Sony is forging ahead in the so-called ‘console wars’, having sold more than 5.3 million PS4s since its next-generation console went on sale at the end of last year. The figures come from the industry research firm NPD Group, which revealed that the company broke through the five million sales barrier on February the 8th, before the PS4 goes on sale in Japan on February 22nd. It means that Sony has fulfilled its goal of selling five million units almost three weeks before its March 2014 deadline.
With the PS4 set to go on sale in Japan later this month, it’s likely that Sony will get a considerable boost that’ll further its already significant lead over Microsoft’s Xbox One console. It’s uncertain how many Xbox consoles have sold so far, but Microsoft previously stated that it broke the one million sales barrier in just one day, before announcing it had sold around three million consoles in total by the turn of the year. With that in mind, the pace of sales suggest it’s likely that Sony has edged ahead of its rival – and with the Japanese absolutely fanatical about the PlayStation brand, it’s lead is only set to grow even bigger.
Sony cited figures from NPD Group to say that sales of its PS4 are far outstripping those of the Xbox One in the world’s most important market – North America. According to NPD’s data, console sales mushroomed in January, and surprisingly it was PS4 consoles that led the way. According to Sony, its PS4 sales had topped 4.2 million by the end of January, almost double those of the Xbox One.
“I am thrilled that so many customers around the globe have continued to select PS4 as the best place to play throughout and beyond the holiday season,” said Andrew House, Sony Computer Entertainment’s chief executive Andrew House, in a statement.
“The PS4 system’s momentum just keeps growing stronger.”
Sony also noted that membership for its PlayStation Plus subscription service, which gives console owners access to its library of games, movies and other media, had almost doubled since the launch of the PS4.
Sony and Microsoft are engaged in a vicious duel over who gets to be at the heart of our living rooms, at a time when consoles in general are under intense pressure from newer devices like smartphones and tablets, which offer an alternative portal for gaming and home entertainment.
