PS4 Will Hit 100 Million Units Faster Than Wii

Game Rant

By Brandon McIntyre

Published Apr 27, 2019

With many notable exclusives and an indie-friendly vibe, Sony's PlayStation 4 console is on track to sell 100 million units faster than the record-setting Wii.

One often-discussed topics among gamers revolve around the commercial success of gaming consoles. Having become typical household products in great abundance over the past few decades, it is interesting to note which consoles reign supreme in the video game market. For example, the Switch is currently considered a booming console and even just two months after its release was said to possibly match the Wii in sales. Beyond that, however, Sony's PlayStation 4 console may beat the Wii's record of 100 million units sold faster than the branded family console.

Daniel Ahmad, the Senior Analyst of Niko Partners, studies trends, fluctuations, and other financial aspects of the video game market, specifically in Southeast Asia. A noted game industry analyst, Ahmad has previously shared other financial findings, such as the fact that Anthem sold less than Destiny in UK retail. Recently on Twitter, however, Ahmad posted a graph displaying the sales of various consoles past their release.

While the results weren't totally shocking, the graph compares the sales of the PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Wii, and Switch. According to the, it turns out the Xbox 360 was the worst-selling of the bunch, shipping 60 million units six years into its release, while the PlayStation 3 shipped close to 70 million units in the same amount of time. The first PlayStation had shipped almost 80 million units, landing just behind the Wii, which had shipped about 95 million units six years in and would go on to hit more than 100 million units. The PlayStation 2 reigns, however, having shipped approximately 100 million units by its sixth year in the market.

[embed]https://twitter.com/ZhugeEX/status/1121670219800276995[/embed]

As seen in the graph, the PlayStation 4 is about to pass the Wii's sales. It's also worth noting that it is outselling the PlayStation 2 at the same point in its life cycle. The Switch is about on par with the PlayStation 4's sales, though with a somewhat negative outlook implied by Nintendo slashing the Switch sales forecast, the momentum might shift in the PS4's favor.

Ultimately, it seems that Sony is winning the day in this generation. Nintendo does seem deadlocked with them currently, which may only be temporary. Furthermore, this graph excludes Xbox One sales, but the focus seems to be on the PS4's impressive performance.