As of now, Sony has sold over $7 million PS4 units while Microsoft has sold roughly $5 million systems to retailers. Speculation has emerged that the reason for this large margin between the rival next-gen consoles is due to Sony's well funded ad campaign.

Previous conclusions about why the PS4 was performing better than the Xbox One statistically, resulted in points on the console's price as well as it's regional availability. Originally, Xbox One was sold at a higher price than the PS4 which may have resulted in gamers leaning toward the cheaper unit, but now the price stands even. Another reason the extra $2 million PS4 systems could be accounted for, is that the Xbox One was not obtainable in as many areas as the PS4 during the launch of the consoles.

Now there is a new verdict which is backed up by research into the spending of the conglomerates. Through the end of May 2014, Sony had spend $59 million on television advertisements as opposed to Microsoft which only spent $34.7 million.

Basically, Sony stretched the range of networks on which their console would appear during commercial breaks, FOX, FOX Sports, Comedy Central, ESPN, and TNT. Microsoft also purchased air time on the same networks, but not nearly as much.

According to iSpot, Microsoft had spent $73.6 million on Xbox ads in 2013, more than any of it's competitors, Sony included.

As 2014 rolls on and sales between the two next-gen titans remains gaped, time will tell whether Microsoft will up their ante.

Watch the videos below of commercials that may have appeared on the networks listed above:

Official PlayStation Greatness Awaits Trailer:

Xbox One All in One: