After weathering Microsoft’s Xbox One X assault, Sony this week spoke to the strength of its own video game platform. And it has some big numbers to back up its claims.
The biggest and most important number, perhaps, is 60.4 million. That’s the number of PlayStation 4 consoles that Sony has sold to consumers worldwide. Interestingly, that’s not much of an improvement from the 60 million figure that Sony revealed in April, however. At that time, a related report suggested that the firm was maintaining a 2-to-1 sales lead over Xbox One, with Microsoft selling approximately 33 million units worldwide.
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So Sony wins that one handily, as always. But Sony also announced that the “PlayStation ecosystem has more than 70 million monthly active users worldwide as of the end of March 2017. And we can compare that to Microsoft’s Xbox user base, since the software giant announced in April that “Xbox Live monthly active users grew 13 percent” in the quarter ending in March to 52 million.
And that is interesting, right? Sony may outsell Microsoft by about 2-to-1 in console sales, but the respective user base sizes aren’t as far apart. This is due, no doubt, to the fact that Xbox Live is also available on Windows 10 PCs, which provides a much larger potential audience than any console. So it’s possible that Microsoft could actually surpass Sony in this category in the coming years. But even now, you can see the genius in Microsoft’s strategy of making Xbox more than just a console play.
Sony also announced that its PlayStation Plus service has 26.4 million paid subscribers worldwide as of the end of March 2017. This service is the equivalent of Xbox Live Gold, but Microsoft hasn’t broken down its Xbox Live user base into paid and unpaid groups for many years, so it’s hard to know how this compares.
Finally, Sony revealed that “active PS4 users worldwide spend more than 600 million hours in total per week on the platform as of the end of March 2017.” Microsoft did not use this metric in the comparable quarter, but I believe it has done so in the past. Whatever, we can’t really compare this either.
In any event, Sony puts up big numbers here. But there is a ray of hope for Microsoft: It may never beat the PS4 console directly, but Xbox could very well win out over PlayStation more broadly.
Dryloch
<blockquote><a href="#125159"><em>In reply to Nonmoi:</em></a></blockquote><p>Seeing as how Sony already has 5 exclusives that have gotten excellent review this year and Microsoft has Halo Wars 2 that got mediocre reviews I think they are still ahead. Before I get hammered I do own an Xbox 1 S and bought Horizon 3, Gears 4 and all the other MS exclusives. I play everything.</p>
Stooks
<p>Sony pushed gaming first with the PS4, at a initial lower cost ($399 vs $499) with slightly faster hardware on paper, which became a myth and that was the right sauce to win this round. </p><p><br></p><p>At the same time Microsoft probably made every mistake (initially) with the Xbox One that they could. Higher price, forcing Kinect, slightly less powerful hardware, less focus on games/more focus on media center and bad PR around issues like always connected to the Internet etc.</p><p><br></p><p>All that was 4 years ago. While the PS4 is successful Sony is a shell of a company compared to what they used to be. How many divisions have they sold off since the launch of the PS4? They still have their movie division but they don't have the cloud power that Microsoft has. The PS4 Pro is pretty much a dud for many reasons. Lack of 4K BR, not allowing 1080p games to use the extra hardware, 4k gaming is nothing but a gimmick with dynamic resolutions/checkerboarding, some games at 1080p are actually slower than on the original PS4, etc. </p><p><br></p><p>I just don't see the future play for Sony anymore. The Xbox One X is not only more powerful, but it allows all games to use that power out of the box. So with no patching you will get better performance on current Xbox One games. Those games that used dynamic resolution during busy times, simply wont any more and will hit their max FPS all the time now. Backwards compatibility is only getting better on the Xbox (cant wait to play crimson skies again) and not going to happen on the PS4. Cloud streaming of games just sucks in my experience. </p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125171"><em>In reply to Jester:</em></a></blockquote><p>Right now as it stands, or as I understand it the Xbox would have the advantage. </p><p><br></p><p>From what I understand Sony is trying to keep the same performance for the PS4 and Pro, specifically on 1080p which is where 98% of console gamers are. Meaning they gimp the Pro in some way on 1080p so as not to give Pro gamers an advantage. If the game is patched for 4k, then at 1080p it gets super sampling which makes it look better but the FPS cap is still there. I am not sure if this has changed from the initial launch but that would irritate me to no end if I bought a pro?</p><p><br></p><p>Where as the Xbox One X does not do that. So an unpatched game will at least get a performance boost right away, as in probably 60fps and no dymanic resolution dropping anymore or just a better overall feel especially when games get really busy with action. A patch could add better graphics and 4k (4k ish) support.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125238"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>It needs a patch or it is gimped. </p><p><br></p><p>From what I have read about the Xbox One X that is not true, the game just uses the extra horse power. Patches will enable 4k and better graphics, but current un-patched games that are often FPS challenged will get to use the new horse power.</p><p><br></p><p>From Euro gamer…..</p><p><br></p><p>"Speaking to Eurogamer, PS4 architect and really clever person Mark Cerny explains how the GPU (graphics processor unit) is repeated in the PS4 Pro. “We doubled the GPU size by essentially placing it next to a mirrored version of itself. That gives us an extremely clean way to support the existing 700 [PS4] titles. We just turn off half the GPU and run it at something quite close to the original GPU."</p><p><br></p><p>But, stick a Pro game, in and both chips are activated, doubling the GPU’s power while the CPU runs at the same rate – something Cerny says is important to ensure compatibility with older games."</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125324"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>Sorry you are wrong. Un-patched games on the Xbox One X get the performance boost of the hardware. They said so on stage. Without a patch the graphics will not get better or you will not have 4k but the game will get a boost in terms of overall speed/FPS and loading. The game will get CPU/GPU and RAM boost (9gigs of game RAM) with no patch. It would be like playing a game, call it BF1 on a PC at medium settings. You then swap out the CPU, GPU and add RAM but you keep the game at medium settings. It will run better/smoother. A patch will up the graphics fidelity. </p><p><br></p><p>The PS4 Pro recently did release boost mode in their 4.5 update which will give un-patched games a boot (if you turn on the mode) of the CPU upgrade but not the GPU. To get the GPU upgrade you need a patch. Prior to the boost mode you needed a patch for any kind of performance boost on un-patched games.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125237"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>Yes it was faster in real life. However most of the time it hardly made a NOTICEABLE difference.</p><p><br></p><p>Meaning games on the Xbox One might dip into dynamic resolutions changes dropping the over all res to keep the frame rate up, where the PS4 would not or would do so less because it had more power. To a gamer it was hardly noticeable. </p><p><br></p><p>It took the likes of Digital foundry to analyze it and tell the world what was going on. Often the Xbox One might use dynamic resolution more but it resulted in a more fluid gaming experience overall with fewer dips in FPS compared to the PS4. It really depended upon the game and the developer.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125235"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>Or not….</p><p><br></p><p>http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-06-13-sonys-flat-e3-conference-shows-signs-of-a-mid-generation-lull</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125320"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>I get it, forbes is the best place to read about the gaming industry, forget a dedicated gaming site with lots of cred. The forbes guy liked the switch the most at the end of the article. I guess I am just clueless.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125169"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>I simply don't but the exclusive argument. If they tracked, on both consoles, hours of games played I bet it would be 95%+ multi-platform games.</p><p><br></p><p>The biggest money made will be on multi-platform games. Yes because they are on multiple platforms but also because they are top tier games in terms of more people wanting to play them.</p><p><br></p><p>I own both a PS4 and Xbox One. I have played exclusives on both, but exclusives would never way into my choice if I could only own one. I also fine that most of the PS4 exclusives are either really old games like the Ratched and Clank stuff/God of war or IMHO really odd indie like games that never do anything for me. Uncharted was great, so was last of us but I was done with both before I got my PS4. I wanted an updated Skyrim before any exclusive on either console and was happy when it launched.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125292"><em>In reply to chaad_losan:</em></a></blockquote><p>I agree totally negative and daily.</p><p><br></p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125317"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>So you need to pay to an angry hater or is it you need to pay to not be one? I am confused.</p><p><br></p><p>You have been on this site for years. At one time, according to your posts, Microsoft was the answer to everything….cure cancer..Microsoft!….world peace….Microsoft. Now you have gone 180 with anything BUT Microsoft. Google is the greatest thing ever….according to you.</p><p><br></p><p>My question is why do you even come here? Clearly this site is about Microsoft products, which you clearly state, everyday, you do not like.</p><p><br></p><p>What I find hilarious is you paid for premium on a Microsoft focused site?????</p>
Bats
<p>I hate to break this to Paul and all the Xbox fans, but Microsoft will never beat out Sony. </p><p>Sony is the Google of gaming, where their specialty is entertainment. Their ecosystem is vast and their brand is reknowned. Not only that, but clearly their people are smarter. The only "blip" on their record was designing the all-time ultra supercomputer, aka The Playstation 3, to which they failed to get game developers to invest in. Other than that they are practically unbeatable. Microsoft couldn't even beat Nintendo and their vastly technologically inferior Wii. </p><p><br></p><p>This is not to "put down" Microsoft in anyway, but to present and layout the facts. Afterall, remember the Paul's phrase last year after he commented on the Xbox One S announcement? He said, "This is what winning looks like!" One year later, Microsoft didn't even make a scratch on Sony's lead. </p><p>So when Paul says Xbox can broadly beat out the Playstation…. I seriously doubt it. </p><p><br></p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125182"><em>In reply to Bats:</em></a></blockquote><p>"Their ecosystem is vast"</p><p><br></p><p>?????? What ecosystem are you talking about? Outside of gaming on their hardware how can I use their ecosystem? Can I play PS games on Sony phones or computers…..oh wait to not go bankrupt they sold off those divisions. Do they have some cloud I can store files on so I can access them on a computer or their console? How about photos?</p><p><br></p><p>Sony is shadow of its former self. Microsoft or Google or Apple could dip into petty cash and buy the company today.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125241"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>You are right I just googled Sony Phone business and got lots of hits about them selling it, massive layoffs etc but they have not sold it….yet. Maybe I just thought they did because I NEVER see anyone with a Sony phone anymore.</p><p><br></p><p>I have used Remote play….on a 1gig wired network. It, like all other remote play schemes pales in comparison to the real deal. Niche feature at best.</p><p><br></p><p>Yeah the PS4 has a youtube app…..so does everything else.</p><p><br></p><p>Eco system would be I use the Onedrive app on my iPhone to Sync photos and then see them on Macbook, Windows PC or Xbox One. </p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#125313"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>"OneDrive sucks for photo sharing."</p><p><br></p><p>Yeah you are right the Sony offering is so much better?</p>