Sony is going into the PlayStation 5 generation with over 110.4 million PS4 consoles shipped to retail over the last seven years.

Compared to the same period in 2018-19, when 17.8 million PS4 consoles were sent to retailers, PlayStation 4 uptake has slowed, as might be expected, with a 13.9 million tally for 2019-20.

In broader context, the total is higher than almost every other prior home console, including the Nintendo Wii and original PlayStation, both of which edged past 100 million.

Only the PlayStation 2 climbed higher, with in excess of 155 million units shifted.

Nintendo's handheld DS and Game Boy lines managed 154 million and 119 million respectively.

Indicative of general consumer and industry trends, Sony Interactive Entertaiment also reported that sales of digital downloads reached an all-time high in 2019-20, with 125 million unit sales over the past financial year.

Not only is that a new high in terms of units but, as it occupies 51% of overall software sales, it's a new high in terms of PlayStation software's digital to physical ratio.

The PlayStation 5 is projected to launch during the end-of-year Holiday 2020 period, as is Microsoft's Xbox Series X.

Both companies have emphasised compatibility with existing games, though Xbox's plans currently appear more comprehensive.

The two are yet to reveal final price points for their new machines.

Nintendo, following a different console release cadence, released its combination handheld and home console device, the Switch, in March 2017.

With some 55 million Switch consoles sold by the end of March 2020, the Switch's pace is equivalent to that of the PS4 at the same time in its lifecycle.

As for Microsoft, it stopped reporting sales of the Xbox One after November 2014, at which time it had already become apparent that PlayStation had gained decisive momentum.

However, the Xbox line now offers sector-leading console power (the Xbox One X), a stripped-down budget option (the Xbox One S All Digital Edition), and a wallet-friendly, value-heavy subscription library (Xbox Game Pass).

To this, Microsoft adds its expertise in cloud technology through the Azure server network, putting it in a good position to reverse its fortunes.

 - AFP Relaxnews