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PS4 tops 100 million unit sales faster than Wii & PS2 consoles

Sony's PS4 continues to move units at a historic pace, leaving its competition in the dust with 100 million units cleared so far.

Chris Jarrard

July 30, 2019 3:15 PM

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All eyes in the videogame industry were locked onto Los Angeles back in 2013 during the annual E3 show. Both Microsoft and Sony were officially showing off their now-current console hardware to the public for the first time. As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression and Sony succeeded following a series of gaffes by Microsoft. The public perception of the PS4 as the superior console has carried it to over 100 million unit sales since it launched, putting it on a faster pace than that of the PS2 and Wii.

According to numbers revealed in its first-quarter financial report, Sony’s console does not sit on retail shelves for long, even six years into its life cycle. The 3.2 million consoles Sony sold in the period ending on June 30 was enough to put it over the coveted century mark. Despite the great news of passing 100 million, the short-term numbers are less than excellent, with software sales down over the quarter. Sony is adjusting its projections down 4% for the remainder of the fiscal year.

So how did Sony sell so many consoles? Following Microsoft’s stumble at E3 2013 with the Xbox One unveiling, the PS4 retailed for $100 less during the crucial first holiday season. Additionally, Microsoft’s conservative clock speed design for the Xbox One resulted in multiplatform games that simply performed or looked better on the PS4, helping to push consumer mindshare towards Sony. Microsoft opted to keep its hardware running cooler in an effort to avoid the problems it experienced with the Xbox 360 failures in the previous generation. Despite having nearly identical hardware to the PS4, the Xbox One couldn’t quite keep up as configured.

Sony also enjoyed a strong showing from its software team, continually releasing big-budget exclusives for the PS4 each year it has been on the market, including such hits as Marvel’s Spider-Man, God of War, Uncharted 4, Bloodbourne, and Horizon: Zero Dawn. Microsoft exclusives such as Halo 5 and Sunset Overdrive failed to reach as big an audience.

Chris Jarrard

Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.