Microsoft already announced that they’d sold 3 million Xbox One units in 2013. Ironically, 3 million was Sony’s sales goal for the PlayStation 4 before 2013 ended.
So, did the PS4 equal the impressive performance of Xbox One?
Oh yes. And then some. Today, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has announced that cumulative sales of the PS4 hit 4.2 million as of December 28th. For the record, Sony’s fiscal year goal was only 5 million, which means they’ve got nearly three full months to sell another 800,000 units. Pretty sure they can manage that.
Said President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Andrew House:
“The momentum of the PS4 system keeps getting stronger and we couldn’t be more thrilled gamers worldwide are enjoying the incredibly immersive gaming experiences along with deep social capabilities and entertainment provided by our network. After a remarkable launch, we look forward to bringing even more exciting content and continuing to explore the power of the PS4 system by adding new features and services, including PlayStation Now, in 2014.”
PS4 software sales were strong throughout the holiday season, coming in at 9.7 million (counting both physical and digital copies). Top-selling games were Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, FIFA 14, and Killzone: Shadow Fall. Sony was also quick to point out that PlayStation Plus subscriptions increased by more than 90 percent since the PS4 launch, but don’t forget that we need that membership in order to enjoy games online this generation.
What does this mean for Sony?
It represents quite the turnaround, for one. The Xbox 360 dominated the PS3 in the US during the last generation and although we don’t have exact US sales numbers, it seems the PS4 did at least as well as the Xbox One in this country.
That’s merely speculation, of course, but if Sony sold 1.2 million more consoles than the Xbox One during the 2013 holiday season, that means Sony has a ton of momentum for 2014.
The only question concerns that momentum: Can Sony keep it going? What can they do to keep interest high?
Published: Jan 7, 2014 11:20 am