Sony expects sales of the new PlayStation 4 game console to surpass that of their own PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 during the respective launch periods. Sony’s goal is tell sell 5 million PS4 consoles by April 2014.

Five million PS4 consoles by April
At one of Sony’s last press conferences before the next generation of game consoles is unleashed, Sony revealed the sales target for the PS4. Sony expects to have sold 5 million consoles by April 2014.


Sony expects to put 5 million PS4 consoles in customers’ hands by April 2014

In comparison, it took Sony a little less than a year to sell 5 million PS3 consoles, and it also took Microsoft about a year to sell 5 million Xbox 360 consoles. Sony’s PlayStation 4 will launch in 32 countries in November, but surprisingly Sony’s home country, Japan, is not included in the first wave. Japanese consumers will have to wait until late February; an announcement that has led to disappointment and anger.

Despite Sony’s optimism there are still many unanswered questions. The PlayStation is obviously first and foremost a game console, but some early sales of the PlayStation 3 was also partly motivated by the fact that it was the first inexpensive Blu-ray player. The PlayStation 4 will also support Blu-ray, but Sony has declined to comment on HDMI 2.0. A new 4K Blu-ray standard is also coming soon, according to people in the industry, but we have no confirmation from Sony regarding the PS4 and that matter either. If Sony hopes to keep the PlayStation 4 alive for as many years as the PlayStation 3, it would be catastrophic if it is outdated even before it launches.

The PlayStation 4 will be available to buy in stores in November, and can be pre-ordered in USA and Europe.