Since the release of the original PlayStation, Sony has stood as the industry leader, despite some fierce competition from Nintendo and Microsoft. Given how long they’ve stood at the top, it should come as little surprise that the PlayStation 4 was the best-selling console of the previous decade! The news comes from the NPD Group’s latest sales report. Worldwide, the system managed to sell 106 million units since its launch in 2014. Though not surprising, it’s still a remarkable feat for the company, and should prove a strong omen as Sony prepares to release the PlayStation 5 later this year.
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US NPD HW – Nintendo Switch was the best-selling hardware platform of both December and 2019, while Sony’s PlayStation 4 finished as the best-selling hardware of the decade. pic.twitter.com/41CZwzJRla
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) January 16, 2020
The next decade will certainly provide plenty of hurdles for the PlayStation brand to overcome. After all, when any company finds itself at the top, there really is only one other place to go, and Sony has a number of competitors that would be more than happy to see the king dethroned. While Sony’s achievement is very impressive, according to GamesIndustry.biz, PS4 sales were actually down 29% in Japan last year, while sales for the Nintendo Switch rose by that very same amount. That number shouldn’t concern Sony fans too much, however; a decline was inevitable. After all, the PS4 has been available for much longer than Nintendo’s handheld hybrid, and gamers are likely holding off on buying Sony and Microsoft systems considering the latest console generation is set to kick-off later this year.
On the topic of Microsoft, the company is set to take on Sony head-on, but Microsoft has clearly been developing their own strategies. While Sony has thus far avoided any commitments to game streaming, Microsoft has been slowly working on a service that’s currently in beta. When Microsoft is ready to roll out Project X Cloud to the masses, they could have a big advantage over Sony. Of course, that advantage will hinge on whether or not the public is ready to accept the concept of streaming video games, and there are a lot of signs that show that might not be an easy sell.
Regardless of these potential obstacles, the PlayStation 4 is in a well-earned spot at the very top. That said, it will be interesting to see which company finds themselves in that position 10 years from now.
Do you own a PlayStation 4? Do you think Sony will still be at the top next decade? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
