It was rather sad to witness Sony for the first time since it entered the console race some more than 20 years ago, not attending this year’s Electronic Entertainment (E3 2019) Expo which has traditionally been the biggest gaming event of the year. Well, but on a more positive and different note, even nearly six years on the market, the PlayStation 4 (PS4) console is still going strong and thus supported by the earnings report recently published.
In an earnings report released, Sony revealed it sold 3.2 million of the game consoles in the quarter that ended June 30, pushing it to the 100 million unit sales mark.
Sony debuted the PS4 in November 2013 and by December 2017 had sold over 70.6 million units worldwide.
In 2017, Sony console sales underwent a resurgence as newer, better PlayStation games, such as Dragon Quest XI, Injustice 2 and Madden, hit the market. The games also added new social elements through multi-player games or gamers watching others.
Sony also reported that digital downloads continue to do well as more people purchase digital games over physical discs.
According to analyst Dan Ives, the PS4 has sold well above competitors, calling the 100 million “an impressive number.” For comparison, Ives said Microsoft has sold roughly 45 million Xbox consoles.
Sony hasn’t released a new generation console since the PS4 although it did debut an iteration, the PS4 Pro, in September 2016.
Sony is expected to introduce major improvements that could change how games are both played and designed with its newest yet-to-be-named console. The new-generation device will feature faster load speeds, better graphics, and improved audio.
It’s unclear when the console will launch or how much it will cost, but it probably won’t debut this year.
