Sony’s PlayStation 4 is now easily the most popular current-generation console. Microsoft no longer reveals exact sales figures for the Xbox One, Sony’s main rival, instead posting “monthly active users” which it claims is a more relevant counter.
Comparisons can still be drawn by third-party services though. Unofficial numbers posted by VGChartz suggest Microsoft has now sold 21 million Xbox One consoles, around half that of the PlayStation 4. Both consoles launched in November 2013 but many gamers immediately favoured Sony’s offering due to a number of missteps by Microsoft in the Xbox One’s development.
In a press release, Sony thanked fans and developers for their response to the PlayStation 4. It revealed that a total of 270.9 million games for the console have now been sold in retail stores globally and online in the period to May 22, 2016.
“We are truly grateful for the enormous support from our fans and partners across the globe, which helped us achieve this significant milestone in such a short span of time,” said Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
“We will strive to deliver even more exciting gaming experiences to our users, further driving the momentum and accelerating the expansion of the PS4 platform and its business this fiscal year by offering an unparalleled line-up of games, bringing our virtual reality system, PlayStation VR, to market and providing ground-breaking features and network services.”
The continued strong demand for the PlayStation 4 years after its launch highlights the success of Sony’s current-generation console. The company is continuing to update and maintain the device with regular software updates.
It is also developing its own virtual reality system, PlayStation VR, that will launch later this year for a competitive $399. That’s significantly less than buying a PC virtual reality headset, such as the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, and the high-performance hardware to go with it, giving Sony a compelling offer for people looking to get into VR.
Sony is currently thought to be building a new version of the PlayStation 4, dubbed the PlayStation 4.5 or PlayStation 4K. The updated console will include more powerful hardware capable of running games in 4K. It would represent a substantial mid-life refresh for the console, giving Sony more time to create a true next-generation successor.
Rival Microsoft is also believed to be taking the same approach. Despite previously denying it has new hardware in development, reports this week exposed two new Xbox consoles that are currently being prepared. A slimmed-down version will launch this year and will be followed by an upgraded console for 2017, allegedly with four times the power of the current model.
