Sony has been having a rough time in its handheld sector. After selling off its Viao branch of laptop business due to lacklustre sales, its flagship Xperia Z series, launched amid much fanfare, failed to quite capture the imagination of the public. Thus, a once-bigwig is now missing from the latest handheld news. In the midst of these failures, comes a silver lining in the form of the latest sales figures of Sony’s famed play station series.
Yes, Sony’s maximum profit is currently coming from sales of its portable gaming consoles. The latest sales figures of the PS4 consoles show sales that have reached 3 million in the last quarter alone. This is more than double of the sales figures of its closest rival, Microsoft’s Xbox consoles, which have sold 1.4 million units. This brings Sony’s grand total of sales to an astounding 25.3 million units sold since the launch of the PS4. Sony also claims that by the year end, it hopes to sell another 16.5 million units, which isn’t unlikely, as the holiday season beckons more shoppers than ever before.
What’s more, Sony has announced that its PS Vita sales in North America have been way more than they had expected, as there was a significant supply crunch seen recently. The Vita particularly saw a jump in sales as it now supports remote play for PS4. Also, the American head of Sony Computer Entertainment stated that more than a hundred new games and titles are expected to hit Vita very soon. These have further helped garner last minute curiosity and sales. Initially, according to the latest handheld news, the combined sales of PS Vita, PlayStation TV and PlayStation Portable had dropped to 3.3 million which had Sony bosses worried, as their gaming sector is basically their bread and butter. However, things have started looking up now, as the encouraging sales figures of the PS4 and PS Vita in North America are helping turn things around.
The overall and portable gaming consoles sector is proving to be a saving grace for the Japanese electronics giant, as it has failed to make a significant mark in the smartphone and phablet sector. The sales of the Xperia Z series don’t come anywhere close to the sales of other flagship brands, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S series and HTC’s One series. What’s more, with relatively smaller players like Huawei and ZTE stepping into the flagship arena with their Honour and Axon series respectively, the competition in this sector is further heating up. However, Sony can’t rely too heavily on the sales of just devices that fall under its Game & Network Services, which include its PS4 and other consoles, such as PS3 and PS Vita. Thus, let’s hope that in an attempt to ensure longevity in all the sections of the handheld business, Sony ups it game and recaptures its lost glory soon, before it’s too late.
KnowYourHandheld 