It's looking increasingly likely that the PlayStation 4 will hit the 50 million unit milestone by the end of the year, as Sony has released its financial results for the quarter ending 30th September, revealing that it shipped a whopping 3.9 million units during the period, putting the platform's install base at 47.4 million units. The latest numbers represent a decline of 100,000 units year-over-year, but it's perhaps worth keeping in mind that Sony stopped sending out hardware for a brief period as it resupplied the retail chain with the new Slim model. It hasn't changed its forecast, so it's still anticipating a gigantic holiday.
Operating income in the gaming sector did decrease year-over-year, with the manufacturer attributing this to price reductions on PS4 hardware and a continued decline in PlayStation 3 software sales. However, it did note that sales have increased through the PlayStation Network, and that it's managed to bring down the cost of manufacturing its new-gen console – presumably with the launch of the PS4 Slim. This will obviously help its profitability moving into the Christmas period and into 2017 and beyond.
Sony as a whole remains in the black, though exchange rates meant that its sales revenue dropped by 10.8 per cent year-over-year. The company managed an operating income of ¥45.7 billion ($435 million) overall, which represents a near 50 per cent decline compared to last year. The firm blamed the deterioration of its semiconductors and components businesses for the decrease. All of its other divisions turned a profit, with PlayStation being one of its more successful ventures.
[source sony.net]
Comments 30
from underdogs in 1995.to the greatest consoles of all times.PlayStation the g.o.a.t.been a fan since day 1.
The Slim appears not to have had 'much' impact on the sales of the PS4 - losing out to MS's XB1 for the month it was released. I wouldn't be surprised if MS also sells more units for October as well. The slim doesn't appear to add 'much' - quieter maybe - and if anything loses a bit of functionality with the lack of an Optical link. Maybe not important for some.
Of course the other issue with the 'slim' is and PS4 sales overall is the upcoming PS4 Pro. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of potential PS4 customers opted to wait a few months for the release of this much more powerful console. Not only does it appeal for new-comers though, it also has some appeal to a lot of the existing user base where as the Slim doesn't offer really anything more than the original PS4.
I can easily see PS4 breaking through the 50m mark this month with the release of the Pro and returning to the top of the consoles sales chart for the month.
@playstation1995 they've some ways to go to make a better console than the SNES. Maybe it was the age I was when I got it but nothing has beaten the enjoyment I got, and still do, from that little grey box over so many years.
Nice, it just means more gaming coming I guess Looking forward to announcements at PS Experience...
@stevejcrow Eh, other times! The SNES was really a killer...Nintendo games + third parties and a lot JRPGS, I do really feel that PlayStation has been the best thing since then in terms of game offerings/variety even if I am partial to the Dreamcast and its short but masterpiece filled life.
@BAMozzy We need to see how the Pro shakes out, but yeah, the Slim doesn't appear to have had the desired effect just yet. That said, if it's really reduced manufacturing costs, then maybe that gives them the leeway to heavily discount it this holiday.
It's still way too early to say. Definitely not a great impact thus far, though.
@get2sammyb It may have given Sony a bit more margin and 'profit' potential but like everything, the component parts themselves are only 'part' of the costs. No doubt there is R&D as well as making a whole new set manufacturing moulds for example for the new designs that need to be paid for too. I doubt we will see 'significant' drops for a while unless sales of PS4 Pro etc can offset some of those costs. I would be surprised if we see much of a drop - 10-12% at most (around £250). If the Pro continues to sell at a 'good' rate, then Sony may opt to keep it at that price and drop the price of the Slim further so overall 'profit' remains relatively similar.
Sony have obviously invested a lot of time and money on the PS4 beyond the release - PSVR, Pro and Slim - that would need to be recuperated before we see a sizeable price drop.
Incidentally, have you seen Cerny's comments about the power required for native 4k? He states that 8tflops are required - which I think is more realistic than 6tflops. The 4.2tflop is relatively comfortable at 2x1080p so 8tf's should deliver these at native 4k - assuming RAM and CPU are sufficient too. I know the 6tflops of Scorpio is 4x that in the XB1s but that would suffice for MS's 'exclusives' that hit 1080p but can't see it being enough for a lot of the 3rd Party games - like those on Frostbite for example. Of course a lot could change in the next few years and 8tflops (for example) may not be enough for 2019+
Pretty sure it will hit 50 million. There are a lot of people holding out for switch that will see a fantastic PS4 holiday deal and buy that instead.
@stevejcrow Its nostalgia bro. The snes was great but if someone stuck both a snes and PS4 in front of you there's no doubt in my mind which one most people over the course of 6-12 months would end up playing more.
@stevejcrow
There's a lot of consoles I love to death, and even the ones that aren't as good overall have a large enough handful of timeless classics that it's hard not to fall head over heels for those also.
Not long ago I said 3DS was my all time favorite platform. But PS4 will probably top it by the time it's run its full course. But PS4 is a lot more appealing to me than many others because I missed so many 7th gen classics. So all these remasters that it's being flooded with are like brand-new games for me. So I'm sure you can imagine how impressive that makes the library for someone like me. For others maybe not so much , since half the games in the library are games they played last generation. But also the PSVR has had a huge impact on my adoration of PS4.
But see, X1 is rapidly catching up to PS4 in terms of a potential all time favorite, mostly because of the 360 BC that's given me access to games like Portal 2 and Lost Odyssey (among many others). The only thing is PS4 has way more exclusives, but the BC is offsetting that. If they come out with good VR next year it very well might become my favorite console of all time. Either way I think PS4 or X1 will take that spot above 3DS when all is said and done.
But even consoles like Wii U and Vita I've found to have exceptional libraries. Wii U has a small number of timeless classics (I think five of my favorite games of all time are on Wii U) be it Pikmin 3, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Splatoon, Mario Maker or DKC Tropical Freeze. Meanwhile Vita doesn't really have any timeless classics of its own at all (lots of good and even really good games, and a handful of ports of timeless classics, but none of its own I would consider timeless), but it's just got so many great games that feel so right on a handheld. There's nothing like Dragon Quest Builders on Vita, or World of Final Fantasy, or Persona 4, or Final Fantasy X. Each and every Vita game I gets feels like a treasure.
And the way it's looking, if Switch plays it's cards right, it may surpass all of them once it has a full library of games. If Nintendo combines their resources to pump the majority of their exclusives onto one system, that would double the 1st party spread, and if they get some good 3rd party exclusive games along side them, an HD Monster Hunter and some great Japanese games and multiplats... that system is going to shine. Even at its worst it's still going to be an exceptional system and the fact you can play console games portably... that system is going to have a very special place in my heart no matter how the cards end up falling.
I just love all systems. Some more than others but all of them are just so valuable. I wouldn't want to give up any of them.
There's no stopping this train
@stevejcrow Playstation 1 is better than snes for me, from final fantasy 7, final fantasy tactics, resident evil 1, tomb raider, castlevania sotn, suikoden, ridge racer, nearly all my childhood memories consist of playing playstation games
@themcnoisy My head knows you're right but my heart says your wrong!
@JaxonH That Switch has my interest, if all I used it for was Zelda and nostalgia.
I think the SNES is a good starting point for kids even today. Games are a good mix of styles and the over the top violence, swears and rude bits are less prevalent.
I've had hours of fun with PS4 and 360 before it but not the same level of wonderment. Bloodborne & now Souls 3 are getting me there though and Witcher 3 was superb. Deus Ex hasn't really gripped me and open world things are the gaming equivalent of fast food...
For Sony: Yea Baby!
For MS: Scorpio will come too late to change their fortunes.
For Nintendo: The Switch is a crashing disappointment and will most likely sell less than WiiU. No BC for accessories or games, no HDD for Triple AAA game patches/DLC, limited RAM, Xbox One power levels in 2017 with tiny controllers. Oh dear, the only thing I can see this doing well is Virtual Console. So that adds up to a $300 game portal which requires you to rebuy all your favorite games.
@stevejcrow I enjoy Sega genesis more than snes.Sega genesis was the best before PlayStation
@wiiware yep ps1 is way better than send.syphon filter I miss those games
@playstation1995
Was a Genesis guy myself because I was a big sports fan and there was no better console for sports games. Then you had the obvious stuff like the Sonic games, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Shinobi, ToeJam & Earl, Phantasy Star, Castle of Illusion, Road Rash, TMNT The Hyperstone Heist, Maximum Carnage, the best console version of Mortal Kombat 1, etc. I'll admit by the end of the 16-bit gen, I conceded that SNES had the better library for most people but for me the Genesis dominated most of that gen.
@playstation1995 Oh man I forgot syphon filter, I remember tasering every enemy that I can find on the first game, good times, haha..
@get2sammyb I'm holding out to buy number 50,000,000.
@JaxonH Some day when you're old and gray like me your going to look back and 3DS will be your favorite console, I feel pretty good about that prediction.
The picture reminds me how much I dislike the design of the PS4 Pro. Nearly on a par with the original xbox one.
@wiiware haha my favorite ps1 games of all times
@Gamer83 streets of rage is my favorite Sega franchises of all time
@rjejr lol.
Slim doesn't appear to be doing the job, but it's probably actually making more money for Sony thanks to bigger margins. It'll be very interesting to see how Pro works out. I'm assuming it'll be decent, but far from spectacular sales for Pro. Very interested to see how incremental, mid-generation upgrades will go down with the general public though.
With the release of both Slim and Pro will Sony eventually discontinue the (original) PS4?
AMAZING Sales And the PS4 Pro will continue SONY's AMAZING run Talking about the PS4 Pro its only £332.49 pre-order on Amazon.co.uk at the moment
@WanderingBullet "will Sony eventually discontinue the (original) PS4?"
Haven't they already? I'm guessing whatever stock is left on shelves is whatever is left and they haven't made any more for a few months now.
You can buy the original Uncharted bundle for $280, it was $400 - FOUR HUNDRED - when it released a few months back.
https://smile.amazon.com/PlayStation-500GB-Console-Uncharted-Limited-Bundle/dp/B01BEELH52/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1478100169&sr=8-5&keywords=ps4&th=1
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2016/02/uncharted_4s_limited_edition_ps4_bundle_is_a_true_treasure
I think sales will slow down until the Pro comes out. People would be less inclined to purchase a PS4 or PS4 Slim with Pro around the corner.
@rjejr Ah, I see. I asked cause one of my friend's is planning to get one for his son but haven't decided on which model (old PS4 or Slim), yet.
@WanderingBullet The Slim is supposed to have a quieter fan and the controller has the light up strip on top, but no optical out port, but I just liked the idea of newer tech in my home.
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