Sony's PS4 Is Outselling Xbox By This Much
Since the PS4 and Xbox One launched before the holidays, gamers have been waiting to find out which one emerged victorious from the next generation of console wars.
By Steven Melendez 1 minute Read
Sony says it sold more than 4.2 million PlayStation 4 consoles in 2013, handily surpassing the "more than 3 million" Xbox One units Microsoft said it sold last year.
Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House announced the sales numbers Tuesday during his keynote address at CES, a day after Microsoft revealed the Xbox results. The PS4 launched on Nov. 15, giving it a week's head start on the new Xbox, which first reached consumers on Nov. 22. Sony's console is also easier on the wallet: It carries a $399 sticker price, while the Xbox One retails for $499.
Consumers also bought more than 9.7 million games for the PS4, including the latest installments in the Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed series, Sony says.
The system will soon offer streaming games through the new PlayStation Now service, which is slated to launch this summer, Sony announced at CES. Cloud-based versions of PlayStation 3 games will be available to stream on PS4 and PS3 systems as well as on Sony's portable PlayStation Vita and new models of the company's Bravia TV line.
The PS4 is now available in 53 countries, compared to just 13 for the Xbox. Microsoft has said the Xbox will become available in additional countries throughout 2014 and said the system was, for a time in November, the fastest-selling console in the U.S.
"Since our launch, demand for Xbox One has been strong, selling out throughout the holidays at most retailers worldwide," wrote Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi on the Xbox blog. "We are continuing to work hard to deliver additional consoles to retailers as fast as possible."
Nintendo, the third player in the console race, said in an October financial statement that it had then sold 3.89 million Wii U consoles. The Wii U launched in November 2012 and retails for $299, offering less powerful hardware at a lower price than competing systems from Sony and Microsoft.
While that formula worked well for the original Wii, which ultimately sold more than 100 million units worldwide, it's proven less successful for the Wii U, which faces new competition from games on other low-powered devices like smartphones and tablets.
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