Sony Ships 8.4 Million PS4 Units in Q3 FY15

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 1, 2016 | 2 comments
Sohrab Osati

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Just last week, Sony reported their Q3 FY15 earnings report to some good results. While Mobile continues to struggle (which you can read a more in depth take here), the over all health of the company continues to improve (you can again get a more in depth view of the entire company here). The one division of Sony that continues to post gangbuster numbers is PlayStation, thanks to the ever continuing momentum of the PS4.

In Q3 alone, which spans between October 1st and December 31st, Sony shipped a staggering 8.4 million PS4 units. This brings PS4 lifetime sales to nearly 36 million. At this pace, Sony should have no problem clearing 50 million units sold by year’s end. For context, Xbox One has not hit 20 million units sold yet.

More after the jump.

The sales volume of PS4 going forward are going to be more important to Sony than ever. As it stands, PS4 is obviously helping the company’s bottom line in a very big way. However, current cash flow aside, PS4 like PS3 was for Blu-ray will be the trojan horse for PlayStation VR. Unlike Oculus Rift which requires a powerful PC and limits most of the interaction to a bedroom or office, PS VR only requires PS4.

By the time PS VR ships, Sony will have nearly 40 million consoles that can take advantage of VR while the majority of PC’s on store shelves are not powerful enough to drive Rift. Power aside, the PS4 also has a more social aspect to it, seeing how it occupies space in the living rooms of many and in turn, will make PS VR a more social experience as well.

This is huge for Sony if the VR industry turns out to be the next big thing as it will give them a very prominent platform on which to advance their VR vision. And, unlike their mobile ambitions which came in many years after the arrival of iPhone, Sony will be in VR from its inception. With PS4 still not having hit the magical $199 price tag and selling so exceptionally well regardless, expect a bright future for the console and in turn, for Sony’s bottom line and VR ambitions.

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Discuss:

Do you think PS4 can keep its momentum?