Sony recently revealed its latest earnings report, showing that, despite the upcoming release of the PS5, the PS4 is still going strong. After this latest report, it has been revealed that 110.4 million units have been sold throughout the console's lifetime, or approximately 15.7 million units per year.
It's no secret that the Nintendo Switch sales have been soaring as a result of the Coronavirus, as people are stuck at home and want a way to spend time with their families. That said, there hasn't been much of any reporting about the PS4's sales until now, and it seems that Sony is experiencing a similar boon. Much of this information comes by way of analyst Daniel Ahmad.
Each year since 2016, the number of PS4 sales have decreased, but this is to be expected. Though the PS4 sold approximately 17.8 million units last financial year, this financial year it dropped down to 13.6 million units. Still, many believe the coronavirus may upset this trend, seeing a slight increase for the current financial year despite the PS5's release.
All that said, this latest report sees Sony breach 100 million PS4 units sold, which is a major milestone. This still doesn't hold up to the PlayStation 2, which is the highest-selling game console of all time at 155 million units sold, but it does put it in a solid second place in terms of home consoles. Surpassing the Wii and the original PlayStation, both of which were above it previously. What makes this accomplishment most amazing is that the next generation PS5 releases by the end of the year, meaning one would think most consumers wouldn't be purchasing PS4s anymore.
Even if the PS4 sees a spike in sales caused by the Coronavirus, it is highly unlikely that it will surpass its predecessor, the PS2, in terms of sales. The highest number of PS4 units ever sold in one year was 20 million in 2016, so to surpass the PS2 it would have to double that figure next year or maintain steady sales after the PS5 is already out, both of which are unlikely. Regarding game sales, Sony hit another interesting milestone in that 51% of all full game sales were digital, marking the first time that there were more digital than physical sales, which could indicate an imminent change in the market.
Despite all of this, Sony's PS5 console is looking to be incredibly popular as well, although nothing can be known for certain until it releases. There have also been reports that Sony will produce a limited amount of PS5's in order to compensate for a low demand caused by the higher price of the machine.
Sony's PS4 has now sold 110.4 million units.
Source: GameSpot