How's the PlayStation 4 doing now that the dust has settled on the device's launch hype? The answer: outrageously good. Sony has released its financial report for the first quarter of its financial year which ended on 30th June, and the results are pretty darn staggering. Indeed, the console has shipped a bonkers 25.3 million units to date, putting it far ahead of its competitors. You may have read recently that the Nintendo Wii U just passed 10 million units, for example.
In fact, so well is the PS4 doing that it shipped three million units during the abovementioned quarter alone – which is over double that of the Xbox One and Xbox 360 combined during the same period. We suppose that it's not all that surprising given the Japanese giant's sublime sales in Europe, but there's definitely been a sentiment in some parts of the industry that Microsoft's closing the gap – well, that certainly ain't happening in the sales department.
Of course, all of this means that the company's Games & Network Services division – which PlayStation is a part of – is practically rolling in cash. Sales increased by 12.1 per cent year-over-year, reaching an astonishing $2.365 billion. Operating income increased as well, settling at $160 million, which the platform holder attributed to increased sales and reduced production costs. It's not all rosy, though: PlayStation 3 hardware and software sales are dropping like a rock.
The company also remained relatively flat across the board, despite SCE bringing home the bacon. Decreased smartphone sales played a part, as did further contractions in the organisation's television business – but improved performance in its music division offset the losses. That said, with an operating income of $794 million, the colossal corporation is obviously capable of doing much better. Former PlayStation president Kaz Hirai is definitely sailing the ship towards much sturdier waters, though.
And it looks like PlayStation's going to play a significant part in that moving forward. The company actually increased its PS4 sales forecast, advising investors that it expects to ship 16.5 million new-gen systems during the current financial year – up from 16 million. That means that the console could be pushing shipments in the region of just under 40 million units by 31st March next year, which is frankly mind-boggling for a console that will barely be two years old at the time.
[source sony.net]
Comments 57
Good grief! This is still at launch price, too, remember - Sony can really turn the screw when it's ready.
@KratosMD I think you're wrong about there being "no reason for a company to improve something that is already selling so well". There is plenty of reason, and not just because of Microsoft and Nintendo. I mean, it wasn't so long ago that people said tablets and smartphones were going to kill consoles. The reality is that there are many things competing with the console these days, and that should be more than enough incentive for Sony to keep pushing to innovate and keep its product on top.
I do generally agree with you that the firmware updates have been coming a bit too slow, but I wouldn't say the Xbox One is especially far ahead of the PS4 in terms of core functionality. I certainly have pet peeves, and it's not an excuse for the tardiness, but you can't point to "frequent major updates" when they're not really bringing a whole lot to the experience.
I do generally agree with parts of what you're saying, but I would hope that after the humbling experience of the PS3, Sony's not resting on its laurels. I think stuff like Morpheus show that it's continuing to think ahead.
Ridiculous numbers - any idea how this is trending compared to the PS2? Is it ahead?
Then there's the poor old Wii U, only on 10 million after 3 years
@ShogunRok Yeah, it's trending ahead of the PS2. It's behind the Wii, though.
To put into perspective how crazy these sales are, the PS4 alone outshipped the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, Wii, and 3DS combined during the same period.
@get2sammyb @KratosMD Thanks.
It's crazy that the gap between PS4 and its competitors is actually widening. I think it's becoming clear that Sony's been spot on with its tactics - it'll be really interesting to see how well it does this holiday with all of the planned bundles.
Impressive, hopefully they put some of this money into improving PSN.
@get2sammyb Oh sure, after 2 years of telling me Wii U doesn't count, it's not a direct competitor, only X1 is, NOW you mention Wii U.
Worst part about those #s- PS5 launch line-up is LoU, GoW3, MGS and FFXV, remastered in 4K.
Seriously though, I'm really impressed by those numbers. W/ the holiday season coming, and uncharted 4 after that, then maybe finally a price cut, no reason to think it will slow down soon. Last Gen 260 million consoles were sold, 80 for PS3 and xbox360, 100mil for Wii. W/ WiiU lucky to get to 15m, and X1 having its own issues, PS4 easily has the poten tial to catch PS2.
Now sort your server's out....never gunna happen i'm glad PS4 is doing well ofc I just feel cheated every time PSN screw's up.
But..but..PS4 HAS NO GAMES!!!
I have way more PS4 games than I have time to play 'em.
It makes me laugh when people come out with, Sony's resting on its laurels because it's selling so well. When the fact is Sony "always" done well apart from the beginning of the PS3, the PS was the first console ever to sell over 100 million. The PS2 was the fastest selling console sell over 150 million, Sony's got where they are today by hard work not through sitting on there laurels.
I am GLAD MS is getting a BEATING
@AyeHaley same, omg
@ShogunRok
I think it gives to show how important it is to sell the console before it's even out. The PS4's launch was the perfect storm where everything came together wonderfully and where the competition failed miserably. And in a day and age where online gaming is so important, you can't make up for the initial losses; whether you actually prefer the One or not, the PS4 is the only viable option for a lot of people because their friends have it.
I find myself in the odd situation that I like the Wii U's library best so far and I think the One is the overall best console because of personal preferences, yet I consider my PS4 my main console. That's not just because I've always been a Sony fanboy, but because my family and friends play there and games are way more easy to sell if you're done with it.
The headstart made the PS4 unstoppable and although I do feel Sony is resting on its laurels, unlike some others, they won't be punished for it. I am curious tho when they'll reach the "glass ceiling" of hardcore gamers and whether they'll be able to burst through it and attract the Wii gamer when sales start to slow down. But if the projections are correct and 10 million of the current PS4 owners are indeed old 360 gamers, than they have quite the PS3 fanbase yet to convert to the upgrade.
The ps4 is outselling x1 because it is easily the better system this generation, and Sony did everything right with the ps4, in my opinion.
As for the Wii U, I think it will go down as one of the worst selling major console right next to Sega Saturn. Even the Sega Dreamcast sold better then the Wii U (slightly)in the same amount of time! (Not trying to down Sega fans; I absolutely love Sega myself ). We all know Nintendo will go third party eventually, just right now their incredibly stubborn.
@Boerewors I agree completely on your first point. It is easy to argue that many of these sales were won before the PS4 even launched.
I like the Wii meme a bit more.
@Anchorsam_9 I agree it's a shame the Wii U sold as poorly as it did. On the bright side at least Nintendo was able to turn a profit from it.
It's not as weird as you think. Everyone who grew up during the 80's and 90's are now adults and if they are still gamers they can afford their own consoles. Most of our parents would never have bought something considered a "toy" at the time for themselves.
As someone who plans on owning all three consoles this generation (haven gotten a ps4 yet), I think it's great when any system has such success, And great for gaming in general. The WiiU wins so far for exclusives though. (but terrible 3rd party support, obviously)
Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta were quite good, however.
@hYdeks Uh huh. Sony's lost billions and has been forced to sell buildings and assets, whilst Xbox is a massive money loser for Microsoft, emphasised by their move into PC. Yet Nintendo's the one going third party...
On topic; great news for Sony - though I'd like to see how many PS4 consoles they've actually sold to consumers. Like @KratosMD has said, all this happy news hasn't solved the major problems the machine has been having; namely, a terrible online service and a lack of killer exclusive software.
@Kage_88 Probably 25 million sold, microsoft tend to be the ones who talk units shipped (meaning) still stuck on the store shelf.
I can't believe people actually think Sony are still resting on their laurels, eh how? I thought there E3 showing put a lot of that nonsense away.
@BLPs I think most people will be happy with what's coming to PS4 anyway, not many look for big massive exclusives to get the system, they'll be playing Battlefront, CoD and assassin's creed through the winter to care about who has the best exclusives.
People forget that Bloodborne launched exclusively on the PlayStation 4 this year. But @adf86 is spot on - the people that are buying the PS4 in their droves couldn't care less about whether games are exclusive or not. They just want the machine with the most robust and varied lineup, which is the PS4.
@Kage_88 I'm saying I wish they would, calm down Nintendo fan boy
@BLPs There is a couple good games on the system, but otherwise the system is horrible and had nothing, especially from third party.
There's no arrogance like Sony arrogance. Don't ever change.
@BLPs: Oh, totally agree. Life isn't worth living unless you have sworn your allegiance to Kaz and company.
@hYdeks Why would you wish that a company would go third party? Sounds like a terrible wish to me. :/
@BLPs: Shish, don't tell anyone this but I jumped ship to an XB1. If Kaz found out that I dumped my PS3 for a XB1 he surely would make an example out of me!
@BLPs: Please pray for me! during those times when PSN is down or you are actually trying to download something substantial
@BLPs: I wish you peace and happiness as you try and clear yourself from the Kaz/Sony programming.
@BLPs - "The PS4 can clearly outsell the Wii"
I'm not giving Sony that mantle yet. Hard to know how many people bought the PS4 now instead of waiting and how many people there still are waiting to buy. Not saying it won't, it very well might, but I'm not convinced yet. When it hits 75 mil will talk.
@BLPs You complain and moan about Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony but its quite clear Sony is on to a winner. They have put gamers first unlike tvtvtv drm city xbox and two screen underpowered last gen Nintendo. Get over it. Seriously stick driveclub on in India in the rain and its clear the new gen is better, have a clicker chase you down on ps4 and its better, metal gear solid will literally blow anything last gen to smithereens.
Go buy one - just go and do it. Its not worth getting angry about. I'm passionate about games, 30 years ive sat zombie eyed at the tv - Atari never burgled my house, Amstrad never beat me up, Sega never had an affair with my wife - why am I gonna get angry at them just because they never listened to the fans - screw them move on. Buy a ps4.
@BLPs Why havnt you bought one? Your original reason was that it didn't have any games - that reason is now ridiculous.
Ive been a student (2.2 for my sins damn you alcohol, vice city and pes 2) and yes its hard. I was skint for years. But I didn't then come on every forum on the intertubes berating everyone that I didn't own a neo geo. To fair BLPs I'm pretty sure I started a conversation like this a few months ago with you and then it went a bit weird so I'm gonna stop. Its good to have insight into different peoples perspectives, you seem to be dominating these comments with negativity (I do the same with micro transactions and pay to win stuff) if you don't like it say so but not every frickin article.
Wow, I'll have to buy a ps4 then. I think playstation network sucks all sorts of sucky, but their console itself is pretty good. Not to mention that it has a very wide variety of games.
And no exclusives? lol. Have you bothered checking out Gamestop's upcoming release pages for each console? PS4 has like 10 more games than Xbox and that number will only grow. Not to mention it practically has 90% of Japanese games as exclusives.
I have an Xbone, but even I have a hard time ignoring all the good things PS4 has going for it. Hopefully the PS4 slim comes out soon.
@themcnoisy Absolutely. It's one thing to have an opinion @BLPs but when it's of a negative nature on virtually every article then it just gets tiresome. You've said that "my breed of gamer is dying" what does that even mean? It sounds like you're just upset that some people don't like the type of games you do.
@adf86 I think negativity is fine when it comes from valid and reasonable criticism. As much as we may hate to hear it, there is nothing wrong with it.
Nintendo is not selling staggering amounts, but Nintendo has been making a profit as of late. I don't see them going third party any time soon. It's true they are stubborn but they still make some of the best games which are worth getting a second console for. Right now I'm in gamers bliss with my PS4 and Wii U I'm glad for both that they are making profits but the PS4 is just ridiculous right now! Hope they keep that momentum going for sure!
@BLPs yea, you are right, I worded it wrong, my bad. And I can't blame you for not buying a ps4 yet, it's really expensive.
@Aromaiden I want Nintendo to go third party for consoles so everyone could buy their games. As it is, I feel alot of great Nintendo game could sell alot better if available for pc/x1/ps4. I uss to never think this and thought it was crazy at one point, but how badly their consoles are doing, I think it would be great of them to do so (but they probably won't).
As for portable gaming, They should definitely continue doing that, it's what they are best at!
A lot of ppl take it negative when ppl say they want Nintendo to go third party, but I say it cause I want there games to be available to everyone! (Also good to note that in my area, my ebgames and Wal-Mart have basically give up on Nintendo and it's hard to find any of their games in the stores, so that will make me biased).
Let's not go too deep down the ol' fanboy rabbit hole here. I appreciate that we're comparing console sales here and that's great, but let's try to be as constructive as possible if we can.
@Ryno You'll be back when Ratchet & Clank comes out. (I'm assuming your username is a reference.)
@hYdeks I disagree. The only positive that I can see occurring if a company like Nintendo goes third party, is their games becoming more accessible. Nothing else, as far I can tell, seems like a positive.
To be honest, I've never been to a single game store or Wal-Mart in my area that doesn't have a section for Nintendo. So that's kind of weird; maybe it just depends on location I suppose.
@Aromaiden Yes different opinions are fine but when it's constant negativity on a regular basis you just want the guy to give it a rest.
I didn't see any bragging or arrogance. I did see some stupid a$$ comments from Nintendopes though. I seriously don't know why these idiots bother posting here if they hate PlayStation so much.
@Aromaiden
Negativity is fine. I'm negative. The problem is constant hate filled comments on every article that has news that is good for PlayStation. Constant acting like the smartest person on the forum. Constant crying that the console doesn't cater to only his needs. Constant sob stories about how his life as a developer is so hard and everybody makes fun of him. Enough already.
@Gamer83 I'm not surprised to be honest. It's common for fans of different companies to needlessly hate and spread negativity against rivaling companies. It often happens at Nintendo Life too.
I prefer to just ignore the baseless negativity most of the time, because it usually doesn't amount to anything.
@Gamer83
hello Gamer83!!
Nice seeing you over here too. Isn't it great to have fangirls and fanboys intermingle in enemy territory? It also helps that pushsquare, purexbox, and nintendolife all share the same login credentials. oh boy!!!
(^_^ )/
@hYdeks I'm just a fanboy for speaking the truth.
Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft - any of them going third party would be terrible, as it would mean less variety and competition in the industry.
@Cyber-BLP--
And I started on the NES and stuck with Nintendo through the Gamecube days, so what? Times change, gaming tastes change. It's obvious you don't like what Sony has to offer anymore. Great. There's a console that does have everything you want and more called the Wii U, buy that, enjoy it and please spare us the sob stories and anit-PS4 bullcrap on every article.
@Utena-mobile
pX is like a nice haven devoid from the fanboy bs. This place used to be but the Nintendopes have gone pretty insane sine PS4 has had a strong start so they seem to think it's fun to migrate over here and start crap.
@Gamer83 You could just ignore the fanboy comments and save yourself a lot of trouble. Also to be fair, these "Nintendopes" tend to be the very same people each time.
@Aromaiden
I ignore most of them, but his are just ridiculous and I feel like there's been people here who have gotten banned for less annoying stuff than what he pulls. An ignore button, which damn near every website I've ever posted at has, would solve all the problems but I've tried going down that road to nowhere before.
@Gamer83 Just ignore it. After all, the only power they have over you is the power you give them. If you know you're right, then good, you don't have prove it. You can't convince everyone; so why waste your time when you could just avoid the pointless and meaningless discussion entirely.
@Aromaiden
There's no right or wrong though, this is more about somebody posting here just to troll, and then act superior to everybody else. It'd be easy to ignore, if it wasn't almost every damn article.
@Gamer83 You should probably edit the swear word at the end of your last sentence. The mods are really stern against swearing.
Honestly though, there is no place in the public internet, that is safe from trolls and other undesirables. It's up to you to decide whether you want to ignore them or not.
@Aromaiden
that's not a swear word, it's a giant man-made construction that is used to block up water and store it in a reservoir of some sort.
wink wink
( ~ .^)
@Gamer83 I missed it but I guess that means our good friend BLPs posted his usual nonsense and then deleted it. PS4 ain't perfect but it's pretty darn good. Seem to be a lot of complaints about online service, slow downloads etc, but 99% of the time mine works just fine and is quick too.
@hi_drnick
PS4 definitely isn't perfect by any means. Certainly for $50 a year now, I wish PSN was more stable than it is. Still, one thing I have to give the designers credit for is it might be the fastest disc-based console I've used. I don't game on PC so I can't compare to that, but compared to other home consoles, it loads games quickly and download times are very fast. Certainly moves at a better pace than Xbox One, though I'm hopeful MS can sort that out with future updates.
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