Sony’s 2025 Breakthroughs: Beyond PlayStation
Smart World News |
As of September 2025, the cumulative sales of the Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5) in the US market have surpassed the total US sales of its predecessor, the PlayStation 3 (PS3), throughout its entire lifecycle. The PS5 achieved in less than five years what the PS3 took ten years to accomplish, demonstrating its strong market competitiveness.
US Market Surpassing the PS3
Since its release in November 2020, the PS5, thanks to consistently strong market demand and hardware performance upgrades, achieved a complete sales overtaking of the PS3 in the US by September 2025. Although specific sales figures have not been released, this milestone means the PS5 has become one of the fastest-selling consoles in Sony's history.
Global Sales Trends
As of June 30, 2025, PS5 global shipments have exceeded 80.2 million units and are expected to continue growing. Compared to the PS3's total global sales of 87.4 million units throughout its entire lifecycle, it's only a matter of time before the PS5 surpasses this figure.
Historical Status
The PS5's achievements highlight its market success, while the PS3, due to its high initial pricing and complex technical architecture, lagged behind its competitors in the US market. Currently, PS5 global sales have surpassed the total shipments of the PS3 when production ceased, and continue to challenge even higher records.
Sony's Cloud Gaming Strategy and Console Strategy
Pachter's argument contains a significant oversight: he seems to have overlooked Sony's substantial investment in cloud gaming. Since launching PlayStation Now in 2014, Sony has been exploring cloud gaming services globally. Today, the service covers over 200 countries and boasts over 4 million subscribers, demonstrating its broad international influence. Furthermore, the launch of the PS Portal streaming handheld console in 2023 further proves Sony's commitment to cloud gaming. These moves indicate that Sony is not indifferent to cloud gaming, but rather has adopted a more stable and pragmatic "gradual deployment" strategy.
For Sony, the console business is like a "moat" protecting its gaming business. Sony has achieved steady growth and a solid market position through excellent console products and services. In Q1 of fiscal year 2025, software revenue accounted for 62% of Sony's gaming division's revenue, hardware revenue accounted for 28%, and service revenue accounted for 10%. This triangular structure, centered on "software + hardware + services," is clearly more resilient to risks compared to a model that relies solely on cloud services.
