Sony's released its sales forecasts for the fiscal year which started in April, and they paint a very interesting picture for the PlayStation 4. According to the company, it expects to sell 20 million new-gen systems through the period which ends 31st March, 2017. That's a sizeable increase on previous fiscal years, with the console pulling sales of 17.7 million and 14.8 million in FY15 and FY14 respectively.
So, how's it going to drive such a sizeable increase? Well, a price drop seems logical – but even that may not give the device the boost that it needs to hit its targets. More likely is that a cheaper entry fee for the standard model will be paired with the rumoured PS4K, which the manufacturer clearly expects to drive hardware sales when it eventually launches later in the year.
The platform holder also expects profits to increase fairly significantly year-over-year, up from ¥88.7 billion to ¥135 billion. It explicitly mentions increased software sales as a factor in this, but higher margin hardware may also help. Of course, PlayStation VR is due out in October as well. However it intends to hit these targets, though, one thing's for sure: Sony expects the coming months to be big for PS4.
[source sony.net, via neogaf.com]
Comments 7
Agree, cheaper old PS4 and newer PS4k means many more sales. Also that includes the Uncharted release since it's April to March.
Also, Wii U has a Nintendo projection of 800k for their fiscal year, so they are letting it die. But perhaps more importantly no NX until March 2017. And no Zelda U until 2017. A lot of Nintendo defectors this holiday as no gamer is going to let a year go by without gaming. And I think PS4 will be the console of choice over X1.
So I think 20mil is a fair projection. May be high, may even be low, but as far as projections go, seems good enough.
@MadAussieBloke I am not sure that cinema mode is going to be very good. The resolution (of the actual game on the virtual screen) is going to take quite a hit. Playing Netflix on my GearVR (better resolution than PSVR, 1280x1440 per eye vs 960x1080 per eye) is interesting for the spectacle of it, but the resolution of the actual video playing on the virtual screen (even in "full screen" mode) is so much worse than that on a 1080p TV that its not an enjoyable experience.
I don't see PSVR as being a 'console' seller in its self - not enough to drive console sales significantly. Even with an expected price drop of the PS4, the price to add PSVR on top is significant. Maybe if the PSVR has some 'must have' games, it could push interest but I still can't see it helping to shift more consoles than previous years alone. With 40m+ consoles in circulation, the bulk of PSVR sales are likely to be to current PS4 owners anyway.
We have seen big games launch and that has helped push console sales up on a monthly basis - the month they release we see a 'slight' increase in console sales but again not enough to drive console sales above previous years.
All of this points to a PS4k (Neo) release and I would expect before Christmas. It appeals to current PS4 owners because of the improvements it could make to games - not just resolution but framerate too which improves the way games 'feel'. It also appeals to new console buyers because of these improvements and its not like it won't have a back catalogue of playable games like a totally new console will have. The likely price-drop to the PS4 when this releases could also make 'next-gen' gaming more affordable for those that haven't yet been able to upgrade. It could also mean that 'some' families could end up buying a 2nd PS4 for kids that may have to share (or buy the PS4k and move the PS4 to another room - something I may consider). With 40m+ PS4's in circulation, that is a lot of potential gamers who may want to upgrade to get better performance in their games and the most likely to help Sony sell 20m consoles in the next year.
Pretty realistic I think. E3 2016, drop PS4 core system down to £199 and an entry price of £349 for PS4K. As much as people p*** & moan about mid-gen upgrades there are those that are itching to get on board.
With the report that PSN turned over a greater profit than the whole of Nintendo I think Sony wouldn't mind cutting the profit margin on the PS4, if it meant more people using PSN.
I also think it's possible. A 'new' PS4 model is being released this year, as well as a much-awaited accessory. If this year doesn't sell, I don't know which will.
Ah, hell, I do. The next one. And the next one, and the next one ...
Does anybody have the figures ending March `16?
cheaper base SKU + new premium SKU (PS4.5),
This optimistic forecast shows that it's definitely going to happen
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