Sony rolled out new wave of titles launching this holiday and next year.
LOS ANGELES — Sales of the PlayStation 4 topped 60 million, Sony announced Monday following an event showcasing the console’s next wave of games launching this holiday and beyond.
Sony used its media event ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo — the video game industry showcase — to focus solely on the experiences players can expect to see on PS4 and PlayStation VR this holiday and next year.
“The PS4 platform is in its prime, with the industry’s best lineup of exclusive and partner titles slated to release this year, taking full advantage of the power of the PS4 system, ” said Andrew House, President and global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, in a statement.
Sony says software are also “strong, ” topping 487 million copies of games as of June 11. Meanwhile, active users of the PS4 have spent more than 600 million hours per week on the platform.
IHS Markit analyst Piers Harding-Rolls says the introduction of PS4 Pro, a more powerful model of the console capable of running 4K resolutions, contributing to 20% of total sales since its launch last fall.
On Sunday, Microsoft attempted to counter Pro with the Xbox One X, launching this November at $499.
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“Sony PS4 Pro holds a pricing advantage over Microsoft’s Xbox One X and it is a cheaper price point coupled with a range of exclusives in 2017 and 2018 that will help the company maintain its market share, ” said Harding-Rolls.
IHS projects Sony will end the year with sales at 69 million, compared to 36 million for the Xbox One.
“Sony has been a great partner, ” said Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg.
Although Sony has a sizable lead in the console space, the company is still pushing to attract newcomers. The company introduced PlayLink, which features a series of PS4 games combining your smartphone or tablet. In many cases, the games will transform your phone or tablet into another controller.
“Second screen gaming has never been particularly popular, ” said Harding-Rolls. “So Sony will need to reinvent the experience and deliver compelling content to find traction using this strategy.”
