PS4 Vs. Xbox One: Sony Has Sold Over 37 Million PlayStation 4 Consoles Since 2013 Launch

There are now 37.7 million PlayStation 4 consoles in the hands of players around the world, Sony Corp. announced in its financial report for the third quarter of its 2015 fiscal year. Overall sales in the games unit in the period were $4.89 billion, an increase of 10.5 percent year-over-year. While Sony has touted impressive PS4 hardware and software sales, Microsoft Corp. has remained silent about how many Xbox One consoles have been sold globally.

Sony sold 8.4 million PS4 consoles in its third quarter, an increase over the 6.4 million the Japanese consumer-electronics giant sold in the same period a year ago. The number of consoles sold in the quarter should not come as much of a surprise considering Sony has provided regular updates on PS4 hardware sales. With those sales surging, Sony reported a decrease in PS3 hardware and software sales as the previous-generation console slowly enters the final phase of its life cycle.

Sony’s forecast for its 2015 fiscal year is unchanged. After the company increased the number of PS4 consoles it expects to sell during the fiscal year to 17.5 million from 14.8 million in October, it did not revise the figure this time around. The firm said its outloook is based on increased network sales and the “impact of a change in the launch date of a first-party title.”

Sony didn’t mention the video game’s name, but it’s likely “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.” The launch of the highly anticipated final chapter in the Nathan Drake franchise has been delayed to April 26, which means the reporting of its console-related sales figures will begin in the company’s 2016 fiscal year.

Before Sony’s financial report, Microsoft announced the results of the second quarter of its 2016 fiscal year. The company boasted 48 million active Xbox Live users. Despite a strong holiday season when Xbox Live featured impressive bundles and exclusives such as “Halo 5: Guardians” and “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” the firm did not release Xbox One console sales figures. Microsoft last released such numbers after the fourth quarter of its 2015 fiscal year, when it announced 1.4 million units had been sold during that three-month period.