PlayStation 4 Just 50 Million Units Shy of Best-Selling Home Console Ever
The first PlayStation 4 customer, center, purchased the console on Feb. 22, 2014. Sony went on to sell over 100 million units since. | Source: AP Photo/Koji Sasahara
- Sony has shipped 102.8 million PlayStation 4 units to date.
- PlayStation 4 is now the second best selling console of all time, beaten only by the PlayStation 2.
- Sony records an uptake in PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now subscriptions.
In yesterday’s financial earnings report , Sony revealed that global shipments of its flagship PlayStation 4 console have hit 102.8 million units.
PlayStation 4 Needs Another 50 Million Units Sold for the Record
With this, the PlayStation 4 secures the coveted spot as the second best selling console of all times, trailing the 155 million PlayStation 2 units shipped between 2000 and 2013. Despite dominating this generation of consoles, the PlayStation 4 won’t dethrone the PlayStation 2.
Over 50 million short of the record, it’s unlikely Sony will sell the required number of PlayStation 4 units between now and cessation of production. Especially in light of the anticipated slow down of PlayStation 4 sales when the PlayStation 5 launches next year.
Nevertheless, Sony now dominates the top five best selling consoles with no less than four products, including the two mentioned above alongside the original PlayStation, which sold 102.49 million units and PlayStation 3. The only non-Sony product is the Nintendo Wii, which sold 101.64 million units over its production cycle.
Downgraded Forecast Due to The Last of Us Part II Delay
Despite hitting the milestone, Sony has downgraded its forecast for the fiscal year 2019. It shifted the goal post from 15 million units to 13.5 million units. Combined Q1 and Q2 sales amount to 6 million units. This compared to the 7.1 million units sold for the same period last year. Sony states that the revision is fueled by a desire to mitigate the ramifications of The Last of Us Part II delay to May next year.
Software and Subscriptions Continue To Rise
The results also report that approximately 1.067 billion software units have sold since the console launched in 2013. Marvel’s Spider-Man stands as the best-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive, with 13.2 million units sold up to Q2 2019. In comparison, PlayStation 2 software sales amount to 1.537 billion.
PlayStation Plus subscribers have hit an all-time high of 36.9 million, up from 34.3m in Q2 2018. PlayStation Now subscribers have jumped to 1 million, up from 700,000 in May of this year, partly aided by a price decrease earlier this month and the addition of acclaimed exclusives like God of War. The uptake bodes well as the industry turns its focus towards cloud gaming.
