Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that worldwide sales of the PlayStation 4 console stood at 4.2 million units on December 28, 2013. Andrew House, SCE’s Chief Executive Officer, revealed the news at the company’s keynote at the CES trade show today, reiterating that the impressive PS4 sales data only counts stock that has been “sold through” to consumers.
While not specifically stated in the press release, the confirmed 4.2 million PlayStation 4 install base (which is up measurably from the 2.1 million units the company reported as sold at the beginning of December) seems to put Sony in the early leadership position in the new console war. Earlier this week Microsoft confirmed that Xbox One sales hit 3 million units at the end of 2013, and Nintendo’s latest sales update puts Wii U shipments at 3.91 million worldwide.
The wildcard here is obviously Nintendo, as their numbers are only good through September 30, 2013, however, it is clear that Sony has (at the very least) closed the gap on the Wii U’s year-long head start.
As part of the announcement, Sony also noted that PlayStation 4 retail and digital software sales stand at more than 9.7 million copies, and PlayStation Plus subscriptions have jumped up 90% since the launch of the new console — although some part of that is certainly attributed to the free 30-day PS Plus trial that comes with the console in some regions.
It is still far too early to tell if the PlayStation 4‘s early sales momentum will continue to build over the next few months, but there is no doubt that this is fantastic news for both Sony and the future of console gaming. Check out the full press release on the next page, and give us your thoughts on the state of the new console war in the comments below.
Published: Jan 7, 2014 02:38 pm