PS4 Was the World's Best-Selling Console in 2018

The best console won

That's a great result. Surely it will hit the 100m shipped mark later this year, perhaps before Christmas, then it's PS5 time, baby.

Now THIS article needs to be spread around. There's alot of skewed info about Switch sales making the rounds. Counting "20 month" periods instead of 24. But full numbers show the real story.

PlayStation has now been the no. 1 selling home console for 8 years in a row now. The last they were behind was in 2010 - the last heydays of the Wii.

I don't think this is in spite of it being an older console; I think it's precisely because it is.

People don't buy consoles to look pretty and take up shelf space, they buy them to play games. The older a console is, the more games it has. Many folk who aren't hardcore, play-at-launch gamers will wait a good couple years before buying a console alongside a dozen or so amazing games (usually for half the price we spend, too).

The PS4 is an incredible machine, no mistake, but it's a machine that is only worth something when there's games to play on it. Thankfully, it's had a consistent supply of them, and they've all (mostly) been excellent, so that's where the praise should go.

It's also probably why the Switch sales haven't been as steady and tend to just spike when the latest version of a landmark Nintendo tentpole franchise has been released.

@wiiware
You are wrong, the article says the PS4 won.

@Rhaoulos ps4 is the best console.

@get2sammyb People are thinking Sony is the underdog going into next gen? With guaranteed sequels to Horizon, Spiderman, God of War and the GotY shoe-in Knack 3?

@get2sammyb
I always consider companies going against MS the underdog, especially if MS is doing like they're doing right now and throwing money around left and right. We'll see how next-gen plays out but I think what this result shows is the strength of the European market. North America is very fickle and can go to any of the three companies depending on how things are priced and advertised. Japan pretty much seems like Nintendo territory so naturally home consoles like Sony and MS produce won't be huge sellers anymore. But in Europe PlayStation seems to absolutely dominate and it was also a deciding factor in Sony getting past MS last gen as well despite MS winning big in NA. In order for MS or Nintendo to be the big player worldwide they need to figure out how to take Europe from Sony.

@get2sammyb Yeah, fair enough, I'd forgotten about that. Although with each console generation, as gaming becomes a more, er... "socially acceptable" hobby for people other than teenagers, I do still think we're gonna be able to see the impact of sustained word-of-mouth and curiosity over the entire lifespan of any given system, providing the games are good enough to generate it.

Or, in other words, last week my Mum asked me which games console might be right for her because she'd heard people talking about gaming on the radio.

Would be interesting to know the sales numbers, as the numbers here are the shipped ones.

@get2sammyb You go from "shipped" to "sold" a little too easily w/o any further analysis or explanation don't you think?

I'm not saying PS4 wasn't the worlds best selling console in 2018, it should have been w/ both GoW and Spiderman, plus RDR2, and it's selling 2 consoles at 2 price points that it then adds together, the Slim for $199 for latecomers and the Pro at $299 for current PS4 owners who want to update b/c they have a 4k tv. So yeah, probably best seller.

But from the article -
"Sony shipped 8.1 million consoles globally during the three month period ending 31st December, bringing its overall total for the calendar year up to 17.7 million units. For the same period, the Nintendo Switch shipped 17.4 million units."

So in 2018 the PS4 SHIPPED 17.7m compared to the Switch 17.4m.

And 17.7 is obviously more than 17.4 so obviously PS4 SHIPPED more than Switch in 2018.

But then there's this -
"shipped 94.2 million PS4 consoles worldwide, with sell-through sitting at 91.6 million "

So PS4 has SHIPPED 94.2m but only sold 91.6m. That's a difference of 2.6m. So unless you think there have been 2m PS4 sitting on shelves the past 5 years in all likelihood most of those shipped but as of yet UNSOLD PS4 are probably from 2018. But even fi they all arent', dont' you think ti's fair to say some of them are? Maybe half? So maybe the PS4 shipped 17.7m in 2018 minus half of 2.6m is 1.3m = 16.4m sold.

And while I didnt' see a sold number for Switch, if it shipped 17.4m in 2018 it's probably safe to say there aren't still 2.6m Switch sitting around unsold. If there were that many still unsold on shelves after only 2 years they'd probably stop shipping so many. But there are obviously some sitting on shelves, I've seen them. So lets say there are 1m unsold Switch sitting on shelves. Half shipped in 2017, half in 2018, that would mean Switch would have sold 16.9m Switch in 2018. Half a million more than the PS4.

So before you go around writing articles about PS4 outselling Switch in 2018, make sure you are comparing sold to sold, and not shipped to shipped or sold to shipped.

PS4 certainly may have outsold Switch in 2018, but your numbers don't say that, so you shouldn't' either.

@AlejandroMora
This is so easy to trigger a console war
The XBO X is the most powerful console, that's about it.
The PS4 has the largest amount of great exclusives but the controller sucks.
The Switch has the best controller (Pro, not Joy cons), arguably the best IP and is portable.

Too me it's a no brainer, having a Switch AND a PS4 is the best.

@Chunky_Droid Sony announced 73.6 million units sold through to customers by December 31st 2017. They just announced 91.6 million units sold through to customers by December 31st 2018. That confirms 18 million units sold through during 2018.

@RogerRoger @get2sammyb
Guilty of buying a PS4 this year. I was relying on the Switch but software releases slowed down so I bought a PS4 Pro.
It could be due to people like me tired of waiting for delayed games. Also prices have dropped a lot on PS4. You can get 3 great AAA games for the price of a single one on Switch.

@Rhaoulos The comment was ps4 vs switch, controller is subjective (dualshock 4 is the best for me), but ps4 has a bigger library of games available than switch both 1st, 2nd and 3rd party, better performance on shared games, a better online infraestructure (psn vs nintendo online). So yeah that makes it the better system.

@Gamer83 "I always consider companies going against MS the underdog"

Really? How did the Zune turn out? Or the $7.6B Nokia purchase and Windows 10 Phone?

Sure, MS has the advantage in software, being a monopoly charged w/ numerous crimes in numerous countries will give you that advantage, in your monopoly area. But where else have they crushed the competition? I know the Surface tablet is still going, but so is iPad. And even their core business, Windows PCs, have been falling off a cliff. And Chromebooks may be outselling Windows PCs at this point.

For PC operating systems, and I'll give them Office software as well, they are the illegal monopoly 800lb gorilla in the room. For nearly everything else all I see is one failure after another. And if not failure 2nd class citizens. 2nd to Google, 2nd to Sony, 2nd to Apple.

I'm sure you have your reasons for why you think that, but they aren't perfect, far from it.

@rjejr
Money can get you far in the game industry and while MS has spent a bit in the past it's never taken gaming as serious as Phil Spencer seems to have them doing. The spending spree they're on is the first big one I remember since they joined the console market.

@get2sammyb x box 360 never beat ps3 at the end of both consoles.ps3 beat xbox 360.facts playa.word up son

@get2sammyb
They spent on some timed exclusives but it wasn't like this. They're buying up some big names, building up their own studio like The Initiative and it doesn't seem like the spending is going to stop any time soon. They've taken gaming seriously but not like this. But I would agree I need to see what all this brings about. As of right now I still plan to buy a PS5 day one, and I'll upgrade my Switch to the inevitable 'New Nintendo Switch' quickly as well. Given how the last couple years have gone on the Xbox exclusive front, I can't say I'll be in a hurry to buy the next Xbox unless these new acquistions show great results.

@Gamer83 The only way I see MS back in front in home console gaming is if Sony messes up and gives them an in. But I dont' see Sony messing up next gen. I see a basic PS4 Proier Pro for the PS5, meaning it's simple and it's cheap and it plays PS4 games. Nothing dramatic. But it will sell b/c we all want to play GoW2, H:ZD2 and Spiderman2.

Sure, MS has purchased alot of devs, but what's their track record? What games do they have that I'm willing to miss out on the next part of GoW? How are they going to get Japan to move away from Switch? Sony may not even bother w/ Japan too much now, they know Nintnedo owns it.

I see MS sticking around. Game Pass is good. 'Muricans like sports and FPS. Xbox integration w/ PCs may actually help keep Xbox around even as some players move more of their gaming time to PC as options are nice. And MS has the backbone for streaming underway it seems. So they'll survive, they'll make money. They'll stick around.

But home console gaming = Playstation until it doesn't. Heck for all the "Xbox360 owned PS3" bluster they still sold the same amount, ~80m. I don't see MS suddenly jumping ahead, nto after thsi gen.

And again, Sony is a company, companies do stupid things. Sony does lots of stupid things - 3D displays, PSPgo, Vita memory cards - so it could happen again. Make another $600 console w/ a Cell processor nobody asked for. So they might screw up big time. But I think they have such a commanding lead in the home console market, and they've abandoned handhelds to Nitnedo - probably a smart move - that they'll just play it safe, rely on the games next gen, not the hardware.

After that, well 7 years from now I'll be 60, ya'all can do what you want.

so I guess Europe was the deciding factor? If I remember correctly Switch won the US last year, and in Japan it wasn't even close.

@rjejr
It's just too difficult to predict, because as you mentioned, companies can do stupid things. But like I put in my last comment to Sammy, MS is making moves that I like but I also still need to how that plays out. PlayStaiton is my preferred brand and I'm definitely not going to miss out on sequels to Horizon, God of War 2018, Spider-Man, the next batch of MLB The Show games, etc. A PS console is always going to be a buy for me. But I'm not going to be blinded by fanboyism and act like things can't happen that turn the tide into MS or Nintendo's favor.

@get2sammyb

"I'm comparing like for like."

"The figures are shipped PS4s compared to shipped Switches"

Looks at title -

PS4 Was the World's Best-Selling Console in 2018

shipped <> selling

@misterMike It's actually only hard on my head when I read a title that says best-selling but then I read an article that says most shipped.

It's hard on my head b/c it makes it do this. 🤣

@Gamer83 No, I'd never accuse you of being a fanboy. And as I said earlier, I'm sure you have your reasons for thinking what you do about MS.

I'm not getting into your discussion w/ Sammy though, dont' want to pick sides, and I'm giving him enough of a hard time as it is. 😉

@get2sammyb
No, I read what you typed, but from the software side, which is most important, I don't MS has ever taken first party and trying to build up exclusives this seriously. I'm just not counting out a company like this when it's going around spending with reckless abandon. Is a purchase of a major third party like EA or even a big Japanese publisher out of the question? I don't necessarily think so and depending who it is, it could have a massive effect on the landscape. All I'm saying is a desparate company with a willingness to spend what some might consider 'stupidly' isn't one I ever count as an underdog.Of course, I don't really consider Sony an underdog either, given the unprecedented success it has had since joining the industry in the mid-90s. Not a single one of its 4 home consoles has ever sold under 80 mil, that's unreal and PS3 being considered a 'failure' at over 80 mil tells us all we need to know. Hell aside from Vita, which I think failed partly because Sony was in a financial bind where it seemingly had to choose to go all-in on PS4 over the handheld, none of the PlayStaiton family of systems have done poorly. PSP at 70 mil+ was beyond impressive for a debut into a market Nintendo ruled with an iron fist. Yeah, I'm not looking at one of Sony or MS as an underdog just different companies with different advantages.

But again, you are right and I even said it too, MS needs to find a way to get more than North America and the UK behind that brand.

@rjejr
You just like to be "that guy", don't you? I mean, I agree with your badly received shipped vs sold argument but then you go and say something like this:

" And even their [MS] core business, Windows PCs, have been falling off a cliff. And Chromebooks may be outselling Windows PCs at this point."

Have it, really? And what's competing with it? Ubuntu for home users? Are companies employing Linux left and right and I myself, as a software developer, am unaware of that? And what is that? Chromebooks may be outs... Ah, screw it, it's not worth the time.

Nice. Sorry for the honesty: Take this, Switch!

@rjejr Once again, you make zero sense. The unsold consoles have nothing to with ps4 being out for more years. Nothing.

Of course it is

@Gamer83 they bought studios that were going to go out of business. this is not some great move MS has finally realized games are important Sony has known that for many years.

I'm really interested to see how this pans out for MS studios.

Sony is dominating this generation, it also shows that Xbox is really weak nowadays.

@get2sammyb But, but according to the media, Xbox is doing a great comeback and Phil Spencer is the savior of gaming?

@makoshichi Are you trying to combine two different posts I made to 2 different people on 2 different subjects into 1 coherent idea? Just b/c I wrote both posts doens't mean they have anything to do with one another as they were conversations with 2 different people on 2 different topics. If you are trying to read them as 1 common thread of course it isn't going to make any sense.

@naruball "The unsold consoles have nothing to with ps4 being out for more years."

In and of themselves they don't but as a comparison to Switch only being out for less than 2 years they do.

The article clearly states Sony has shipped 2.6 million more consoles than they have sold, 94.2 shipped to 91.6 sold. Now the simple easy argument to make would be that if Sony shipped 17.7m units in 2018 and there are still 2.6m unsold, then they only sold 15.1m units in 2018, the amount shipped minus the amount still to be sold. And that would make it far less than whatever the Switch sold, though we have no idea what the Switch sold or how many it's shipped in total. Btu the PS4 has been shipping for 5 years, the switch only 2, so it's likely some units shipped in earlier years, 2016, 2017, sold as part of the 2018 number. But Switch didn't ship in 2016, it only went on sale in March 2017. So I dont' want to say that those 2.6 m still unsold PS4 all shipped in 2018 as they have been shipping for 5 years so some are probably laying around lost somewhere collecting dust. Probably not as many lost Switch, it's only been out for 2 years.

So I think years matters between 5 year old PS4 and 2 year old Switch as too how many have been shipped and unsold in 2018, PS4 has been shipping longer than Switch, more time to accumulate unsold units. But most of those 2.6m unsold PS4 probably shipped in 2018, and Switch probably doesn't have 2.6m unsold anywhere b/c Nintneod is notoriously cheap and manufacturing and having stock laying around unsold.

So based on the shipped units for Switch and PS4 being similar, and the number of unsold PS4 units being at 2.6m, the smart money would be on Switch selling more in 2018 than PS4 did, b/c if Sony had 2.6m Switch sitting around unsold they probably wouldn't be making as many.

Though they did just lower their yearly Switch sales forecast from 20m to 17m, which could mean 3mil Switch siting out their unsold. Now I'm really curious about the actual sales numbers.

@rjejr
Nah dude, I find it hard to believe you don't understand what I did, but there we go: If I "combine" your posts, and it doesn't even have to be those two in particular, it becomes clear that you are the guy who likes to bicker. Which turns out to be a disappointment because, like I mentioned, I seem to be the only one who agrees with what you said about shipped units versus sold units, but as it stands, I don't know if you really mean that or you're just doing this thing that you like to do, that is disagreeing just for the sake of it.

To make matters worse, you're sidetracking because I called you on your BS about Microsoft.

Incoming "Only US and Japan numbers matters" comments.

This is gold, some fanboys are getting salty for this article they can't accept the fact that PS4 is the best console thus is selling more

Oh, but does include digital sales??

Im in complete shock. Oh wait no im not

I must say that message boards are a lot worse with the trolling and silly posts when Nintendo is doing great. IMO of course.

Can’t wait for the console war to heat up over the next year. Looking forward to xbone fan bois crying again when the PS5 beats out the X2