Sony Expects PS5 to Outsell PS4's First Fiscal Year

Read that as PS5 aiming to outsell the entirety of PS4’s lifespan in its first year 😂

@nessisonett Lol I did the same exact thing.

Wouldn't be surprised with the amount of retailers going out of stock. I thankfully managed to get a ps5 pre ordered from shop to for day one

I really wish platform holders told us the amount of units that are available to pre-order in Wave 1, to put everything in perspective.

@graysoncharles the ps5 is going to sell like crazy just off of the amount of high profile PlayStation 5 exclusive games releasing in the first year.

Better get to making more then, and doing more to make sure scalpers don’t buy them all up.... f-ing ridiculous 🙄

@nessisonett I read it as the PS5 would sell more units than the PS4 will sell in the fiscal year of the PS5 launch. But that would be somewhat obvious, because I don't think the PS4 will sell that many consoles in the holiday season of 2020.

It is however going to be interesting to see how long PS4s will be sold. Will it be impossible to buy a new PS4 in late 2021?

I’m not so sure, they have a great launch line-up, but unless more availability does it, Sony’s messaging handy been building up the hype it be unstoppable.

@Agricultural What he meant was the ps5 at launch will sell more consoles then ps4 did on launch

Sony will definitely have to put the consoles out in the market - people can't buy if there aren't any to buy...

😃-With this new generation(PS5) being fully(99%) backwards compatible with the previous generation(PS4), I expect them to sell more, seeing as the PS3 to PS4 generation wasn't.
😶-There just going to have to kick the 🐖PIG and start manufacturing more PS5's to do it!

Things are CRAZY in Japan and everybody seems to be trying to get one. I was also surprised that in Akihabara there's ZERO marketing for it (a first).

Probably retailers not bothering to advertise it since it will probably be sold out for months.

I imagine both the PS5 and Xbox Series X will outsell their predecessors by at least a factor of 2:1 their first year and probably for their entire lifespans.

"With a strong launch lineup"
lmfao

Playstation’s overconfidence maybe backfires as it has done before. And as it has done to Microsoft too.

It will sell, of course. Here in Argentina the pre sale was of 2000 units and lasted for 30 min until it was out of stock. Luckily I was able to get a digital one in the first 5 minutes. After reading stories of pre sales around the globe I wasn't very confident... Anyway, the system will sell but the thing is game prices are on the rise, even the digital ones... Then you have the PS Plus, etc, how back compat will work (really bad the saved games issue) etc
... Good games will come but I don't know, I hope Sony isn't screwing this over. Really something like GamePass at least for PS4 games will be great.

@710King So 2 Xbox in Japan instead of 1?

@4kgk2 - Thing is the bigger releases like Miles Morales and Horizon are coming to PS4 along with games like Kena. Had these been PS5 only releases then I'd have joined the scramble to secure one.

As it is I feel zero need to buy one for at least a year or more and plenty of my friends are holding off too for the same reason. Obviously the thing will fly off the shelves but with those games alone being cross gen a lot of us will just wait.

Instead of Sony gloating, just show the UI to us all. Only 5 or so weeks left and still no indication of the UI. There has been way too many closed doors on the PS5, almost like cloak and dagger stuff.

@Shigurui but games like the new god of war, demon soul, ratchet and clank rift apart, gt7 and returnal isn’t coming to ps4 also.

I said that long ago when people were talking about few units available and covid blah blah.
Next gen is going to be even more one sided too. That's what I think even if people think its more competition yadi yada haha

@4kgk2 - Some of those might take a year or more to arrive. I can play DeS on my ps3 and I'm in no rush to play R&C. Just making MM and Horizon cross gen means folks will wait. Sony absolutely killed a lot of the FOMO right there.

Satorou Iwata expected to sell 100m WiiUs. Sometimes messed up marketing and expectations don't line up.....

The PlayStation name may market itself, but so did the Wii name. And the PlayStation name didn't help Vita. Or ps3 until after it was made more consumer focused.

@4kgk2
It's the most impressive line up ever seen I believe.

Satoru Iwata expected to sell 100m WiiUs. Sometimes messed up marketing and expectations don't line up.....

The PlayStation name may market itself, but so did the Wii name. And the PlayStation name didn't help Vita. Or ps3 until after it was made more consumer focused.

@NEStalgia Bad example. All ps home consoles have done well and even though ps3 struggled a bit due to the cell being expensive and difficult to program for, it always sold well. Just not as well as ps2 did.

As for Ninty, plenty of their home consoles struggled. Wii did well because it was a novelty, just like psp, while their handhelds have almost always done well, hence the success of the switch.

Hate to say it, but after the past few weeks I'm not so sure. The PR needle has definitely shifted towards Xbox a bit more recently plus there are 70 other reasons why sales might not hit the highs they're hoping for.

Most analysts have current demand ratios for PS5 Vs XSS|X in the 4 or 5 to 1 category in favour of Sony. A number of retailers have intimated they've had more initial stock of the PS5 and that they still have far more unmet demand for the PS5. If they are manufacturing as many as rumoured, and if the demand is as big as retailers and analysts seem to suggest... well, Sony's not being arrogant, they're being modest. Whether or not Horizon Forbidden West is on PS4 won't matter too much, because it'll look far superior on PS5. Throw in GoW and rumours of two as yet unannounced first party games rumoured to launch in 2021 as well, the demand will almost certainly be there. If they can make the things fast enough, well, I can see them hitting 30m in their first year easily.

One thing I wish people remembered is all the BS from that Mochizuki fraud (from WSJ and then Bloomberg for those who dont know) about limited quantities available and his BS numbers.
The sad reality is when he starts again with his juicy rumours all the press will be cracking on again with the juicy clickbait headlines that they know is clickbait misinformation but wash their hands about it.

With launch titles like demon's souls (for the hardcore), spider-man miles morales (for the casuals), and sackboy (for the family), and future exclusive big AAA titles like horizon 2 and final fantasy 16 console exclusive, and the additional 3rd party games like harry potter rpg and resident evil 8, yeah, I think ps5 first year will be on fire, it's like playstation 2 first year which is super amazing 😃

It's possible If they will release limited PS5 edition of Horizon and GoW in 2021 but I can't even buy a standard PS5 edition right now because it is either unavailable or out of stock.

@Medic_Alert well major publisher like EA and Ubisoft are operating on the assumption the PS5 will outsell XSS|X by 3 to 1 over the life cycle. That might have changed with the acquisition of Zenimax, but it shows that their internal analysts think pretty much the same. I'm not sure anything truly seismic has happened to shift the needle in any meaningful way. Sony will hit double digit first party exclusives in the PS5's first year, including serious industry heavy hitters. Microsoft might get Halo Infinite out in that time. Sony are going very, very hard on the first year, and if they manufacture at the levels that have been suggested coming out of TSMC, they will sell incredibly strongly.

PS. @Medic_Alert I too am in the wait and see mode, just saying what I've heard from inside the industry. Everyone thinks the PS5 will end up being a much bigger seller than the PS4. Whereas generally speaking people think Microsoft will be doing well to maintain current sales numbers. Because XSS|X isn't their focus, Game Pass is.

I must admit I thought MS would take a much bigger portion of market share this gen due to being cheap (series s and Gamepass). They still might in the long term, but given the S is the only system constantly in stock (albeit we don’t know the numbers), it looks like the S isn’t in as great demand as MS would have expected. The fact people can only play things like the next GT snd R&C on PS5, as well as knowing great franchisee will likely only be on that console, seems to mean Sony doesn’t even have to try at the moment.

Well you'd need units to be available for that to happen

@Kai_ lol, indeed. If neither manufacture the units they won't be able to sell them. However, if rumours of Sony booking out almost 60% of TSMCs fabrication capacity for 12 months is true, well... I think Sony will be making a lot of units. There's already talk Sony's fabrication demands has delayed RDNA2 for AMD, and will hit their availability. Lets just say if the analysts have got this one wrong, well, Sony is going to have to buy some very big warehouses to hide all the egg of their faces.

@Medic_Alert I know people in Microsoft who view the Xbox as an inconvenience. They'd be happy if they could put Game Pass on Nintendo and Sony systems and ditch the Xbox. That's the truth of it. Not saying that's what Mr Spencer wants, but that cabal within Microsoft exists.

@Medic_Alert currys PC world saw far higher pre registration numbers for PS5 which would suggest demand is far out weighing that of xbox at that time.

https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/gaming/1344095/PS5-pre-order-news-UK-PlayStation-5-stock-Xbox-Series-X

I think the thing its easy to lose sight of on sites like these is the majority of people who will make up those numbers arent folks on sites like these. It will be people who just see a spiderman sequel on PS5 and want to play that. Or folks who already have a PS4 and this just feels like an obvious step because thats what their mates use. For all of the things that have bugged people in the comments sections of these sites such as the games coming to current gen or the lack of info, the majority of people buying it wont even know. They wont even care. They know a new consokes coming and thats it. Quick google of what games come out with it, spiderman, job done.

Its easy to pick stuff apart when you get into the details. Thing is though, most people wont care.

@Weebleman yeah, those sort of numbers tally with Amazon metrics too, and the assumptions every business analyst within the industry I know thinks as well. Here in Sweden Webhallen, El Giganten and Media Markt all report roughly 4 to 1 interest in pre-orders in favour of PS5. They all seem to intimate they've been given significantly more initial stock of the PS5 as well. The same story is told in the US from retailers like Game Stop.

@Medic_Alert Agree that its definitely the more hardcore folks jumping more onto pre orders. Although the other side of this would be that those numbers suggest the hardcore are leaning much harder towards the PS. Which surprises me a bit this time for the reasons we've mentioned. That will only sway further when the casual market move in.

Definitely agree that Sony has a lot to learn as things move on. The whole Playstation hits thing is a good step that has had nowhere near the advertising it should have. I have gamepass ultimate on my sons xbox and its an absolute bargain, although i do find there are down points when ive played all i want to and i just dabble on a couple of random games. My kid would disagree as it has minecraft on it and thats all he wants but, between the two of us, its always in use and it will continue when his series S arrives.

Im quite fortunate to have access to all consoles (i justify this with the Mrs by spreading them between my 3 kids. Forward planning there, honestly) but I imagine the majority of people will stick with one machine either due to the cost or just being happy to crack on (or not having 3 kids, the fools...). For all the value of gamepass, theyre invested in the PS as the games theyve already bought will just keep on working. They dont lose money and maybe that appeals more than an ongoing subscription for more games.

At the end of the day, right now, we are doing the exact thing they wont be. We are talking numbers, value, products, services, etc... The majority of buyers have a PS4. They will see that games they already bought work on PS5, sequels to the games they bought are in the pipeline, jobs done.

I genuinely envy that. This whole console launch (on both sides) has felt like a chore. So many folks just want to pull the other side apart and it all feels a bit brow beaten and, what makes it worse is, i feel like im part of that problem. I kinda miss the days when i was just excited to get my new console and everything in between was simply counting down the days.

It definitely will, a lot more hype for PS5 than PS4 in 2013 I think. Hint, get off of gaming sites/forums, you'll see all this "mixed messaging" talk is actually nonsense and most folks don't care at all.

Gaming journalism today is just geek soap opera. AKA not real. Entertaining, but not representative of anything.

@God_of_Nowt would that franchise be a Rare franchise by any chance?

I can't really picture a company saying "We don't think we could ever outsell our previous console", so saying this is pretty much classic marketing BS. Nintendo and Sega probably said the same with the Wii U and the Dreamcast and we all know how it turned out.

no doubt, there seem to be more console players vs 2013. how did that happen?

Yeah I made the error and thought he meant beating PS4’s lifetime sales.

Despite the correction, considering we are in a major economic recession and pandemic, I find it hard to believe there are enough people willing to put down £360 to £450 for a console that’s yet to prove itself. It will sell, I don’t doubt that. But record sales I’d be surprised.

Then again, the PS4 sold well at the start and that took a while before some major killer apps appeared. So maybe people just enjoy having shiney new toys. Can only wait and see how Gen 9 plays out.

@God_of_Nowt @SirAngry the first property that sprung to my mind features an endangered rodent with a bad attitude

Ps5 will definitely sells a lot.the ssd haptick etc have people wanting the ps5 a lot more.x box buying Bethesda means nothing for sales of ps5.as it will outsells the x box.word Up son

@theheadofabroom there's also a bear with an annoying musical instrument. I remember seeing analysis that suggested had Alan Wake, Quantum Break, ReCore and Sunset Overdrive been PlayStation games their sales would've been tripled. I still can't wrap my head around that to be honest. I bought and enjoyed all of them.

Good luck with that, Sony....

Let's not forget about continuing PS4 sales after a price drop. I'm no analyst, but drop PS4 to $250, PS4 Pro to $300, and I bet they could hit 130 million lifetime sales before the PS4 is discontinued.

That's spitting distance of PS2 lifetime numers, which is phenomenal. It will be interesting to see how they support PS4 into 2022 and beyond.

There's no telling if PS5 will meet their sales expectations, but I'm sure it will sell well by most standards. I just hope Sony uses that financial success to continue its more experimental endeavors - VR, games like Dreams and Concrete Genie, etc.

I was sold on PS5 the minute I learned there will be a new VR system on it at some point. Not necessarily because I am a VR fanatic, but because it shows Sony still has a culture that promotes risky ideas. Hope the indie support continues as well. Sony really shined during this generation at bringing smaller, more niche titles and I hope they don't change that mindset.

if this is true, they better start making it easier to find one. preorders,so far, have ended minutes after starting. my local gamestop only had 20 preorders the first go around and just 7 the second time. to make the sales figures they're talking about, consoles need to be available.......step it up sony - it takes more than talk to sell product!

It's gonna sail alright on the high seas. This is the first time since I could buy my own console I didn't preorder mine day one. These assinine covid rules are making pirates happy and gamers mad. So yeah who knows when I'll join the 5th generation ranks.

Well sony is off to a bad start because they want to sell that many units but most people couldnt even pre order one so im guessing there was a false unit count of how many they wanted to make versus to how many they actually had to sell. If they really had more than ps4 launch units then scalpers wouldnt be this rampant this holiday season. Make tons of units would deter them from trying to scalp.

@eddie429
The second time was a lot less because i heard the gamestop employees themselves were scalping. Like at my friends store hes a employee and he told me they would let him get one but the store manager and assistant store manager both preordered all the 27 disc ps5 units they had available and left one digital for the customers. They told my friend that their intentions were to scalp for $800-$1000 a pop. Being a gamer myself i hate scalpers cause they will scam you if they get the chance.

@BansheeNorn @BansheeNorn - i'm through with gamestop now. i supported my store for years, but bad info on the first preorders cost me one, so i won't be buying there any more. however, i know that employees can't buy preorders like that. in fact, nobody is allowed more than one (of course, people using online bots is another story). so, that seems improbable to me. i agree the preorder system is totally busted, though - the bots being used online ruins the chance for many people to get a console. i think preorders should be done away with and consoles only sold on launch day with each person allowed to buy one. i think that would help with the people buying just to resell at a ridiculous price.