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Fifty Percent More PS4s Shipped Last Quarter Than Every Other Home Console Combined
Sony has announced its first quarter fiscal year 2016 financial results, and the news is good for the company and for the game division. Operating income grew 38.8 percent to $794 million and net income jumped 82.4 percent to $676 million.
The success of the PlayStation 4 continues to drive Sony performance. Sales were up 12.1 percent year over year and operating income for the division rose 350.5 percent.
Sony shipped 3 million PlayStation 4 consoles during the quarter, bringing lifetime shipments to 25.3 million. In the same period, Microsoft shipped 1.4 million Xbox Ones and Xbox 360s combined. Nintendo shipped 470,000 Wii Us.
This is amid adoption rates for both of the newest consoles outpacing last generation since launch. Sony still continues to struggle in some areas, with its mobile division still holding the corporation back. However, the company seems to be headed in the right financial direction for the first time in years.
Note: The headline has been updated along with a link to the correct quarterly report showing Xbox shipments.
[Source: Sony]
Our Take
It seems like Sony is widening the gap, with enormous market share in Europe and winning most months in the United States. It also has a presence in Japan, which is more than Microsoft can say as its struggles in that territory are becoming severe. Sony’s corporate finances were of significant concern over the past few years, but even that seems to be on the mend.
As a reminder, when it comes to consoles, shipped and sold numbers are often very close. Retailers don't like to hold too much surplus in stock because of inventory costs.
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