The console gaming market has been mainly dominated by two companies in the last decade or so, namely Sony and Microsoft. Sony’s PlayStations have gone head to head with Microsoft’s Xbox systems. However, since the release of the PlayStation 4, Sony has never looked back as the console has sold over 60 million units worldwide, since its release. The sales of the Microsoft counterpart, Xbox One, have not been as impressive, to say the least. Now a new report indicates that not only is the PS4 more popular, the console may have sold more than double that of Microsoft’s platform.
PS4 sales much higher than Xbox One sales
As of June 30, the PS4 has sold more than 63.3 million units across the globe. This puts the PS4 at the very top of the gaming console race. Microsoft does not reveal the sales figure of its Xbox One any longer, but analysts suggest that the Redmond-based company has sold around 30 million units of its Xbox One, globally. This means that Sony’s gaming system has sold more than twice that of its nearest competition.
At the end of the first quarter of 2017, Sony had reported that it had sold 60 million units, which indicates that the PS4 sold a whopping 3.3 million units more from April 1 to June 30 this year. This year, the Nintendo Switch was also launched in the market and became a very popular gaming console.
However, comparing the sales of the brand new console against Sony’s also reveals just how impressive the PS4 has been in the market.
The Switch sold 4.7 million units since its launch on March 1 till June 30. Nintendo aims to ship 10 million units by the end of the console’s first year. Sony, on the other hand, expects to ship 18 million units of its consoles in the same span of time.
Why has the PS4 become so popular?
There are many factors which influenced the popularity of the PS4 console over that of the Xbox One. In 2013, Sony’s gaming platform was priced $100 lesser than that of the Redmond-based company’s Xbox One. However, the most noteworthy reason for the PS4’s success is the company’s determination to provide exciting new exclusive content for gamers on its systems.
PS4 exclusive game titles include ‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’, ‘Horizon Zero Dawn,' and ‘Bloodborne.' All of these are popular games which induced some gamers to pick up the console, as these could not be played on the Xbox One or the PC. More promising games exclusive to the PS4 are also expected to arrive soon, and with it, the popularity of the console will also most likely be maintained.
