PlayStation helped propel Sony to a very profitable financial year, with the company's operating income up 329 per cent to ¥294.2 billion (~$2.7 billion). The company's gaming division played a huge part in that, its own sales up 11 per cent, with profits doubling to ¥88.7 billion (~$819 million). For a snapshot of just how well the Japanese giant's doing, the PlayStation Network alone raked in more revenue than the entirety of Nintendo over the same period.
The PlayStation 4 has now shipped 40 million units globally, up from the 35.9 million announced in January – though that figure represented the number of formats sold directly through to consumers. The success of PlayStation, however, was offset by a 20 per cent plunge in smartphone sales – although Sony Pictures and Sony Music all had decent years, too.
This all paints a much, much rosier picture of Sony than we're used to, as there was a period a few years back where the company was making financial loss after financial loss. Fortunately, it seems much leaner and hungrier under the leadership of Kaz Hirai, and if it could just sort out its challenged mobile division, then it'd be doing pretty darn well overall. It's quite incredible how the former PlayStation executive has managed to turn things around.
[source sony.net, via bbc.co.uk, News: PSN's Raking in More Cash Than the Entirety of Nintendo]
Comments 19
That meme never gets old
Really impressive, I only hope they invest their yens into games for PS4. I'm not really interested in PSVR or PS4Neo at the moment.
I don't get it. If you sold 40,000,000 units in such an amazingly short amount of time, and it is this huge cash cow, why on earth would you want to change anything? I'm a big believer in never biting the hand that feeds you.
@z-cba Because standing still while you're on top is the worst possible thing that you can do. You need to push forward if you don't want to get overtaken.
40 millions soon to be outdated console,
@z-cba Do you think it will still be the biggest seller month on month if there are more powerful consoles available that can offer a 'better' gaming experience - at least visually? You can't sit back and let the others overtake you. Nintendo are releasing its NX in March, MS are rumoured to be working on a 'new' console too, so Sony has to at least keep pace technologically if not 1 step ahead. Staying at the top isn't easy - especially with technology moving quite fast.
@whywai88 Hardly. Every game is still going to work on both consoles. You don't have to buy a Neo. It's nice to have options.
@BAMozzy Wasn't the original Xbox more powerful than the PS2?
I'm sorry, but I do see this as being another Coca-Cola moment. I hope that I'm wrong, I really do, but splitting a fan base is a very dangerous thing to do.
It works both ways, time will tell if Sony is making the right or wrong move by shaking up the market. But the method doesn't apply to every situation, nor is it a guaranteed success.
Yet the poor old Wii U still struggles, but brilliant sales for the PS4 nevertheless.
@z-cba How is it splitting the user base? Its not like you 'have' to buy the PS4k to play games or that the 'lobbies' for MP will be split between the consoles. A 'new' console splits the user base because it can play 'different' games and only games with other 'new' console owners.
If anything the VR will split the user base more - those with and those without. If you want to play those games then you 'have' to buy a PSVR and can only play MP games with other PSVR users!
Regardless of what 'version' of PS4 you own, you will still be able to play every new release, games like CoD, Rocket League or any of the other MP games will all have the 'same' lobbies and be able to play together. I don't know what MP games (if any) you play but if your friends buy the PS4k and you don't, you will still be able to play EVERY PS4 game they can and play EVERY MP/co-op part together too. The ONLY difference is that they may have a higher resolution. I have NEVER seen an image at 900/1080p that I can't see an enemy that suddenly becomes visible at 4k (let alone the 1200-1440p this is likely to max out at). Fine details may appear less 'blurry' by having 4 pixels for every 1 at 1080p but you can't see those pixels at 1080p generally (unless you get up very close to the screen). You have a 'bigger' advantage by having a much larger TV or by not setting your TV up to game mode than an increase in resolution.
To 'split' the user base, the PS4k would have to have its own 'unique' games that are NOT available on the base PS4. It would have to separate gamers between each 'version' - PS4 with PS4 only and PS4k with PS4k only. Its not like Sony are releasing the PS5, which, like the PS4 did when it launched, would split the user base as it had its own games and own lobbies!
@BAMozzy So your argument is that all of the outrage has been made up and doesn't really exist.
@z-cba My argument is that people are making mountains out of molehills and being over-dramatic. It doesn't mean that the outrage doesn't exist but that doesn't make their 'outrage' valid just because it exists. I could understand it more if people were 'outraged' with a 'valid' reason but saying it will split the 'user' base is not one of them - certainly not if the rumours are true and that 'every' game will be playable on 'either' system and together.
You won't know what other people have as their console. You can't tell what 'image' they see - whether its a higher resolution compared to your PS4 version.
To 'split' the user base, the PS4k would have to be a separate console - like the PS4 was when it launched. It split the existing user base because some people had last gen consoles and had to play last gen 'versions' of games.PS4 CoD:Ghosts (for example) could only play online with PS4 CoD: Ghosts players. CoD2016, releasing after October, will have a 'neo' mode built in. It will still say PS4 on the box. It will be playable with the 40m+ PS4 users regardless of whether some of those upgrade to the Neo or not. You won't buy a 'separate' PS4 Neo version or have to play online with other 'Neo' users.
So tell me why are people feeling that this will split the user base? Because 1 has a higher resolution than another? Even though ALL content is exactly the same! Its not like you will walk into a shop and buy either the PS4 or PS4k versions of games. Its not like any game will have 'extra' content or only be available to one set of owners. Its not like you will see segregated lobbies between the users so tell me why this will split the user base.
"shipped"
I only came on here to see a Kaz gif.
Whether the PS4K "splits" the fan base or not is irrelevant in terms of ongoing success. The key is the perception of the public on what it does. Sony's marketing team have a hell of a job communicating that PS4K is compatible with PS4 and vice versa, whilst also driving sales of both. I think if they're wise, they'll concentrate on PS4 sales, and leave PS4K to the hardcore gamers, who know the difference. Whilst also every now and then mentioning VR!
Playstation Quadruple really is doing okay then.
Im so pissed at Sony right now. I've been with them from day one; my kids grew up with the PS1 then 2. We bought a couple of 3s when they wanted their own in their rooms and were first adapters with two PS4s. My sons' PS4 died after a year, refusing to boot while mine is plagued with the eject disc malfunction, on which refuted fixes are only temporary. Made in China crap.
Lessons learned, don't buy the first version of any new console, waiting instead for the subsequent bug-free unit, and that Sony is just like any other for profit organisation, in that loyalty isnt a two-way street otherwise these units with design faults would, and should, have been recalled or replaced.
@Stezimov That might be just you guys having bad luck because the only real problems globally the ps4 had at launch was the controllers analog tearing
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