won the first battle, the next-generation console war is only in its infancy.

Speaking to Gamesindustry International during the E3 videogames trade show, Spencer admitted that Sony will continue its early success. But Xbox is also growing rapidly and could catch up over time. "You look at what Sony has sold, and congratulations to them; they've had a great launch," he said.

"Maybe we're 10 per cent of the way into this generation, so we're early, early days in how this will all play out. I tip my hat to them. I think they'll likely have a great show, and they should; they're coming in with a lot of strength. But this is a long-term competitive space, which is good for consumers."

Although Spencer did not directly state that Sony's PS4 lead came down to price, he did stress how important in was that Microsoft recently rolled out a Kinect-free version of the Xbox One.

READ: Xbox Studios boss: 'Hats off to Sony. They've got great momentum right now'