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Sony Has Sold 50 Million PlayStation 4 Units (gamespot.com)

Posted by msmash on from the sales-figures dept.

Sony today shared sales figures of the PlayStation 4, saying the gaming console surpassed 50 million units as of this week. The console was launched in November 2013, and hit 40 million sales mark in May this year. In a statement, the company said, via GameSpot: "We're truly delighted that the PS4 community continues to flourish since launch three years ago," Sony Interactive Entertainment boss Andrew House said in a statement. "With tremendous support from our fans and partners across the globe, this year we were able to deliver an unprecedented lineup of hardware, including the new slimmer PS4, PS4 Pro, and PlayStation VR. We will continue to provide the best gaming experiences available through our ground-breaking software lineup and network services, as we focus on accelerating our business and expanding the PS4 ecosystem."According to an estimate Nvidia provided in August, Microsoft's Xbox One has an install base of 29 million.

7 of 73 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I just bought one last week by WinkyN · · Score: 2

    I too bought one last week, and I am very happy with it so far. Uncharted 4 is fantastic. If you've played Assassin's Creed before, the controls and game play are somewhat similar. FIFA 17 is outstanding, as well. I'm also looking forward to trying out the PS Vue to see if it's a good replacement for DirecTV.

  2. Re:I just bought one last week by Luthair · · Score: 2

    I've found this console generation to be a colossal disappointment in terms of games. The previous generation had quite a few interesting games but this one seems like a wasteland.

  3. Re:XBox One by Higaran · · Score: 2

    I think Microsoft killed some sales of the xbox by announcing the Scorpio too early, I know quite a few people that are waiting off just to get the Scorpio.

  4. Imagine these numbers if it had Linux! by shess · · Score: 2

    Surely there would have been hundreds of millions sold if it only supported Linux. Short-sighted at best.

  5. Not flame bait by nasch · · Score: 2

    So serious question - why is the PS4 so drastically outselling the XBox One? Performance? Games? Price? Because PSN is free? Are people still gun shy from the red ring of death? Windows 10 hate carrying over? A combination of many factors?

    1. Re:Not flame bait by ausekilis · · Score: 2
      I think there are many reasons:
      • Performance - The PS4 has slightly more throughput and reports show it runs at a higher resolution
      • Marketing - XB1 was initially marketed as a one-box-fits-all media center that plays games. PS4 was marketed as a game console that handles a few other things
      • DRM - XB1's first press release had some convoluted solution for sharing games with friends and trying to kneecap second-hand sales. PS4 had a demonstration for sharing games, handing a box to your friend
      • Accessories - XB1 had the mandatory kinect with an always-on microphone. PS4 had an optional PS Move accessory pack. I'm pretty sure folks didn't like the idea of an always-on microphone and camera staring back at them when they aren't playing.
      • Cost - PS4 started off as a better bang-for-the-buck, partially due to it being slightly faster (DDR5 vs DDR4 RAM, among other specs), partially because it didn't have a $100 spybot sucking away potential consumer dollars.

      It isn't that PSN is free and XBL is not. True you can browse stuff on the PSN, but in order to play games with friends and get the free monthly games, you need a Plus account, which is like the XBL gold account. It also isn't (necessarily) games, their starting libraries were very similar without many exclusives to either console. That's still pretty true, barring some of the established franchises like Gears of War and Uncharted.

      Now with PS4 being the winner of this generation, developer focus is primarily on them.

  6. Re:I just bought one last week by David_Hart · · Score: 2

    Oh god, does anyone else remember that cringe-worthy petition to get Bloodborne released on PC?

    https://www.change.org/p/from-...

    I'm still not sure if the submitter was being serious when they created the petition.

    Nope... but I do remember the petition to release the DLCs for Skyrim for the PS3. Bethesda, at the time, said that the PS3 wasn't powerful enough. I ended up having to buy the PC version of Skyrim and migrate my save games to the PC. Of course, going from the PS3 to a PC with a GTX 970 made a big difference in graphics and load times.

    This experience reminded me of the limitations of consoles. It didn't stop me from upgrading to a PS4, but it did remind me why I use my desktop as my main gaming rig.