The PlayStation 4 quarterly sales numbers were recently released, confirming that the platform has a sizable leg up on its predecessor, the PlayStation 3.
Sony’s financial results were published for the first quarter of the company’s fiscal year (April 1st to June 30th), which showed 3.2 million PS4s shipped in the quarter. This brings the platform’s lifetime total up from the previous fiscal year’s 79 million to its new record of 82.2 million. Its quarterly numbers are down 100,000 units compared to the same time last year, but this is to be expected as more and more people get the console.
The last time the PlayStation 3’s lifetime sales were catalogued, it had just hit 80 million, and now the PS4 has already surpassed it. Granted, this was back in November of 2013, so the PS3’s userbase has likely continued to grow at least a little, but it still means the PS4 is more than two years ahead of the PS3 in lifetime sales, and Sony expects 17 million more units to be sold by the end of this fiscal year.
Other figures revealed by Sony included software sales and PlayStation Plus subscription sales. Software sales saw a notable uptick compared to last year, with this year’s 472.1 billion Yen in sales up against last year’s 348.1 billion Yen during the same quarter. This is due in a large part to digital sales, with 43 percent of its 40.6 million units sold in the quarter being digital. PlayStation Plus subscription sales didn’t see quite the same luck, with a dip down to 33.9 million subscriptions sold from last year’s 34.2 million. The phenomenal popularity of Fortnite Battle Royale may have had a significant impact on this, considering the game doesn’t require PS Plus to play.
Sony has yet to offer up hard sales figures for the PlayStation VR.
Source: VG 24/7
