It Took PS5 Longer Than PS4 to Pass 4 Million Units Milestone, But There's Context 1
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The PS5 has officially crossed the four million units milestone in the UK, but it’s achieved it 31 weeks slower than its predecessor, the PS4. There’s crucial context here that needs to be observed, however: the PS5 wasn’t readily available for the first two years of the generation, as the aftermath of the pandemic prompted an unprecedented semiconductor shortage, which meant stock was limited. It also costs a helluva lot more than its predecessors.

Indeed, when you look at the actual numbers, you can see just how much price is playing a part here. The average selling price of the PS5 so far is an enormous £460, compared to the £204 of the PS2, the £311 of the PS4, and the £146 of the PS1. It took the PS2 just 114 weeks to hit four million, while it took the PS4 and PS1 approximately 161 weeks and 182 weeks respectively. The PS5, by comparison, took 192 weeks.

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Here’s all the data, provided by GfK, as reported by Games Industry.biz:

Position Format Weeks to 4m Revenue Average Price
1 Nintendo Wii 102 £721m £178
2 PS2 114 £817m £204
3 PS4 161 £1.26bn £311
4 PS1 182 £585m £146
5 PS5 192 £1.846bn £460
6 Xbox 360 193 £843m £211
7 Nintendo Switch 203 £1.07bn £267
8 PS3 210 £1.15bn £288
9 Xbox One 211 £1.22bn £305

With the higher average price, the PS5 has generated more revenue than any other system to hit the milestone, bringing in a whopping £1.846 billion revenue. That’s more than double the Nintendo Wii at the same sales point. Of course, the margins are still razor thin for Sony, and it’s struggling to get the costs down sufficiently to introduce a price drop.

“The days of razors and razorblades when consoles sold at almost impulse-purchase price points, are over,” explained GfK games boss Dorian Bloch. “Either from launch or by heavy price reductions over time – Wii, PS1, PS2, and Xbox 360 – all had low cumulative average selling prices by the time they reached four million units.”

It’ll be interesting to see how Sony continues to stimulate sales throughout the rest of the generation with the price of its console remaining so high.

[source gamesindustry.biz]