Skip to main content

PlayStation 4 pre-orders ‘much higher’ than previous Sony consoles

Xbox One vs PS4 Cost
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In a recent earnings call, Sony CFO Masaru Kato told investors that pre-orders for the PlayStation 4 are looking very good. He wasn’t willing to specify an exact number, but during the meeting (which was transcribed by Seeking Alpha and picked up on by GI.biz), Kato claimed that, compared to past platforms, “the pre-orders that we have received for this new platform [are] much, much, much higher.”

Kato also told investors that Sony is now expecting to not hit its initial sales estimates for the fiscal year that it announced in August, due primarily to lower than expected PC sales. However, he went on to reassure investors that the year-to-year results will be higher thanks to sales of the smartphones Xperia Z and Xperia Z1, as well as the upcoming PS4.

“We expect the PS4 to contribute to profitability at an early stage due to lower hardware costs and diversification of its revenue streams through network services,” Kato told investors.

Kato also reiterated that Sony is confident that it will sell around 5 million consoles by March 2014. The company’s confidence comes not just from the number of pre-orders, but the number of pre-orders where people have already put down money compared to those that have only put their name down. Kato further claimed that the support of third-party titles will help the PS4 launch with a stronger library than past platforms, helping to ensure a successful launch.

“[S]ometimes, when we launch a new platform, the software catalog is not sufficient, or after the launch, sometimes, you don’t have good titles following the launch,” Kato said. “But this year, on a comparative basis, I think we have a much … stronger lineup of software incoming.”

Editors' Recommendations

Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
The best games on PlayStation Plus, Extra, and Premium
A person plays Crash Bandicoot using a PS5 DualSense controller.

PlayStation Plus has undergone several iterations and changes since its introduction. Originally, the service wasn't required for online play at all and rewarded subscribers with extra discounts and free monthly games. Once the PlayStation 4 generation began, it was required for online play, but still offered those same benefits.

Now, PS Plus is divided into three different tiers of subscriptions. The basic tier, PS Plus Essential, still gets three games per month added, while the Extra and Premium tiers will have a varying number of games added to their catalogs. With hundreds of games already and more coming and going all the time, even the most dedicated gamer won't be able to play everything on offer. To help you get the most bang for your buck and so that no hidden gems fly under your radar, here are all the best games to play on PS Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium right now.
Best PS Plus Essential games
As is usually the case, everyone with the lowest tier of PS Plus gets three games this month, two with PlayStation 5 versions and one with a PS4 version. Here's what you can play this month:

Read more
PlayStation State of Play returns this week, will feature 14 PS5 games
Three colorful PS5s float together in a line.

PlayStation will kick off the summer of digital video game reveal streams this week with a State of Play broadcast. The stream will take place at 3 p.m. PT on Thursday, May 30.

State of Play is one of Sony's primary livestream presentation formats. It tends to be slightly shorter than the company's flagship stream, the PlayStation Showcase. This State of Play is a significant one, though, as Sony's slate of first-party games for 2024 is entirely unknown at this stage. This stream should shed some light on what's coming later this year.

Read more
I would buy a PlayStation Portal 2 if it had this one feature
A Pulse Elite, DualSense, and PlayStation Portal sit on a table.

I've had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the PlayStation Portal since it launched. Initially, I was disappointed by Sony's cloud streaming device. I was impressed with its screen and appreciated its DualSense integration, but its slimmeddown features made it feel like a cheap version of a good idea. I've since learned to find a use case for my PlayStation Portal that turned it into an integral part of my gaming setup. It's very imperfect, but that doesn't mean it's not useful.

Ever since its launch, I've been hoping for a refreshed follow-up, whether that be a Pro model or a true PlayStation Portal 2. It may be way too early to start discussing that considering that the Portal just launched in November 2023, but the promising device has enough glaring flaws that I'd welcome a fast-tracked successor. If Sony were to make a PlayStation Portal 2, though, there's one feature that's nonnegotiable: Bluetooth.

Read more