Sony's yearly financial report reveals the latest sales numbers for the PlayStation 4, as well as the revenue the company has earned from the PlayStation Network.
Near the end of the previous gaming generation, many analysts predicted that the eighth gen would be the end of dedicated video gaming consoles. However, Sony has revealed very impressive sales numbers for the PlayStation 4, with the console surpassing 40 million units sold worldwide – putting to rest the notion that console gaming is dead.
Sony was able to bring the PlayStation 4 above the 40 million units sold threshold by selling 17.7 million consoles over the last fiscal year. To put into perspective how impressive those numbers are, the Wii U has sold 12 million over its lifetime, and analyst reports put the Xbox One at about 18 million units sold. Basically, the PlayStation 4 sold more in one year than the Wii U has sold in its lifetime, and sold enough in one year to match the Xbox One's lifetime sales.
That's not to say that the Xbox One is doing poor in sales – it's just that the PS4 is doing exceptionally well. In fact, the console's sales are accelerating, with its momentum expected to continue in the coming years. This should come as no surprise, as the PS4's library is starting to include rather impressive exclusive titles, such as the recently released Ratchet & Clank reboot, and the upcoming Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
Besides strong hardware sales, Sony also reported impressive numbers for its PlayStation Network revenue. In the past fiscal year, PlayStation Network revenue increased to ¥529,000,000, which was more revenue than Nintendo pulled in for its entire business in the same time period. It's safe to say that Sony is crushing the competition in the eighth generation so far, and the PS4's market dominance could at least partially be to blame for the possibility that the Wii U could be discontinued in 2018.
Indeed, Sony is on a roll, and there are no signs that its momentum will slow down anytime soon. The rumored PlayStation 4.5 could boost hardware sales even further, and if the virtual reality movement catches on, the PlayStation VR headset could become the dominant hardware for VR thanks to the PS4's popularity. If these hardware gambles by Sony pay off, the company could further cement the PS4's legacy as the best-selling eighth generation gaming system.
And that's not to mention the various exclusive games that the PS4 has on the horizon. While past years have been rough for the PS4 in terms of exclusives, 2016 is looking bright for the console. We've already mentioned games like Ratchet & Clank and Uncharted 4, but Sony has other titles in the pipeline as well, including: Horizon: Zero Dawn, Dreams from the LittleBigPlanet studio, and much more. Barring some unforeseen killer app from the competition, it's safe to say the PS4 has already won the eighth generation hardware sales race.
Source: Sony