There's no question that, at this point, Sony's PlayStation 4 has taken a demanding lead in the current console race. After Microsoft launched its Xbox One following a number of significant missteps in the eyes of consumers, Sony had no trouble getting a firm head start on the house of Gates. The Japanese entertainment giant is expected to reach approximately 12 million consoles sold this year, which means that there are an ample amount of gamers online and utilizing the system's various features.

This has resulted in a surge of additional PlayStation Plus subscribers, as one would almost assuredly come to expect, and Sony recently confirmed just how many users had signed up for the multi-platform program.

During a recent post-earnings conference call with overseas investors, several executives from the company announced that roughly 7.9 million gamers have signed up for PlayStation Plus thus far. It wasn't specified how many of those subscribers came from the PlayStation 4 itself (PS Plus is also available for PS3 and Vita users, after all), but it's still a strong number that the electronics/entertainment company is sure to be very content with.

The PS Plus service itself has largely been seen as a value by critics and casual consumers alike thanks to its monthly selection of free games. Taking that value and adding in the fact that a majority of PS4 titles now require the digital subscription for online play, it's no surprise that the PlayStation membership has taken off with the crowd of new console owners.

At this point, even multi-platform titles like Destiny have proven to help dramatically stimulate sales for Sony's latest hardware, so it'll be interesting to see just how well the PlayStation 4 does with the upcoming Holiday season just around the corner. That said, the latest firmware update has caused heaps of trouble for gamers hoping to get in on the Evolve Big Alpha, and the ongoing DriveClub debacle is still without a solution in sight – both of which have frustrated consumers.

Despite this, PlayStation Plus has proven to be a worthwhile investment for gamers and the 7.9 million fans that have signed up for the service goes to show that.

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Follow Riley on Twitter @TheRileyLittle.

Source: Games Industry