It’s clear the PlayStation 4 (or PS4 as it’s known to its friends) has been wildly successful, leaving its direct rival the Xbox One behind when it comes to sales, and is now one of the most popular consoles of all time.
Actually, Sony recently revealed that the PS4 has sold almost 100 million units to date (96.8 million to be exact), as of March 31, as reported on VG247. This is certainly impressive, making the PS4 one of the best-selling consoles ever behind Nintendo’s Wii and the company’s original PlayStation, which shifted 104 million units during its lifetime.
Of course, the PS4 still has a while to go before it can dethrone the PlayStation 2 – still the top-selling console of all time. Actually, more than 158 million PlayStation 2s flew of the shelves after the console’s launch in 2000.
But even if PS4 sales are approaching 100 million, Sony’s earnings report also revealed that the total number of units sold (17.8 million) is below the corresponding figure for the same period last year (19 million).
Despite this, though, Sony seems to be on a roll. The number of PS Plus subscribers has increased by more than 2 million year over year, and now surpasses 36 million, while its games division has made almost 21 billion in sales, an increase of 19 % year over year.
The company’s numbers might be rosy right now, then, although Sony itself admitted it expects to see a dip this year as the PS4 reaches the end of its cycle and the company gears up to release PlayStation 5.
Regarding Sony’s upcoming next-gen console, Sony also warned people not to expect the PlayStation 5 or PS5 until after March 31, 2020.
But with Sony’s first-party studios seemingly now focused on PS5 games, and the Japanese company having recently revealed basic specs for its upcoming console via its lead architect Mark Cerny, it’s unlikely we’ll have to wait longer than late 2020 to see the launch of this new PlayStation console.
With Sony skipping E3 this year, though, it’s likely fans will have to wait a little longer than they might want to get fresh new information about Sony’s upcoming console, but do stay tuned to this website for more news about the new PlayStation console in the weeks to come.
PS4 Slim Gold (Sony Interactive Entertainment)