PlayStation 4 Just Overtook Wii's Lifetime Sales

I think the Switch will definitely surpass the PS4 in a few years especially since they are making the PS5.

I think the NX will comfortably swing for 80 million plus.
And it's hard to believe the ps4 is already 7 years old.
It doesn't feel that old .

I can remember them saying at the beginning of this console generation, the sales would be so low it may be the final one.

Still a healthy demand for consoles.

I'll be honest I'm surprised, but good on Sony.
It's a win win for everyone all around.

Hoo boy Push Square is going to have a field day with this one.

I think it's pretty fair to say the PS4 has been the most versatile console this gen with the variety of games (I still prefer Nintendo as I don't like FPS and realistic sandbox games).

But I think it's fair to say XB are going to make more of an effort next gen, and the Switch already has a fantastic array of titles and install base which will provide stiff competition. I also wonder if after all the remakes, reimaginings and returns of franchises that appeared this gen- can nostalgia work to fill in the schedules like it did this gen?

A nice console with good games and some very good exclusive games. Nice that it sold so much. (Laughs in Sony stocks)

I look forward to the PS5!

@betterbygames

I am TRYING to forget that one.

Yeah, waiting for the Nintendo six months earnings release. Switch should sit on more than 40 millions units shipped as of september 30th.
Maybe tomorrow morning?

Congrats, Sony! PS4 seems to be a great console with a lot of awesome titles.

It's well deserved. The PS4 had a fantastic launch and has a vast and diverse library of quality first and third party games.

I'm surprised! Not that the PS4 is a bad system or anything but everyone owned a Wii, including my 80 year old grandfather (who still plays Wii Sports Golf regularly).

Congrats to Sony.

Can it beat its grandfather at the game through?

Honestly surprising. Would have thought the Wii had more appeal to casual gamers and more evergreen sales.

@KitsuneNight
PS4 is 5 years old. Not 7.
It won't even be 6 until november 15 of this year.

@AlexSora89 They are having a field day with this.

Namely how NintendoLife reported this more accurately than they did. Here its the 2nd best selling home console, 4th overall.

There its just the second best selling console ever. Apparently the GameBoy and DS dont exist, as "It only has to pass the PS2"

Xbox One will break the record for the least sold.

@nessisonett my theory is though there are more casual gamers on phones nowadays, there's also more gamers in general. If you're a kid and you're not into Fortnite, Call of Duty, or (insert other franchise here), you're considered an outcast weirdo. Power to the players. (They mean everyone.)

To be honest, PS4 got some good games for me on this year. 😳
Used to be i really pissed off with PS4, even i have bought PS4 Slim White.
But now i'm quite content with the choices i can get from PS4, despite around 90% of my PS4 games library are Double dipped games (Also on Switch such as Portal Knights, Yonder the Cloud Catcher Chronicles, LEGO CITY Undercover, FF X/X-2 HD, etc) 😀

This year i will have my Holy Trinity of PS4 games : 😘
1. Dragon Quest Builders 2 (96/100)
2. The Sims 4 (95/100)
3. Portal Knights (90/100)
They are my Best Home Builder games.

The PS4 is a great system. It deserves it.

Well done to Sony, however Microsoft's poor sales this generation have helped Sony to a much larger share this time round, it was pretty much 50/50 last generation.

@KitsuneNight six years old i think. late 2013 release

But which console made the most profit?

@Zeldafan79

6 then.

@Illusion That is not even a theory, that is just simple fact. When I was a youngster playing on my SNES, I was the outcast for being a gamer. This lasted at LEAST until mid to late PS2 era. It's somewhere around that time that gaming became more widespread.

Many parents who grew up gaming bought Wii's for their kids, who now knew no better than it being a fun pastime, who would then become the kids who are all now buying the PS4's and Switches and whatnot.

In the meantime, all the older gamers are still gamers, while all the non-gamer parents now have no choice but to get their kids a gaming station because otherwise they will be bullied.

Whilst you can’t deny Sony did a lot right with the PS4, you can’t deny it was helped by Microsoft’s unbelievable screw up with the Xbox One when first announced, detailed and launched. They practically handed Sony the trophy from Day 1. Online gaming and emerging markets have also played their part as no longer can you go over to your friend’s place to have some local multiplayer. Everyone has to have their own console and woah betide you if you bought a different console from your friends!

I only bought my PS4 in January of this year and whilst decent, I just don’t get the same experiences I did during the PS2 era. That and lifestyle changes has meant portability is more important than ever.

@johnvboy

You are going to pretend the Wii U didn't exist?

2 biggest reasons why PS4 has outsold Wii:
> It is more successful than the Wii in Europe thanks to FIFA
> It is considerably more successful than the Wii in mainland Asia and most emerging markets in general since SIE actually put effort into localizing games for those markets

There is a reason why Nintendo is actively taking strides to release its hardware in China. The PS4 has officially sold 2 million units in China, while the Switch has officially sold 0 units in China.

It’s still my go to console in terms of exclusives games this generation, though the Switch is much younger and can surpass that in the near future.

@KitsuneNight
Technically 5. It ain't november 15th yet. I really don't know why we're in such a hurry for PS5.

I haven't had time to finish half the games i own now.

@westman98

Plus the fact that it's better than the Wii. I mean it's ok to admit it. No need to keep pretending it sold a lot because of Asia.

@Daniel36 the ps2, gta and ffx, Xbox and halo were when gaming went from nerds playing in their parents basement to cool kids being gamers.
I was playing better FPS on my pc before consoles made it popular. I always looked at cod at just being a Mario FPS. Easy for anyone to pick up, but plenty of depth for hardcore.
I think gaming peaked with the ps3/360 gen. AAA releases weekly, but the market changed and now indies and delays of AAA games are what we have left.
Not complaining, just how I see gaming and it’s changes over the years.

@RupeeClock
Yeah, mostly downgrades (like the remove of the Gamecube port, memorycard and similar)

And than the Wii mini...
That was even a more of a downgrade. They removed the SD card slot, removed the Wifi (so no Web/Internet access), removed the component video output... just to name a few. And the whole thing (the build quality) seemed much cheaper in comparison to the original Wii.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JECsffcHCA4

Does anybody else still feel like the PS3 wasn't that long ago? I mean damn where did all that time go? I'm honestly not too excited for PS5 especially until i see some actual games for the system. We are still getting some insanely good looking PS4 games. How much prettier can they get?

If i get a PS5 it's not gonna be for the graphics or power i can tell you that. I'm waiting for games that appeal to my tastes and look fun. Nevermind how ultra realistic they look.

@Zeldafan79 Trust me, I still remember waking up on Christmas and being so happy seeing a PS3 under the tree lol

Im also kinda in the same boat when it comes to the PS5; though Im already sold on getting a PS5 since Persona 6 will 100% be exclusive to it lol.

Hard to believe all us Nintendo die hards were sitting aroung waggling our fisher price looking toy console in 2006 while the rest of the word had already been enjoying HD gaming on PS3.

Yeah we knew Sony's thing had more power but we just didn't care. The first party Nintendo stuff and motion controlled gaming was just too fun!
Old folks didn't care either. Nursing homes to this day still have Wii's set up in them. It was that popular.

Impressive... and they will be cheaper than ever this Holiday Season.

I never bought one... Instead, I rebuilt my HTPC and I have been quite content with it and Switch.

@m8e3point1415 The fact these days you gotta buy a Pro version of the current PlayStation/Xbox/3DS just for a bit more power, rather then a whole new console is pretty bad

I mean once you brought a Wii in 2007, you wouldn't need to replace it unless it broke

@Taya Mind the Wii was alot cheaper then any of the PS4s, didn't need no upgrade either

Very impressive numbers, really been a great generation for Sony. Looking forward to the ps5!

@redd214 They edited the article after everyone is the comments started kicking off, before telling everyone to stay on topic.

@IronHammersFC oh gotcha, thanks

@redd214 Gonna say, I put out a tweet acknowledging that they'll change it, complete with receipts

But yes, congrats to Sony. Now about what happened to Shawn Layden….

I like the PS4, so congrats to Sony on this one. PS4 and Switch is the way to go for me right now.

@Zeldafan79 if I get a ps5 or the nextbox I am hoping that they improve the loading times in games significantly and also allow for higher frame rates. I don’t need 4K. 1080p is just fine. But for shooters like destiny 2 for example, are way better on PC because on console the menu lag is atrocious, so bad you cannot change your loadout in crucible (pvp) without risking death, and consoles are locked at 30fps. PC gamers are routinely getting 120+ and sometimes 200fps and it really does make a difference in the gameplay.

@Knuckles-Fajita uh OK congrats buddy, hope you feel fulfilled by that

It's crazy to think that Nintendo's next console is likely to be at least as powerful as the PS4 (the base model anyway) if not the PS4 Pro by the time they get around to launching it (after the Switch has had at least a good 4-5 years, though I imagine it may be around just a little more than that considering its unique position in the market).

The Switch is already more powerful than the Wii U, and the Wii U was, briefly, the most powerful home console available at the time (the others being the PS3 and Xbox 360).

I think the next step, in terms of console revisions, is a Switch Pro that provides docked performance in handheld mode with a 1080p screen. I can't see Nintendo splitting the userbase with a "New 3DS" like situation where there are games only supported by the Pro model by including enhanced specs, but what I can see are games that are only supported whilst in docked mode (with only the Pro supporting handheld mode for such games, so only Lite users wouldn't be able to play them).

Party's over boys

@Knuckles-Fajita Well, it is the Sony site. Handhelds don't exist in their world.

Impressive and well-deserved. One may find their reasons to mock the "for the players" slogan, but among Sony's home consoles PS4 really feels like the most game-oriented product in its concept and philosophy - without extra moods like "revenge on Nintendo" or "affordable media player" breathing down its neck. Between an eye-wateringly rich library and some distinct functionality, it's quite a worthwhile piece of hardware.

@Thundertron55 probably not. Switch won’t break Wii’s sales. It doesn’t have the buzz that Wii ever had, and it doesn’t have the appeal the PS4 has.

Does anyone know if PS3 systems are still being produced? Seems strange that it's been this long and PS4 is about on it's last legs but i haven't heard anything about PS3 being put to rest. You can still get on the PSN and buy games and play online for free and all that.

@mjharper Buuuuurn

@Knuckles-Fajita
Well, ain't that just typical.
I also remember you being a regular there as well so I'll take your word for it. But being also a glutton for punishment, I might as well as take a peek in there knowing I'll most likely regret doing so.

PS4 is overrated..I only keep mine for the VR and that's it

But, but consoles are dead, just get a PC...

It doesn’t make sense to compare the two. The PS4 has the pro revision, not to mention the slim, and what was effectively a new platform, PSVR launch as part of it.

ps4 is the greatest console ever imo.

@RupeeClock @ryancraddock If anything, they were downgrades.

@deafswin37 it is pretty overrated.

Bloodborne, Uncharted 4, Spider-Man, and God of War are really the only great system exclusives.

@Thermoclorn and Wii has like a million different types of bundles.

And I knew some people who doubled dip to get Wii motion plus Wii bundles instead of buying the new controller.

Without PlayStation the once mighty Sony Corp would be selling of divisions like crazy like they were 20 years ago.

The PS4 definitely deserve the accolades it's getting. Especially with the sales. Critically and commercially it's arguably been the best this gen hands down. Proud owner of all 3 systems. However, PS4 and Switch has been the best combo this gen.

I want to shout out the NintendoLife community though. I remember years ago if you would post anything about Sony or other competition, it would be riddled with downplaying and some unwarranted hate. Now I see MOSTLY congratulatory comments and such for scenarios like this. Kudos to you, Nintendolife.

@Thundertron55 as good as the switch is I can't see it overtaking the ps4 sales, don't forget the ps4 is also an entertainment system so has multiple reasons to be in peoples homes whikst the switch is purely a gaming device. It's nearly been 3 years since the switch and its sales are around 30-40 million

Sorry that I contributed to the PS4's victory over the Wii this year. I just bought one so I could play Kingdom Hearts 3.

@LUIGITORNADO what about days gone? Infamous? Knack? Horizon zero dawn? The last of us? And a whole tonne of 3rd party games, 102 million sales can't mean it's overrated

The PS4 is a solid enough system with a reasonably healthy library of games. But It never pulled me in the way Switch does. I've had my PS4 far longer, yet I've probably played 3-4 times as many hours on the Switch and have more than 10 times as many games on Switch as on PS4. And there are still a bunch more on Switch that I want! Compared to PS4 with only a handful of games that interest me. They are there, but they are far and few between.

You're never going to pull me in with your yearly COD, Battlefield, FIFA and the like. Death Stranding holds zero interest or appeal for me, and most other interesting games on PS4 have since been ported to Switch. But what few remaining games PS4 has that are good, ARE REALLY GOOD with Spiderman, God of War, KH3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5 and Nier Automata.

@hitherehello,

The Wii was catering to a totally different demographic to the hardcore consoles, typically the hardcore generation is around 180 million or so consoles, it remains viable because of the ammount of games bought and the extra DLC and season passes etc.

The Wii bought in a lot of casual gamers who had not owned a console before, hence when the Wii U came out they had jumped ship to mobile devices.

The switch needs more/better 3rd party support, the witcher 3, the outer worlds, vampyr, and elder scrolls etc are going to help people decide to get this game but it needs more... Borderlands 3, kingdom hearts, latest assassins creed, call of duty, a proper fifa, grand theft auto, red dead redemption, these are the big hitter 3rd party games which would help the switch push those sales through the roof, but at the moment it's relying too much on first party games which isn't a big problem as they are all great and pokemon will help a LOT but I do think it's missing that support for 3rd party devs

@m8e3point1415 I mean, different PS4 models are still the same basic system, and non-Pro models have probably sold the bulk of units. It'd be like snarking about a new Switch victory because the Switch Lite and Switch V2 are a thing.

Not particularly surprising given the massive advantage PS4 had for its first 3 and a half years but still impressive results. It'll be interesting to see next year if the PS3 era's "arrogant Sony" returns for the PS5 or if they've fully learned their lesson from the PS3 era.

Deserved.
Fantastic console. Fantastic library.

Congrats Sony, keep up with the great work.
How about giving up on the camera market now, since it's clearly not for you?

@playstation_king last of us is a ps3 title.

None of those titles you listed do anything for me. Being overrated is purely subjective. I enjoyed the games I owned for my PS4, but everything else was pretty mediocre.

Well, one of the better consoles I have ever owned. Brilliant library with support from just about everyone.

Got mine on Day 1 in 2013, and sure have gotten A bang for my buck. PlayStation at home, Nintendo on the GO.... Combo has never failed me.

@Zeldafan79

PS3 production has been terminated since 2016
March 2016 in Europe October 2016 in the USA and May 2017 in Japan
PSB is most likely stlil an ongoing concern on the PS3 because of the large user base

It's also good business not to pull the plug out of the services of your older console the moment the new machine is available.
Gives the consumer a feeling of trustworthiness, and that their investment isn't immediately made null and void.

I think I ended up with my PS4 about 4 months after release, my first game I picked up was Infamous second son since I loved the first game. Will be interesting to see the exclusives coming. I've never had an xbox, but I see them buying up so many copies and i'm interested to see what they've got up their sleeve this gen.

@Madder128 They say this constantly. The end of consoles, the end of physical media, the end of religion.

Jesus didn't die for this.

@KitsuneNight That's because it's not 7 years old yet. Turns 6 in a couple weeks.

@Raccoonius

...you are the third that tells me that.

@KitsuneNight The best things come in 3s.

No, I actually didn't see the others.

I feel kinda bad for the Wii as it was kind of an underdog of its generation but this is still impressive for Sony.

The ultimate feat, however, would be to surpass the Atari 2600 but I'm not sure I'll ever live to see that.

Post-Edit: I should have said the Playstation 2, I either had some bad recall or flawed information when I said the 2600 was the best selling console.

@Elvie

Huh ?
the Atari 2600 sold between 30-40 million units its been surpassed long long ago.

Even it's longevity, has been surpassed by others.
the master system is stil an ongoing concern in Brazil.

Unless you meant something else ?

I think North Korea's Moranbong console will destroy all records within a year.

@Thundertron55 you think switch will crack 100 million? Is love to see it but I think it may be too high of a number.

@KitsuneNight Master System is killing it in Brazil. I love it!

@m8e3point1415 Gameboy, Gameboy pocket, Gameboy Lite, Gameboy Colour......... Wii with Gamcube B/c, wii without that, wii mini, nds, nds lite, nds xl, GBA, GBA SP, GBA micro...... I could go on

@KitsuneNight You're right, I'm not sure where I got that impression that the 2600 was still the best selling console of all time. I must have misread an article or something.

@Joe-b

I'd love to get a Brazillian Master system one day.

@Elvie

The PS2 is the bestselling currently
With 156 million.
Wonder if that wil ever get surpassed.

In defence of Nintendo, there was less people in the world when they stopped making it

Well, all that means is that they are going to screw up on the next console due to arrogance and not listening to consumers. Pretty much as happened to every dominant leader at at least one point so far:

SNES -> N64 Failure
PS2 -> PS3 Failure
360 -> XB1 Failure
Wii -> WiiU Failure

@KitsuneNight so wouldn't I! You know if nintendo didn't monopolize in the 80's with their "stranglehold" on third party publishers, the Master System would have had a better run. Especially since the Master System was a better built, technically superior system. In fact funny story, after the video game crash of the early 80's I had no game system to play except for my Colecovision. I saw the newly released NES and thought the controllers were terrible and the graphics were no better than my Colecovision. Then one day I passed a Master System on display at a local retail store. End of story. I really enjoyed my Master Syster System.

@KitsuneNight did the DS line surpass it? I would count that as well.

Good console. I think it helped that they hadn't had any real competition for the first 4 years of its release. Microsoft dropped a clanger and Nintendo had the WiiU.....so yeah

@Darknyht

The ps3 sold 88 million units
How is that a failure ?

the PSP sold 80 million units as well and that's considered a "failure" too.
And I have no idea why.

@Joe-b

No is neck and neck
the DS sold around 154 million.

@Joe-b

I'm form europe actually so the "crash" wasnt really a thing here
Europe was actually a Sega stronghold until they pulled out of the console market in 2001.

I've always been a Sega kid.

Good for Sony, they've had a good run supporting dedicated single player when multiplayers of varying monetary demands were being pushed harder than ever.

@KitsuneNight me as well.

@KitsuneNight PS2 dominated the market by any measurable statistics. Then Sony waltzed onto the stage and declared their next console would sell for $600 and you will love paying it. The 360 quickly gained massive market share because of the stupid decision to overprice the console (only to lose the next generation by announcing they were going digital only, and you will like it).

EDIT: Sony's PS4 response to Microsoft was $399 and no DRM. That decision by Microsoft (and response by Sony) won them the lead back again.

@Darknyht

I am aware of all that but the ps3 bounced back and stlil sold 88 million units.
And that is not a failure by any measure.

It even outsold the 360 eventually.

@KitsuneNight I am not sure completely botching your launch, earning yourself a class-action lawsuit over removal of features (for no real good reason), and basically getting hit with a lot of negative press for being hard to develop for constitutes a win. The console wasn't a total disaster (especially after revisions brought the price down and Blu-Ray won the format wars), but losing half your install base between generations isn't winning.

Congratulations Sony, with the PS4!!!

But, Nintendo Switch will outsell the PS4, I guarantee it!

@Darknyht

Honestly, I doubt all 156 million ps2 users would have bought a ps3 anyway.
Some people don't want too or can't
They don't see the need or have the inclination.

It's why DVd isn't dead yet . Its good enough.

The ps3 had a rocky start but so did the 360.
It was rushed out of the door and microsoft quite literally paid the price.

But the third console curse is still alive and well.
The Wii U was Nintendo's sixth.

@ryancraddock no they only had 1 model with 3 different colors! The Wii Mini came out after the Wii’s life ended!

@Darknyht

Just saw that edit, that reminds me of their E3 95 response to the Saturn : $299.

@SnesSwitch

How can it come out after the wii's "life"ended ?
The release of the mini means the console was still alive, if on life support.

Wow. The PS3 sold 80-something million, and it took 11 years. I had no idea the PS4 was so popular--maybe because, to this day, I don't think I've ever played one.

@Thundertron55 Switch 2 will be out by late 2022, it is pretty obvious that the Switch won't be able to bring the true next gen games home to the portable system and will need a sizable upgrade, though internally nvidia are about 5-6 generations ahead of the X1 chipset and I can tell you it will blow peoples minds what their new mobile sh*t can do. This is the main reason I doubt a Switch Pro is coming.

@KitsuneNight It makes for very effective marketing . I think it is just a fact of the corporate world. When you are on top you start thinking you can do whatever you like and people will just accept you crap. Console makers are not the only place this shows up. Just look at Microsoft and their arrogance with Windows ME or 8 (two of the bigger examples for them).

Sony lost me personally in the Playstation 2 era. I bought it because it was the followup to PSX and included a DVD player. Had issues with durability (had to open the box to help games start), and ended up picking up a cheaper Gamecube as a replacement. Haven't owned a Sony console since.

Honestly, looking back I wish I had listened to myself and purchased a Dreamcast. It offered the quirkiness in gaming I enjoy. Which is probably why I love the Gamecube and Wii U so much.

I don't see how it is impressive when you compare the size of Nintendo and Sony. Sony is just a gigantic megacorps of 150 000 business suits who buy its success. The PS4 will mark the history as the console that destroyed the japanese industry. Compared to the PS1 and the PS2 it's a terrible system and entire genre are missing or only have low quality multiplatform games on it.

Impressive! It may in fact be the single console I own the most games on, so not surprising.

@Darknyht

The odd thing is that they all do it. You'd think they would learn from the mistakes from others.
But then, corporations can be remarkably stupid.

And it's never too late to buy a Dreamcast.
I got 2 of the buggers.

Glad that it sold well not to mentions it's also Sony second home console that doesn't have backwards compatibilty as their first was the PS1. Nintendo made a mistake with the Wii when they make inferior models of it later in its lifespan. The Wii Family Edition stripped the Wii of its GameCube backwards compatibilty and the Wii Mini removed internet connection entirely. People stop buying the Wii when they realize the later models just aren't worth it.

Unlike the wii the ps4 still has good games releasing at the end of its cycle.

@m8e3point1415 At least the Ps4 revisioned models didn't REMOVE stuff from the console like the Wii and Wii mini did as they went on.

The best part of the PS4 is how cheap it is, with games like 2016's Doom sometimes selling for as low as €6. The PS4 could outsell the PS2 if they do what Microsoft did with the all digital Xbox, except make it actually have a point.

They could release a PS4 without a disc drive, that was smaller than the PS4 slim, and cost €200 with a 1st party bundled game. If they did that, they could sell 55 million more during the next generation. This is how the PS2 reached 155 million.

Nintendo should do the same with the Switch, keeping the original when the next gen rolls out.

@glaemay The Playstation is a cash cow for Sony. Sony as a whole aren't doing too well. It's not a situation were Sony just plows money into the Playstation to ruin the market.

@Daldra what good game are you even talking about? Death Stranding? Last of Us Part 2? Control? Final Fantasy 7 remake? Cyber Punk 2077? Lol, joking, cuz this "last wave" of Ps4 games, the exclusive and not exclusive ones are all together better than the entire run of the Wii crunched down into the same time frame. Can easily tell that by looking at the Wii numbers too, if you average it all it works out people only owning around 9 games a console. Which ain't great.

Props to Sony for taking the problems they faced in the last generation, listening to the consumer, and creating a solid system. I appreciate the fact that the console war isn't really that anymore. They are coexisting quite well which should lead to even better and more original content going forward.

I'm not surprised it surpassed the Wii. The only aside I would give would be the profitability of the console. Every single Wii sold made a profit. I'm not sure that can be said about the PS4. However, I have not paid near enough attention to that number.

I do not actually own a PS4. Since the PS5 announcement coupled with my ever growing backlog, I think I will wait especially considered backwards compatibility.

@Agriculture

you mean the sadbox

@Thundertron55 "I think the Switch will definitely surpass the PS4 in a few years especially since they are making the PS5."

If yearly sales figures are any indications of how it's been selling since 2017 yearly numbers will eventually surpass it sooner then later.

@Darknyht Wow a console selling 88 million units is now a failure?

It even beat the 360 which is Microsoft's best selling console.....

It would more accurate to compare the PS2 to the Wii when you consider time to market, specs and games. Sure the Wii was still number two then but the PS4 came out at the end of the Wii lifespan and the specs are not even close. The WIi did something no console did and that was to engage the non or casual gamer and continues to do so. The PS2/4 are aimed at the gamers who always want the most realism and speed not actual gameplay.

@FX102A People might not want to admit this, but Nintendo flopping with the Wii U also helped Sony as well, since they really had no viable rivals in the first few years that the PS4 was on the market.

The Wii U crashed and burned so badly, nobody outside of die-hard Nintendo fanboys wanted to touch the thing with a ten-foot pole, and the Xbox One was not doing much better, although it did get decent third-party support.

If you wanted a game console, the PS4 was the best value.

It reminds me of how the PS1 was so successful back in the day. At the time, Sega and Nintendo were the top gaming companies in the world, and looked unbeatable. But Sega made numerous mistakes that cost them their fanbase, while Nintendo's stubborn refusal to see CDs as the future not only cost them alot of gamers who played on the NES and SNES, but the great support from third-parties, those two systems enjoyed.

I guess history repeats itself.

@Caryslan Nintendo hasn't competed with Sony since the GameCube. People buying a PS4 wouldnt have been put off by a Nintendo. Nintendo has been a complimentary console since mid-GameCube era.

The real dirty secret is gamers don't really care about Nintendo consoles anymore. Just the handhelds. Wii appealed to casuals, but now that the casuals are gone... It was a good move to make a hybrid.

@ClassSonicSatAM you don't need to replace any console already. If you feel like you need to, that's all on you. Same people who sell their Switch for a V2.

@MrMetroid So let's cover some of the facts of the console, especially at launch.

"Sony expected to sell 6 million units by the fiscal year ending in March 2007. Only 3.68 million were sold, falling short of that mark." Not exactly a strong launch.

"Upon release in November, there were 81,639 consoles sold but only 66,684 PS3 games sold for it, meaning some consumers did not buy any games for their system and presumably used it for other entertainment purposes, such as for Blu-Ray movies." So people bought it because it was the cheapest Blu-Ray player at the time, not because it was an awesome console. So it's success initially had to do with a secondary feature.

So to review:

• poor launch
• increased development complexity, time and costs
• price point out of reach for mainstream
• poor showing in Japan
• PS2 backwards compatibility missing on main SKU
• negative profit (probably most important for a business)
• SKU confusion

EDIT: Again, not saying it was a good or bad console. It just failed to meet the lofty expectations of the company and they had to do some serious redesign in order to turn the ship around.

@KitsuneNight Lol! I never heard that description, but when a console launched in 2013 is about to be outsold by the Switch launched in 2017, I guess it's pretty sad.

@Darknyht The reason why eventually it overtook the 360 is that it did a lot of things right. Most importantly, all version had a harddrive and a bluray optical unit, and the harddrive was even interchangable. That meant that late in the console cycle, the PS3 could handle the huge games with huge patches that were released at the time.

@Agriculture All true, but it took major redesigns and price cuts for Sony to eventually overtake a console that was released a year earlier and eventually was technically inferior to it in a few front facing important ways.

Truth is, had Sony had been on their "A" game they would have trashed the 360's numbers fast. But their own hubris contributed to them almost losing that generation. 88 million isn't small numbers, but the console did not live up to it's pedigree or historical reputation.

EDIT: Games in the generation were designed to the 360's capabilities for the most part, not the PS3's.

@electrolite77 @gamer89 True I don't see much point in getting a new one even if my PS4 fat is on it's last legs
but tons of people buy the "Pro version" anyway for the extra speed/frame rate and such... hench the more units sold, while with the Wii there was no real improvement buying another one unless it broke

even the Wii Mini was a total joke, who wants a console with no internet features in this day and age?

@Darknyht Yes, Sony has even admitted that they deliberately made the PS3 difficult to program for so that game developers had to pick a side, which they assumed would be their side due to how successful the PS2 was. Needless to say, it backfired big time.

Even with all that said, it's not entirely easily to claim Sony could have done much better. The unique processor of the PS3 was conceived back when consumers expected new consoles to show something they hadn't seen. It wasn't until the PS4/Xbox One that someone took the step of launching a console that was just a PC with lower specs than you could already buy.

If Sony had launched a console with more standard hardware, like the 360 had, it still would have been very expensive since the harddrive and bluray drove the price up.

@Trajan Honestly I don't see much point getting a "pro/New" version unless your old console breaks but tons of people do it hench why more PS4 units sold
And yeah people expect the Switch to do the same, with Switch V2 I would say that's a bit worse cus you can't really tell if it's a Pro/improvement or not out of the box

This stings a little. The ps4 is quite an amazing box, though. And they'll probably have it insanely cheap on black friday which will shovel a few million more out there.

@m8e3point1415 The Wii had three models too fyi

The launch Wii
The Family edition which removed the GameCube ports
the Wii Mini

It’s not impressive at all, comparing it to the Wii, it fared better in both aspects, in consoles and software sold. The PS4 best selling exclusive is Uncharted 4, and it doesn’t even make it to the top 5, the title that outsells it Ian FIFA 17.

@Edu23XWiiU Just wow....

@KitsuneNight 6 years.

@Zeldafan79 let's just say it is 5.95 years old then...

@flapjack-ashley

While there's certainly no denying that the library flashed itself later on and became pretty damn good down the line, saying at the launch was anyting less than more then mediocre as laughable. It wasn't even good. I was there pretty much in the beginning and so how bad it was. It wasn't until about damn near two years later that things started to come around and it actually started becoming a little bit worthwhile.

I didnt care much for the PS4, I think that it sold because of Sonys great marketing and because of Microsoft's terrible marketing. The DS4 was a terrible controller (only slightly longer battery life than a Gamepad) with sticks that were prone to peeling, the PS4 storage solutions sucked and the exclusives were largely average to me. I preferred the Xbox One even though it lacked exclusives because of its more consumer friendly approach (ironic as it was tarred as being anti-consumer at its reveal) with external storage, backwards compatibility and cross-play titles.

@LUIGITORNADO Now the VR part is really cool and hope one day that Nintendo will have a proper VR unit

@Zidentia

Ps2 was the weakest of the sixth gen.
with an odd architecture and the least amount of ram ( 32 mb)

It did use full size dvd's though and played dvd's right our of the box
That was a game changer.
It also helped, that it played ps1 games.

@Agriculture

I meant the discless version to be honest.
it's official name is Xbox One S All Digital

IE the Sadbox.

@JRRR92

Nr 4 who tells me that.

@Agriculture

Not entirely true to be honest.
What about the original 2001 Xbox ?
That was a pc in console clothing.
Running on a Pentium III 733 mhz, with 64 mb of ram, an 8 gig hd and dvd drive.
Back in 2001 that was a decent pc, and it could run Linux with some modding

Maybe even Windows, not sure about that one.

And its a very very very very very very dark green not black evidently.

I know others are saying this, but man, PS4 has many different models!! Congrats but, let’s show a break down. How many of those are double, even triple dippers. How many upgrades to the pro? It sucks from a stats standpoint. I think there should be a more accurate list while looking at actual sku’s.

@ryancraddock The Wii got downgraded with each revision.

@KitsuneNight

Just an FYI, the video game crash has always been greatly overstated. All of the players (Atari was owned by Time-Warner at that point) were just moonlighting when it came to their video game products. The Commodore 64 reigned supreme throughout and after the supposed crash with Atari still kicking about until the Nintendo Entertainment System redefined everything. It’s almost identical to what happened across the pond with BBC, Sinclair and Amstrad and their micros being the video gamers choice before the Master System politely said “hello”. You ended up with Amiga and the ST because Commodore and Atari ran away from the US and Nintendo and Microsoft/IBM. Soon enough, Microsoft/IBM and Japanese consoles followed them to Britian and Europe and bob’s your uncle.

@robr

I know.
The crash mostly affected the USA. Europe and Japan got on just fine.

@Edanetz

The Wii had 3 different models.
The DS had 4 different models.
The 360 had 3 different models .
The ps2 had 2 different models.
The ps3 had 3 different models.

The ps4 having different models, is not out of the norm.

And I am quadruple dipper.
I bought a white one new.
A pro used, and 2 normal ps4's, also used.

And I traded them all in, because I wasn't playing on them.
I do most of my gaming on the pc or the NX these days.

When the PS5 hits I wil buy another used ps4 though.
I have around 60 ps4 games on my psn, might wanna play those again one day.

@KitsuneNight

What I’m getting at is that the crash didn’t really actually happen anywhere (including the USA).
Mattel, Magnavox, Time-Warner and major retailers like Sears didn’t meet their quarterly numbers for the Christmas season. That’s all it was. Americans simply bought Commodores and Apples for a couple of years instead of the 2600 or the Intelivision or Colecovision. Alas, the only reason that most people bought a Commodore was to play video games..... Thus, the “crash” is just a myth born from context and how video games were defined at the time. Colecovision was a “video game” with “games”. Commodore was a “computer” with “software”.

did they had to put this on a Nintendo site? I am sure PlayStation fans are estastic, but I could care less about those stats.

@ekwcll

Yet you comment on this article.
So you must care one way or another.

@Trajan

Some of you guys are funny as all get-out. The reason why sony or ANY of these guys ever do well enough for bean counters, fanboys et cetera to talk about & fight over is BECAUSE of the casuals. So I don't know why anyone that wants to talk/brag about numbers would try to minimize, denigrate and/or down play they're huge role in any of these guys success. And really, let's not act like putting a cheap DVD player in your console was something that "hardcore" (lol smh) gamers were clamoring for & wasn't anything but casual. They (sony) came into the game with casual all over them.

And hey, nothing wrong with that. As no matter what system it is, it's always the casuals that blow up your base. It's no different than why underground artists decide to go mainstream. The more acore gamers might be the initial quick adopters that help lay the initial foundation, but it"s always been the casuals that come to your system to truly help explode the numbers & build the fort. If it was truly all these "hardcore" gamers that made up the bulk of the base as so many here would have you believe selling 10 million copies or so of their acclaimed & supposed world beater games wouldn't be seen as some magnificent feat. In fact, that should be more than expected & pretty much just a drop in the bucket if it's all the "hardcore" Gamers out there buying all these "hardcore" games.

Yet, that's generally not the case. Which is why we're celebrating 10 to 12 million copies sold on a use of base of over s hundred million. Now that in no way diminishes the feats accomplished, but hell, there are games that sell about as good or better on Nintendo platgormswith much less advertising and air time than many of these games.

PS4 is my favourite non-Nintendo console ever. Is a great machine, with superb games and deserves all its success.

Welk deserved, the ps4 was a way better offering than the xbox one or the wii u. Too bad Sony has done some bs the last months It will be interesting to see how nany units the switch is going to sale.

@m8e3point1415 you mean like the original Wii. The one without GameCube support and the Wii Mini??

Nintendo shouldn't feel too disheartened, though; the Game Boy and Nintendo DSsystems are still ahead of the PS4 at present, with 118.69 million and 154.02 million unit sales respectively.

I dont think Nintendo is in the console war business. As long as their systems are selling well enough to create a thriving ecosystem for adequate software sales, they'll be happy.

In fact, good PS4 sales means more people into gaming which means more potential Switch sales. It's good for everyone all around.

I wish people would stop commenting on my comment telling me how wrong I am. I just stated an opinion. An opinion that doesn't need to be commented on. If Nintendo plays their cards right I do believe that the Switch can pass the PS4. Realistically it probably won't but again if Nintendo does it right they can. Honestly all they need to do is release a new Switch model every few years that is more powerful than the current Switch and Nintendo can build a full on "Nintendo Switch Family of Systems." I know that that would mean that some games won't be playable on the OG Switch and the Switch Lite but that never stopped Nintendo w/ the 3DS. They never really considered the performance of recent 3DS games on the OG 3DS. Luigi's Mansion is a good example of this. The game runs ok on the new 3/2DS but runs terrible on the OG 3/2DS. Plus their were those new 3DS exclusives like Xenoblade 3D. I could totally see Nintendo releasing a new Nintendo Switch or Switch Pro in about 2 to 4 years and that model having exclusive games that can only be played on those consoles.

@KitsuneNight .
I agree but it is disingenuous to compare the Wii to the PS4. They came out at different times and had wildly different specs.

@Thundertron55

An opinion can always be commented on, whether to agree or disagree.
The moment you put your opinion out in the open, others can and will comment on it.
That's just how it is.

@Thundertron55 You don't have to read them. In fact, I generally recommend that you don't as it will usually increase your happiness overall. Some people just want to argue to argue.

I've enjoyed the discussion with @Agriculture and @KitsuneNight as it is a fun exercise to debate things (even if the actual topic ultimately doesn't matter much in the end). It exercises your brain and makes you look at an issue from a different perspective; both are good and healthy. It was nice to talk to someone, and it is okay that I don't agree as no one's life is on the line ultimately in how we look at a Console long gone.

@Agriculture not sure they could have done anything different, it is just a phase all companies seem to go for. I somewhat expect Nintendo to do it again with the successor to the Switch since it has been a success.

@KitsuneNight Like you said, it was released in 2001. There's tablet computers from 1995 and they are all awful. The PS2 won over the original Xbox because it used cheap memory cards, while the PS3 overtook the 360 because it didn't use cheap memory cards.

My point is that things change with time. When the PS3 was just released, having a harddrive and bluray optical reader was probably bad for the console, since it drove up the price, but during the last few years, having those things meant the console was still viable.

@KitsuneNight Another big factor was that it was significantly cheaper than the original Xbox. Few people even remember this, but the original Xbox launched for $500 and Microsoft had to quickly drop the price and compensate those who bought it for $500 by giving them 2 free games.

The Xbox was much more capable, and got games like Morrowind and Halo, which probably would have never run on a PS2. The Xbox even got a nerfed version of Half Life 2. That generation of consoles was my favorite, and all 3 consoles had a ridiculous amount of great games.

@KitsuneNight no, only cared because this is a Nintendo site., didn't care about the stats.

@Darknyht
Thx I'll keep that in mind.

I actually expected this to happen months ago. But now I know that Kimishima's comments about Switch surprassing Wii's sales weren't unsure, maybe it will...
Impressive feat!

@gameboy1975 My great aunt and other older people own a Wii with no prior or successor consoles. The Wii appealed to non-gamers. The PS4 is a gamers console.

@Trajan

Gamers and casual gamers
The biggest name in gaming, and the one best known to the casuals, is Playstation.

@Agriculture

Nah I remember that.
Especially the 489 pounds pricetag in the UK.
Which was dropped to 299 very shortly after.

I got a soft spot for the Xbox. ( 2001 version)
But all 3 of those machines are great, because they have their own strengths and weakeneses.

@Agriculture

That was kinda my point though, the 2001 Xbox was the first one that was basically a PC.

( I got a p1 120 mhz libretto from 1997. It's about the size of a vhs tape, it's useless but cool.)

@Darknyht

Personally I am a bit beyond the "fanboy"mentality and stake a fiefdom for a preferred console.
If the machine has cool games and is affordable and has games I want ?
Then I am all for it.

@KitsuneNight The Wii and DS disagree. And now iOS and Google play.

@KitsuneNight For the most part I feel the same. There are some companies I prefer not to do business with due to bad experiences, but otherwise a game is a game.

As for the causal name everyone knows, it depends on the era. Originally, everything (at least in the US) was an "Atari". Then it all became "Nintendos". "Playstation" was after that, and then I heard just about everything from Playstation, Xbox, and Wii. I would imagine "Playstation" might be back on top for general use along with "Nintendo" coming back but I don't hear as many Christmas wishes this time of year as I used to (not as involved in the Angel Tree these days).

In handhelds everything was called "Gameboys" for years, and then "DS". Again, I am not entirely sure what the common term would be these days.

@Trajan

The wii and DS are also 14 and 16 years old respectively
and both are quite dead .

The Playstation on the other hand is in rude health

@KitsuneNight Yes im saying that the casual market that the Wii and DS enjoyed is different from that of the PS4. They also largely left for phones.

Nintendo has learned this lesson.

@KitsuneNight Yeah, it's the same with the Switch, it's way more successful than the PSP and the Vita because it launched the right time to be using mobile processors.

The time of release is something people tend to forget when arguing about which console should be successful. Right now for example, you can't release a console with a proprietary processor.

@Trajan

Okay and? If they're playing a game on it, they're a gamer. I know people that had more games for their Wii than people who had PS3's and Xboxes. Myself certainly included. I have a co-worker that literally bought one just because he heard people talking about this, caught a deal, & yet he admits he doesn't even play the damn thing. There's folks who wn about 4-6 games on it & some of those games owned are part of the same franchise.

We can always point out personal & anecdotal examples bro. The fact of the matter is though is that casuals make the bulk of ANY large & successful base,. You can try to spin it anyway that you want to make yourself feel better, but it is what it is. You know more of a gamer than anybody else bro just because you own or love your ps4.

@gameboy1975 I never said that only casuals bought a Wii, I'm saying that the Wii appealed to casuals like no other console.

You don't see PS4s in retirement homes or rehab facilities.

@Trajan

I also don't stalk retirement homes or those kind of facilities. I have seen them in pretty old @** people's homes though, so...