It has been a decades-long battle between several generations of Sony’s (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation, Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox, and Nintendo. The No. 1 position has gone back and forth. Sony held the early lead, and then was overcome by the other two companies. The PlayStation PS4, the console’s latest incarnation, has hit an important milestone: Its global sales have reached 30.2 million.
Sony says the PS4 is available in 124 countries and regions, which means its global market penetration is nearly universal. Sony has increased the uses of the PlayStation. The PS4 is a combination set top box, video game player, worldwide voice over IP, and WiFi station.
The Japanese electronics giant described the milestone:
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that the PlayStation4 (PS4) computer entertainment system has cumulatively sold through more than 30.2 million units worldwide as of November 22. PS4 continues to demonstrate the fastest and strongest growth in PlayStation hardware history.
PS4 is a uniform system on which gamers everywhere can enjoy the same high-quality digital entertainment experiences. The rapid expansion of the PS4 platform further reinforces the foundation of delivering compelling entertainment experiences. Customers can choose from multiple offerings available on this most favored platform that ranges from games on discs or through digital download to a variety of services available on PlayStation Network, including PlayStation Plus membership service, apps for streaming video, music and TV content. The 30.2 million PS4 owners around the world are spending more time playing games and enjoying entertainment content as the company further enriches content and services.
The PS4 has not been without problems. Its network has been hacked more than once. In 2011 as many as 77 million accounts were compromised.
However, one indisputable way to look at the PS4 is that it has helped carry the financially troubled Sony on its back for a number of years. At times, it was the only success Sony had.
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