PlayStation 4 Hardware

Aside from some network hiccups, the PlayStation 4 has pretty much got off to a flawless start. Not everyone’s entirely happy with the content selection right now, but new consoles always take some time to build up a roster of must own software – and it’s not like there’s a complete lack of titles on the next-gen system to play.

And Sony has been rewarded for plotting an almost perfect transition from the PlayStation 3, already selling 10 million of the recently released machines, with more certain to follow over the looming holiday season. However, the manufacturer has admitted that it’s not quite sure why the console is selling so well – but a study from Nielsen may have the answers.

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According to the data, a whopping 31 per cent of PS4 owners never owned the Japanese giant’s previous platform, but did have an Xbox 360 or Wii. That means that the firm is inviting new consumers into its ecosystem, which is quite an impressive feat. Moreover, 17 per cent of early adopters are new to the whole console gaming thing, which is hard to believe.

That may be because there’s a slight flaw in the original study, as it asked consumers to list which consoles they currently own, not what they played in the past. This means that anyone who traded in, say, their PS3 for a PS4, would be listed as someone who didn’t own a PS3. That strikes us as a gaping flaw, but there you go.

Nevertheless, that’s unlikely to be the case in all instances, so we suppose that this data does at least indicate that Sony’s been very successful at convincing some consumers to drop their longstanding allegiances. We suppose that having a lower price point and word of mouth on its side certainly hasn’t hurt.

[source recode.net, via gamespot.com]