PS4 vs. Xbox One: Sony Has Sold 30.2 Million PlayStation 4 Consoles, Nearly Double Microsoft's System

What a difference one console generation makes for Sony. The PlayStation 3 sales lagged early due to its high price, but the Japanese tech giant learned its lesson with a cheaper PS4 at launch. Sony announced Wednesday it has sold 30.2 million PS4 consoles since it launched on Nov. 15, 2013.

The success of the PS4 began when Sony revealed the console's retail price at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June 2013. The PS4 had an initial price of $399, much cheaper than the initial price of $499 for a 20GB PS3 or $599 for a 60GB PS3 model. Microsoft announced the Xbox One would retail for $499 at a press event the day prior to E3. The higher price for the Xbox One was due to the bundled Kinect, which Microsoft no longer includes as part of the standard Xbox One model.

"We are committed to bringing engaging games and entertainment services to users worldwide. Thanks to the support of our partners, PS4 continues to be the premier platform for game and interactive entertainment innovation," Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., said in a statement.

The 30 million consoles sold since 2013 is not surprising given Sony's openness to sharing its PS4 sales figures. As part of its earning report for the second quarter of fiscal year 2015, Sony announced it sold 7 million PS4 units during the first half of the year. Sony sold 14.8 million PS4 consoles in fiscal year 2014 and 7.5 million units for fiscal year 2013. Sony is projecting sales of 17.5 million units for fiscal year 2015.

Microsoft did not announce the number of Xbox One units sold in its latest earnings report. The company revealed it sold 1.4 million Xbox One consoles in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015. VentureBeat estimated 15 million Xbox One consoles have been sold since it was launched a week after the PS4 in 2013.

In just 2 years, over 30 million PS4 consoles have been sold around the world. For a comparison, Sony sold 21.3 million Ps3s in 2 fiscal years while the incredibly successful PS3 sold 30 million units in roughly the same timeframe.