Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) sold 60.4 million PlayStation 4 game consoles between the day it was launched on November 15, 2013, and June 11 of this year. Over the same period, 487.8 million copies of games played on the console have been sold.

Sony also announced:

PlayStation ecosystem has more than 70 million monthly active users worldwide as of end of March 2017. PlayStation®Plus has 26.4 million paid subscribers worldwide as of end of March 2017. Active PS4 users worldwide spend more than 600 million hours in total, per week on the platform as of end of March 2017.

Sony posted the figures just as rival Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) said it would launch the Xbox One X this upcoming November 7, setting up a battle for sales over the holiday season. Microsoft may hold the edge in advanced technology by then. The huge software company claims the new Xbox is “the world’s most powerful console.” Its support for the boast:

With 40% more power than any other console, experience immersive true 4K gaming. Games play better on Xbox One X

Microsoft’s challenge is that the new product will cost $499, well above the price of the current Xbox One, or any competition. Most versions of the Xbox One S sell for between $249 and $399. The base price for a PlayStation 4 is $299.99.

One of the challenges Microsoft has is how many people are in the market for a new console. The current versions of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are four years old. Both already have graphics and movie features robust enough to serve the majority of gamers.

However, many people who own consoles want to have the most current version, which is also true with smartphones, and thus the upgrade cycle has worked for both Microsoft and Sony.

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