We already know that Sony has sold 2.1 million Playstation 4s, but how many can we expect to be sold in its lifetime? There are so many variables at play here, but Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House believes the PS4 will surpass the PS3 in sales.
Speaking to MCV, House believes that PS4 has the opportunity to significantly exceed the 80 million sales of the PS3 for a few reasons:
We start off with a price point that is much more consumer friendly than was there for the PS3.
Also, one of the success stories for the business as a whole has been our ability to open up new geographies for video games over the last five years. You are seeing opportunities for new markets that we haven’t tapped into.
The other point is that we took several years to take PS3 from being a dual function device to a multi-functional entertainment device. PS4 arrives with a full suite of those non-game entertainment services right from day one.
PS3 and Xbox 360 have each sold about 80 million units worldwide, while the PS2 sold 150 million consoles. Sony clearly hopes to repeat the success of that generation. They are off to a great start, but it remains to be seen if they can carry that momentum through the entire life cycle. Plus, considering the rate at which new technology emerges, the life expectancy of this generation of consoles may not be as long as some are saying.
I wonder if Sony can ever match the success of the PS2. It was a great console, at the right time, that clearly dominated the market. Now, gamers and non-gamers consume their media in a variety of ways – it will take a lot of work for this generation of consoles to achieve that same degree of market penetration. Perhaps Sony and/or Microsoft will manage it in this generation, but I’m not sure that they have done enough to make those other than existing fanboys feel the need to go out and spend that big pile of money on these consoles.
Last Updated: December 6, 2013
GalacticLordCaptainAwesomeness
December 6, 2013 at 12:06
At the moment, there is no WOW factor like there was from PS1 to PS2, or PS2 to PS3…
I dunno, maybe because it is Friday, Or December (and no leave till July next year), maybe it’s just me, but I am not excited for the consoles, nor do i want one.. my PS3 and PC do everything already
Brenz
December 6, 2013 at 12:44
I think its because of the lack of titles at this time.
I decided not to get one on launch as i looked at the release titles and nothing there made excited to play, i would play just because there was nothing else.
Once the star titles start kicking the excitement will grow Im pretty sure.
Until then, my ps3 will do just fine.
oVg
December 6, 2013 at 12:50
I think this honeymoon phase will end very soon and show us the just how jaded gamers really are. Like the Wii U, the next year will be very slow.
Sageville
December 6, 2013 at 12:56
I think the first year of a new gen is always going to be slow starting, until the game titles start coming to the party. At the moment we are still in the transition phase where publishers are developing cross-gen titles with hectic rushed deadlines.
I think in a year or two the developers will start pumping the next-gen potential.
I have faith….
Tarisma
December 6, 2013 at 14:54
I feel the same, very Mehish when it gets games that I want I’ll get one but not at the moment
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
December 6, 2013 at 12:23
I think it’s far too early to tell. There’s definitely a demand for the PS4, and there’s a buzz surrounding it (that reminds me of the PS2 years), but as we’ve seen with the Wii, you can start strong (with muscles flexing) and end up finishing weaker than a door mouse..
Same with the Xbone – it might still surprise us.
Hesperus Phosphorus
December 6, 2013 at 13:07
I will certainly be picking up at least one of these ‘next gen’ consoles. That said, why on earth would anyone sensible bother to buy one at or near launch? Faulty hardware, crappy interface, software and features and simply not enough (decent) games. I really don’t mind waiting until the next ‘primary gifting period’ to get my mitts on one – a lot of the consoles’ kinks should be smoothed out by then and developers would have started getting a hang of utilising what resources the machines have.
house_hero
December 6, 2013 at 19:35
Some of us just can’t wait. But yea… you probably right.
Bryan
December 6, 2013 at 19:33
I predict 80 million before five years have passed. Hear me now believe me later. Remember this post in 2018, ok? 😉