Sales of Sony’ PS5 are continuing to outpace those of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S consoles.
In an investor presentation on the occasion of its third-quarter fiscal year earnings call, Take-Two Interactive revealed that the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles has amassed combined sales of more than 94 million units, based on worldwide estimates as of November, 2024.
Given how Sony Interactive Entertainment had previously announced details regarding the number of shipped PS5s, as of September 30, 2024, it’s possible to extrapolate and estimate the number of current-gen consoles that have sold-through.
The first ambiguity here is that there is no mention of whether Take-Two Interactive’s estimated figure of 94 million units is based on data from the beginning or end of November, 2024. Secondly, it hasn’t been explicitly stated whether the data is for units sold-through or shipped. Given how a third-party publisher is unlikely to have access to shipment data, it’s safe to assume that Take-Two Interactive’s estimated figure is based on the number of consoles sold-through.
What we already know from data shared by Sony Interactive Entertainment is that it has shipped 65.6 million PS5s, as of September 30, 2024. The console maker’s existing supply chain differs by a maximum of 2 million units. As such, the estimated sell-through figure for the console by the end of November, 2024, would be around 67 to 69 million units. This puts combined sales of the Xbox Series consoles at 25 to 27 million units.
Based on the above estimates, the PS5 has outpaced the Xbox Series consoles by more than a 2 to 1 ratio. Furthermore, the gap is gradually widening, moving towards a 3 to 1 ratio.
Previously, it was revealed by Mat Piscatella, Executive Director and Video Game Industry Analyst at Circana (NPD), that lifetime sales of the PS5 have outpaced those of the PS4 by 7%, while Xbox Series consoles have fallen 18% behind Xbox One in the US. Read about it here.
