Big news from Sony: the PS4 family of consoles has crested the 50 million mark, as of December 6, 2016. The milestone came on the back of the brand’s most successful Black Friday yet, and pairs with a software sales figure totalling over 369.6 million.
“We’re truly delighted that the PS4 community continues to flourish since launch three years ago,” said Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Andrew House in a press release. While industry tracker NPD Group has yet to release its November sales figures, word is the Xbox’ reign at the top of the monthly sales charts since July came to an end on the back of strong sales from the recently-unveiled PS4 Pro.
At the current rate, the PS4 is expected to surpass the PS3 by the end of its life-cycle: Sony’s seventh-gen system has sold roughly 84 million units since launching in 2006 — we recently celebrated its tenth birthday. The PS4 has hit the 50 million mark approximately 18 months quicker, but it still has quite a ways to go if it hopes to topple the PS2’s 155 million. Estimates put the Xbox One at somewhere around 30 million units.
For GT fans, the date of the sales milestone is a significant one. You see, December 6 2016 marks the longest time a PlayStation console has existed without a Gran Turismo game available, even including the original model. The gap between the PS1’s release date (December 3, 1994) and Gran Turismo’s (December 23, 1997) was 1116 days. The time between the PlayStation 4 launch in North America and the 50 million mark? 1117.
Gran Turismo Sport was originally scheduled to launch on what would have been the PS4’s third birthday (November 15), before being delayed to some time in 2017. The game is set to take advantage of the PS4 Pro’s additional horsepower, judging by the latest 4K trailer.
Read the full Sony press release right here.
See more articles on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro.
