The Sony(SONY -0.33%) PlayStation 4 console exploded out of the gate almost two years ago and established itself as the hardware generation's likely sales winner. Meanwhile, the Microsoft(MSFT -2.45%) Xbox One got off to a less spectacular start and had to build momentum by way of price cuts and the un-bundling of the Kinect camera.

As of July 2015, Sony reported that its newest system had sold over 25 million units, while Microsoft's console has sold around half of that figure. The PlayStation 4's sales lead is sizable at this point in the race, but there's a long shelf life for these platforms, and Microsoft is delivering in key areas that could help its gaming platform close the gap.

Click through the presentation below to learn about three ways that Microsoft is improving Xbox One's chances against the Playstation.