The PlayStation 5 is continuing its reign as the best-selling console of the current generation, as it is confidently widening the gap between itself and its competitors. That being said, the newest console is not that much more succesful than the launch period of the PS4, only slightly outperforming its predecessor.
Although the current PS5 sales have reached nearly 7.8 million units shipped worldwide during its extended launch period, the PS4 managed to perform almost as impressively with 7.6 million units during the same time window. The difference might sound insignificant, but it could’ve been much greater if not for the current stock shortage. In that regard, PS5 is doing pretty well despite the difficulties with supply. If production capacities increase in the near future, the newest console might easily outperform the last-gen PlayStation device.
According to the latest report by VGChartz, the extended launch period has been significantly more favorable for Sony’s PlayStation 5 console in comparison to the competitors. Since the premiere in November 2020, PS5 has accumulated 7,763,924 units sold, which is far better than the achievements of the Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch during the same 23 weeks. Switch has reached 5,008,963 units sold while the duo of modern Xbox devices took third place with 4,668,388 units. It is worth mentioning that the Switch is technically a last-gen device, but it is included in the current-gen simply because Nintendo has yet to unveil a successor. In that regard, considering the overall lifetime sales, the Switch is obviously outperforming the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S combined, as it launched four years ago.
Although the current-gen consoles are performing quite well, the sales are nonetheless affected by the current shortage of computer components that are required for both PS5 and Xbox Series X/S production. However, according to PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan, the situation might change for the better as soon as this year. The company is negotiating with industry partners to ramp up production in order to cover the supply shortage and offer more PS5 consoles for consumer needs by the end of 2021.
The latest data indicates that the gap in sales will continue to grow, favoring PS5 in the long term. It’s not that surprising, considering that the list of the top 5 best-selling home consoles includes all the four previous PlayStation devices. However, it’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft’s investments in first-party studios and Xbox exclusives ever pay off. Hypothetically, this new strategy might help the company shorten the gap, but it is worth noting that the notorious console stock shortage might result in unwanted adjustments to the overall picture.
Source: VGChartz