Over the last few weeks or so, there's been some debate regarding the PS5 and its perceived sales momentum. This discussion likely stems from the fact that Sony itself reported a decline in units sold year-on-year, and as a result, revised its commercial forecast. However, as we pointed out in our Reaction article, context is key.
The PS5 sold stupidly well early last year because Sony was finally able to overcome the pandemic-based production problems that had plagued the PS5 since launch. As such, direct comparisons would never paint a full picture — and this is again evidenced by new sales data from Circana's Mat Piscatella.
In his most recent report, the analyst confirms that the PS5 is currently trending ahead of the PS4 by 8% in the US, when time-aligned with the last-gen console. That's a very healthy sign, considering the PS4's immense popularity.
What's more, Piscatella comments that the PS5 is the region's market leader by a "significant margin". In other words, the current-gen system is vasty outperforming its competition. Indeed, the Xbox Series really seems to be struggling, as it's actually trailing its predecessor, the Xbox One, by 13% when time-aligned. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch is obviously a much older device, and so its influence is expected to wane over time.