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PlayStation 5 outselling Xbox Series by over 5 to 1 in key market but sales figures are down as the PS5 arrives in 65 countries around the world

Sony has been celebrating the launch of the PS5 around the world. (Image source: PlayStation blog)
Sony has been celebrating the launch of the PS5 around the world. (Image source: PlayStation blog)
Estimated sales figures for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles in Japan have revealed that Sony’s device is outstripping sales of Microsoft’s hardware by over 5 to 1, but overall sales are down on the previous generation. November 19 was PS5 launch day for the rest of the world, as the now current-gen console lands in 65 countries around the globe.

Japanese media outlet Famitsu has published some interesting data in regard to likely PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X initial sales for Japan. Unsurprisingly, the PlayStation brand performs better than the Xbox mark in Japan, as is demonstrated by these current estimates. Apparently, 118,085 PS5 units have been snapped up by eager gamers in Japan while only 20,534 Xbox Series consoles have been purchased. This means that Sony’s console is outselling the new Xbox devices by 5.75 to 1, which is an impressive ratio even in a market that is heavily biased toward the PlayStation (and Nintendo).

In fact, the same source also offers up sales numbers for the Switch and Switch Lite, and these are very high, suggesting that sales of the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles are more muted than could have been expected:

  • PlayStation 5: 103,901
  • PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: 14,184
  • Xbox Series X: 16,247
  • Xbox Series S: 4,287
  • Nintendo Switch: 93,671
  • Nintendo Switch Lite: 22,596

Bloomberg has also reported on the figures and believes that the pandemic has affected the supply chain, leading to shortages of the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft. It seems likely that current PS5 stock is also quite thin on the ground, as the console has just had its rest of the world launch and is now available in a reported 65 countries around the globe. With Sony likely concentrating more on lucrative markets such as the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe, then it can be expected that PS5 sales figures in Japan would be down in comparison to those of the PS4.

PS5 worldwide. (Image source: PlayStation blog)
PS5 worldwide. (Image source: PlayStation blog)

Source(s)

Famitsu (in Japanese) via Bloomberg & PlayStation blog

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 11 > PlayStation 5 outselling Xbox Series by over 5 to 1 in key market but sales figures are down as the PS5 arrives in 65 countries around the world
Daniel R Deakin, 2020-11-19 (Update: 2020-11-19)