There’s still life in the ol’ PS4 it seems, as sales of Sony’s last-gen console increased by a face-melting 633 per cent year-over-year in 2023 in the UK. This number is obviously heavily influenced by the sheer scarcity of the system the year prior, as the tail of the console was dramatically cut short due to the chip shortages prompted by the pandemic. Nevertheless, it demonstrates there is still pent-up demand for PlayStation’s previous platform.
And it makes a lot of sense in some ways: software for the PS4 can be purchased incredibly cheaply, either physically from stores or digitally from the PS Store. It’s future-proof as well: anyone who eventually decides to upgrade to a PS5 will be able to carry all of their purchases forward, so there’s very little risk in plumping up for the PS4 while new-gen prices are still relatively high. It’s also worth pointing out most major new releases are still launching on the PS4 – many with free PS5 upgrades.
In truth, while the percentage increase looks absolutely enormous, the actual PS4 sales numbers are likely to be extremely low. It’s a reminder that there is still a lot of life left in the decade-old device, though, and we suspect it’ll continue to get some support for several more years yet. All of this will be music to Sony’s ears, of course, because while it’d prefer to convert PS4 owners to PS5 – it’d rather have them playing on its last-gen device than not at all.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 39
why buying last gen at all?
pricetag is not that much different.
A friend of mine did this because his PS4 died and he couldn’t get hold of a PS5 at the time. I thought he was mad initially, but he says he got a good price and it was better for him to keep playing his existing library of games, with his mates, than get an Xbox. Besides all the games he plays are on PS4, he’s your stock COD, GTA, etc. type gamer with an occasional single player game in between. Mostly he just buddies up to play Warzone and chat.
@Blacksmith1985 I'm guessing a PS5 is a good £200 more than a PS4 at least.
@Fyz306903 Yes. On Amazon now
But I’m sure you could shop around to get PS4 cheaper.
Yeah I think for price conscious people PS4 is not a terrible choice. It's probably more cost effective long-term to just get a PS5, but not everyone has £500 up front to splash, so I get why some people might plump up for a cheaper PS4 — especially if they find it at a decent price.
Plenty of titles, cheaper prices, backward compatible, many with free upgrades, it's not surprising at all, Sammy.
Still worth buying(having) one. I still rock my ps3,2 and 1. Love replays of old games….. plus nostalgia and all that.
It’s not like a ps4 is a bad console anyways, so why not?
I've still got a PS4 hooked up exclusively for 3D movie playback on the PSVR.
A PS4 with PS Plus is still excellent value for money, particularly if you are just starting out.
Edit: Take this month for example. You got GTA5 for "free". If you are a new gamer and have never played GTA5 before, that is fifty+ hours of quality time right there. In some ways there has never actually been a better time to buy a PS4.
Given the PS5 only has a handful of truly exclusive games that weren’t cross-gen it makes sense to save a few bob and get a PS4. You can still lose a few thousand days in FFXIV, Forbidden West still looks incredible and you can’t play WipEout in VR on PS5.
I thought Sony had stopped producing PS4s?
Scruffs.... just buy a PS5
@TrannosaurusBex
I think sony stopped making ps4 pro but they continued to make the standard ps4 in limited quantities or something like that. I still have my ps4 pro, however now I have a ps5 I'm planning on trying to sell my ps4 pro if I can.
You see that in more developing countries. It says something about the UK.
We've got two PS4 Pros (both with internal MX500 SSDs) and one PS5 in the household. Pros seem to be getting just an much use as The Tub o' Lard if not more so?
Perhaps that's just because the PS4 is a nicer place to visit (UI & OS still kicks fatty's arse) and perhaps it's because a shed load of all new releases are still hitting the PS4?
Sony made a million extra PS4s during the pandemic-crippled PS5 launch but those sold out very quickly and stock has been sporadic ever since.
£260 (ShopTo recently) vs £480 is a lot of difference for some people for playing 90% of the same games.
@TurboTom Personally I'd say keep the Pro as well.
I think there's something wrong on the PS5's emulation of some games as the DS4's rumble is not always faithfully replicated in the PS5, even with a PS4 title and a DS4.
Why not? The PS5 has no games, and PS4s are much cheaper. There's no reason to buy a PS5 for many people.
Up until this time last year you could get all your Sony AAA games on PS4. It was only since 2023 that really changed. Even this year you can still get 90% of games on PS4 including most of the major JRPG's, AAA's and sports titles.
I wonder if it can make it to 120 million.
Agreed - especially for kids and families. Major online games are fully compatible with PS4 and will be for ages to come and if your TV isn't pretty top of the line or are gaming in a spare room, you aren't going to notice much. I have a few friends with kids who still game on PS4 or XB1 because why bother upgrading when they only play Fortnite? Some of these were purchased post PS5 and Series X/S launch
Imagine how many more it'd be selling if it came down to £199?
Shame the Pro got canned although that'd give people even less incentive to 'upgrade'.
Most of my friends are still using their PS4, with no interest in upgrading yet. Plus there are a huge catalogue of great games, at a cheap price, to keep them using the PS4 for a long time.
Not everyone jumps on the new system on release, but instead waits until mid-gen, when they can get a console at a cheaper price. Personally, I think the PS4 gen, was more fun, compared to the PS5 gen so far. So if I wasn't a hardcore gamer, I would probably also have stuck with the PS4, for another year or two.
My PS4 is under my bed along with my old PS3, PS2, PS1 and a monster.
@ApostateMage The monster clearly has taste!
Cool i still use my ps4 pro.its incredible.easily one of the greatest consoles ever.word up son
this is the way .
@ApostateMage I’d like to give my monsters my old consoles but I fit them inside my head😂
I'm surprised they haven't dropped the price to at or under $200 at this point. I'd say it's still say it's a great entry console at that price and to get more casual sales like they did with the ps2 back in the day. It still has access to a huge library that is still growing to this day.
@Blacksmith1985 Lower price, large library, cheaper/bargain bin priced games, still getting new games. By the time a person buying a ps4 now is ready to move on the PS6 should be out and the PS5 is cheaper. So they get to do it again and have BC.
I'm surprised that Sony didn't go down the 'super slim' route as they did with PS3. A bare bones model (maybe even digital only) around £150 would have sold well in my opinion and got people into the PS ecosystem.
@NinjaNicky well I can agree.
Still rocking with my 6 year old Pro with a regular PS4 from 2015 as a backup. My 1080p tv PRO combo provides good performance when selecting performance mode on all but a few games. I also replay favorites. New games are always possible new favorites, but previous favorites replayed after 3 years is still fun, can feel fresh, and sometimes have new content. Then there is also Plus games.
I have no desire to purchase a PS5. It's smaller now but still ugly, I would need to pay extra for black side covers, it has a small ssd for what game sizes are now, it does less than my PS4, and it's ugly.
Maybe the PS5 PRO will interest me with not being ugly, plain black rectangle without the hidden cost of black side panels, and have a larger ssd. Maybe a new ui, themes, folders on home screen, and maybe it can do google searches.
The last generation systems are still quite capable. Hell, the Switch is obviously a notch below a PS4/Xbone and its successor will probably finally be on par with them.
You can play the most recent God of War and Horizon Zero games
a lot of cross gen games for this generation more then anyone i remember to be honest.
a mix of people being hurt economically by the pandemic and the shortage of chips for the next gen.
I still have a ps4 and playing new games so i think its still living. I planying to buy a ps5 in next black friday also. In my country a ps5 cost about 4 months of salary for average peaple ( 900 dollars) so its not as cheap is in another places.
I mean if games are still coming out, multiplayer servers are still online, experiencing systems they didn't but are now late gen I don't see any issue. I got a Wii U after Switch, I got a Vita in 2017, 3DS 2020, Switch 2021. I'm good to explore libraries I didn't no new new new/fomo fomo fomo. I'm into AA/Indies don't see 'dead' systems I see plenty of games I don't care for the AAA third parties as much and if the first parties don't interest me well that's fine they are for other audiences and not me.
With many third parties on old gen why not. People seem to forget some consoles have large userbases because games come out for them still they don't care about the latest (to a degree of course), best graphics and so on.
Same reason people don't care about back compat either. If they care for party games or whatever is accessible they will. I mean if they will buy up remasters because that one game or many spoke to them by all means they will. Or oh the hit tv show, will they buy the old one nope the shiny new one in those cases.
Why should people upgrade. If Just Dance was on Wii for so long, let alone sports games or other games from PSP ported to PS2 why would you get a PS3? If they have a DVD player/PS2 why a PS3/blu-ray player. Is new nice yes but at the same time not so for everyone.
PS4, Switch and Series S have close costs. Still getting third party games even if not first party they can the ones that are available. I don't see a problem. Do they need the latest thing nope. For sports, Just Dance, for any major or AA/Indie third parties nope. Is their system seller the big games maybe not. Whatever niche/casual games may be. To me I don't buy the system sellers most care for.
My game tastes are way different of AA/Indies I'd buy a system for. Even then I'd buy a PS5 why because of the hardware, no Gamepass, I don't buy digital so no Quick Resume use. I would for the Dualsense/PSVR2. I would because of third parties I can't access. But am I desperate nope. Not even close. Do I have family with access to the consoles yes. Do I care nope happy on PS4 seeing how they run and getting them cheap, exploring all my retro consoles as well. I'm not missing out. XD
I am happy on a PS4, I bought Playlink titles and will use the apps from dead Android sources that's how much I'm interested in novelties and peripherals, I only care for third parties on both my Xbox One and PS4, my Xbox One is literally a blu-ray player and back compat system besides odd Xbox One games I want to collect/if I don't see a PS4 copy. I'm good. XD
I use my Switch on occasion. It's gimmicks and games are fine. Wasn't as exciting as the Wii U was for me but still a fine console hardware wise. A PS3/360 handheld by all means I don't care about graphics I do gameplay. I research failed consoles, successful and failed old games, I just don't care.
I enjoyed Balan Wonderworld, do I seem like I care about flops no I still play them regardless to see how the product turned out and set my expectations. I got my Rayman 3 suit game experience and that was that. No dev, no chao garden, no Nights/Sonic, no none of those expectations.
I still have my retro consoles hooked up too. Collecting games. I don't need a PS5 because oh it's new, oh it has this and this. So what. Got other things I want to experience instead no new new new, fomo, fomo, fomo. Couldn't care less. I know my taste in games modern wise and I'm selective, retro I'm also selective and researching.
They may move to Switch/other platforms sure but they may not. Get 1 console and it sits there because a fad or just for 1 game and that's it. 1 game is all companies need.
I mean the SNES videos of the time may still apply why upgrade? Do people think it's a scam to upgrade, do people see games on the current gen at all, are they happy collecting.
To me PS5 has no games I want personally. It has games I'm not the type that says that I love my Wii U/Vita and it's niche games, it's first party IPs, I have tons to explore on those systems I don't care about the major third parties I care about the Indies and AAs they are my system sellers for me but not for others and that's totally fine.
PSVR2/Dualsense are cool but enough third parties nope. First party don't interest me the niche games they used to have aren't there.
My definition of console sellers aren't most peoples.
I myself don't even care about current gen. I'm only buying third parties, I'm waiting for games to either push gameplay which they won't, use the hard drive besides load times but for a gimmick, Rift Apart was scripted heavily and didn't do it so nope. It's a standard Ratchet game, I've played many of them, the story/gameplay wasn't enough for me even as a fan of the series. I don't care about cinematic, story driven games I care about gameplay. Got plenty of games on retro consoles to research and play with more varied mechanics left behind and more exciting to look forward to.
@SuntannedDuck2 Some good points there. To be honest, I expected the PS5 to blow me away and it really hasn't. Owning a PS4 Pro with 6GB/s SSD nullifies most of the reason for the PS5. Sure there are a few games trickling out for the PS5/XS consoles but it's not much and it looks very 'same again' gameplay.
I agree Rift Apart was only PS5 only because of marketing - no way the PS4 couldn't have run it as those "only with the SSD!" arguments were blown out of the water some time ago but Sony needed something to prop up the 5. What I've played of it so far, it's no Tools Of Destruction!
Not surprising at all. The PS4 is a great console even a decade after its original release. I still use mine for playing PS4 games and keep my PS5 exclusively for PS5 games.
The PS4 completely trumps the PS5 in certain aspects such as better UI, themes, and games management via folders to mention a few.
I haven’t played my PS4 for a while. I got my first Switch in May’23 (yep late to the party) and that’s been my console of choice since. However, my wife surprised me for Xmas and got me Stray on the PS4 as a present. I didn’t even realise it released on the PS4, I thought it was PS5 only. So I fired up the old PS4 to play that game (which I’m enjoying so far).
At my current rate I’ll probably get a PS5 around 2028 🤣 Although to be honest I can’t think of many games encouraging me to buy one at present. If Fumito Ueda’s next game ever comes out I’m sure that would convince me.
@sanderson72 Thanks. With hits on PS4 you'd assume but I don't think sequels always end up that way, sometimes they do but sometimes they don't. It could be just compelling games, it could be price/the state of countries/the world, the marketing. Anything is possible. I mean 50+ to the amount of Xboxes is still something. I'd say 50mill in 3-4 years is pretty good. Third parties move on when they can but like PS3/360 while it had I think 2 years it did still have large userbases.
PS4 being x86 also helps besides whatever they want to downscale. I think the 4K, the 30-120FPS and more is fine but do most people have 4K TVs yes they do just like HD. It's why I understand Nintendo going that way with the Wii even beside them saving money as well and not understanding HD and also limiting themselves by not. Which is why having AV on PS3/360 as an option was still something. At least it's not that level this time as still HDMI and but just HDR and other details to get used to. What reworking of engines. But still yes games with similar gameplay of PS3/PS4/360/Xbox One. Many major third parties have refined their games but that's the thing risks. Or business models that suit them sadly.
Userbase wise PSVR2? Nope Quest. Why I wonder? Mobile and 3DS/Vita same thing hmm it's like third parties don't want to build up a userbase at all the lazy publishers. Or 'did tech demos, see if it was for them or audiences' and moved on. Even though a VR mode can't be that bad. But their still lazy to do it even in an update to their games. Oh well.
That aside is the hardware compelling to some people yes I'd say so 50mill+ say so and it is a worthy upgrade of load times, deaths, game overs, launching and more, frame rates and visuals if want those aspects no doubt. I don't care about last gen load times. Am I into tech yes. Do I care that much for visuals and more no. I do about gimmicks/peripherals or old consoles ideas, old games mechanics then I do graphics. I've used enough old consoles with fast speeds/optimisation to just waiting on PS4. Doesn't bother me really.
To me it isn't. Dualsense/PSVR2 is cool but the support is getting there. Even if some games back tracked and made worse controls. I've played Wii games with better controls and less over-realism compensating controls that's in my opinion at least bad VR game design of motion controls. Button/motion balance not over complication. Red Steel 1 is horrible, Red Steel 2 fixes a lot if all issues and better understands how to use a Wiimote. Move has its moments as well. Other Wii games too.
The games third party or first party (the few third parties I care for) I can wait for. First party personally don't interest me anymore with some IPs directions and the lack of some niche ones I liked getting pushed to the side, Japan Studios while an umbrella with many and being support more and more, Last Guardian/Gran Turismo money used, yeah not surprised they separated but other than Astro/Dreams I don't have much reason to care for first party personally, they just aren't my type of games anymore.
But that's a me thing, for everyone else that's fine more power to them. I just don't fine the gameplay/stories compelling. I've got PS3/Vita and under IPs to experience first and third parties. Playlink to enjoy if the apps work still off dead Android sources I have them downloaded.
A PS4 Pro has the changes for sure, a new hard drive and your also good to go. Not PS5 levels but still good enough.
The gameplay these days are formulaic which has put me off the PS5 besides the price and that as I am mostly playing third parties on any platform anyway I'm less likely to care right now.
I get with Rift Apart what they were going for with the story/gameplay but it just didn't do it for me.
I wanted a Crack in Time gameplay sequel. Which isn't what we got. We got a new Ratchet, old Ratchet design which isn't a bad thing. But a story that's while talking to fans I just didn't enjoy listening to. I watched the Useless Podcasts let's play and I just didn't care what I saw or half of what they were saying even though I basically tuned in for them more than the game itself really as the game was just so uninteresting to me.
I have the game, I have access to PS5 consoles from family. I got to Blizar (I should have played Blizar as it's the best part of the game hardware showcase wise and in general I think) but I didn't. I only wanted it for 1 game really. I've seen third parties on current gen only and their fine but just not compelling enough.
Crack in Time on a HDD in 2009 was an improvement over ideas in Spyro 2 with the locations of different resolution (high in the sky and further below, swimming n the air glitch you can find both versions of homeworlds, I assume it applies to all levels in the game) but probably more for the teleporting between locations in aftermath, in battle/in the past to plant the seed, and the changes. That's my assumption. Rift Apart wants flashy scripted moments, yellow rifts in areas of the level when Portal has a portal gun with player controllable portals and fair rules to use them, Prey 2006 I think has it's own way of doing things as well. Player control is more fun then stationary ones that barely get used in levels let alone forced rift load screens.
Blizar was a good way of showcasing back and forth really well. But no dynamic rifts boss fight between a cycle of them or randomly mixing the cycle. It not only shows off the chaos of the situation and I know it'd be expensive but they already waste money on the cutscenes and other aspects as it is. I can take oh less than 18 levels even if 2016 cut my favourites from Ratchet 1 and was half a game remade.
It looks good but the gameplay design lacked to me of what I seeked out of it at least. It's a solid game just not the direction I wanted.
I get they had 2016 newcomers, old fans, future saga fans and newcomers entirely to make the game meet expectations for and as an old fan that liked Crack in Time's gameplay and is fine with the future saga yeah I wanted more.
I get the PS4 cheap hard drive (player can upgrade it, devs have to still work with it though) so they 'wouldn't. But I agree we see enough design to be 'convincing' as it is of worlds and possibilities that a hard drive would be possible. Again like I said a Crack in Time in 2009 on an HDD. As if we forgot and the marketing team want us to. XD Nope not happening.
It's not 100% Tools but it is that sort of old Ratchet format. Its a new console game to showcase things. We had Metropolis Kerwan have scripted buildings if you remember. We have that in the first location besides the Nefarious City boss fight. The skill tree may have changed slightly over time from Tools, Nexus, 2016, Rift Apart but it's the same mechanic I'm sick to death of now and want Insomniac to bury already.
By Tools I'd say the old Ratchet format than the Crack in Time dramatic changes to the gameplay. Story wise sure it's completely different yes. I didn't find Tools of Destruction that bad but it depends what it was like for you at least by the exclamation mark. That and I only detailed bits and pieces about Rift Apart as someone that played up to Blizar (should have played through that level it is really good).
But take out the planet select ship segments, the moons, the side quests, the rift elements that appear a few times in Crack in Time what is Rift Apart mostly based on Tools of Destruction than Nexus or others.
Tools is based on elements of 2 & 3 but it's own new ideas.
Rift Apart has new ideas don't get me wrong but I mean in terms of the Future saga, the last few games to pull from besides it's own new direction it's most closest to Tools of Destruction in game design besides the story/other details it has of it's own of course not discounting the new direction it also goes for.
I may come around to it later I have some games in other series even with their disappointing directions too.
I'm not old game only appreciator (I do change my mind wildly based on what I research of old and new games and hardware I did find Forspoken/Aveum cool even if people go eh nothing to see here I did at least XD and it wasn't the dialogue/cinematic angles of Forspoken it was the gameplay the spells and movement looked cool to me, Aveum it was more the theming a magic shooter, I got the same feeling with Battlefield Hardline going well we haven't had a SWAT game in years as well Sierra is dead and SWAT is in no continuation mode any time soon for themes to take shooters in) but I do find some games lacking while others have just more compelling ideas and gameplay to me. Indie or AAA. I mean Indie platformers aren't doing it for me when many PS1/N64 they take inspiration for is Mario/Banjo, not the other platformers I find more compelling they don't take inspiration from sadly.
Racing well WRC 2023/Ride 4&5 (besides old racing games) have good ideas old games had (car builder Sega GT on Dreamcast had in 1999, refined region system of old Forza Motorsport games 1 & 2, something Turn 10 should take notes from as Ride has been Forza bikes in some ways, even Ride 2 had FM6 like cutscenes, even if Milestone has made great ideas in the past they don't as much nowadays but keep trying) from researching, but GT7/FM haven't really been jiving with me really.
Hack n slashes have been ok to good.
It varies for me.
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