During Sony’s fiscal fourth quarter earnings call April 28, company executive Kazuhiko Takeda revealed that the company had sold 17.7 million PlayStation 4s during 2015.
And with the pending debut of the PlayStation VR system and growing noise of a 4K-enabled PlayStation 4.5 release, 2016 looks to be an even bigger year for the top-selling gaming console.
“… At this point in time, we think that in fiscal year 2016, we can exceed the 17.7 million units of PS4 hardware that we’ve sold in the previous fiscal year,” Takeda said.
To date, Sony has sold nearly 40 million PS4s, nearly double that of second-place Microsoft and its Xbox One, according to data from VG Chartz (Microsoft does not share Xbox One unit shipment data in its quarterly fiscal releases). And according to data from London-based consumer research firm Global Web Index, it’s the PlayStation 4 that continues to pique consumers’ interest, over the Xbox One and Nintendo’s Wii U.
“ … Look at future purchase consideration and it’s the PlayStation 4 which moves to pole position,” Chase Buckle, trends analyst with Global Web Index, wrote in a April 26 blog post. “One in four digital consumers say they are interested in purchasing Sony’s next-gen console (rising to 3 in 10 among 16-34s).
“If Sony’s upcoming upgraded console is able to convert this demand into actual sales, the so-called ‘PS4.5’ could make a big impact.”
Sony’s gaming division posted revenue of $13.7 billion for its fiscal year, ending March 31, up nearly 12% year over year. The division enjoyed operating income of $785 million for the year.
Overall, Sony enjoyed revenue of $71.7 billion and a profit of $1.3 billion for the year.
