Sony announces major update on PS5 – and Xbox fans won’t like it
ONE gaming console has outsold its rival by three-to-one in the last year as it also breaks 50 million sales.
The PlayStation 5, sold by Japanese tech giant Sony, plays some of Brits’ favourite games, including FIFA 23 and Grand Theft Auto.
Sony just had its best-ever November in sales for the PS5, despite the gaming console being four years old.
Sony has sold 22.5 million consoles this year as sales grew 65 per cent.
“Given the momentum we’ve had in November and a lot of what we’re seeing in December, just in general we’re feeling very good about sales overall,” said one sales executive.
Sony’s gaming business is its largest business unit by sales and its second-biggest contributor to operating profit after music, according to Reuters.
PS5 sales were hampered by supply chain snarls, but those have eased, with the console now gaining tailwinds including the launch of the upcoming “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”.
Meanwhile, its major rival, Microsoft’s Xbox, has only sold 7.6 million consoles this year as sales dived 15 per cent.
The figures, reported in Reuters, also show Nintendo’s seven-year-old Switch beating the Americans, selling 16.4 million consoles this year.
Nintendo is expected to release its next next-generation console next year.
Microsoft’s poor figures also come after it bought game maker Activision Blizzard for £55billion.
Titles like shooter Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and mobile game Candy Crush will now fall under the Xbox and the company is expected to bring them into the Game Pass in 2024.
Microsoft is also planning to release its own app store to take on Apple and Google, IGN reports.
Sony subsidiary Naughty Dog also said it has cancelled an online game from The Last of Us franchise as it seeks to publish single-player titles.
Meanwhile, PlayStation fans are furious over a message has been circling on social media from PlayStation’s Terms of Service.
The statement reads: “You must not resell either disc-based games or digital games unless expressly authorised by us.
“And, if the publisher is another company, additionally by the publisher.”