Sony's House: PS4 could "significantly exceed" PS3 sales

The PlayStation 4 is already off to a great 2.1 million start, but its predecessor fell short of Sony's all-time console best: the PlayStation 2 with 150 million consoles sold worldwide. The PlayStation 3's 80 million is still good, but Sony's hoping to match its earlier success. Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House told MCV that the PS4 is primed to exceed the PS3.

"It has an opportunity to significantly exceed what we've been able to achieve with PS3 and there's a couple of reasons for that," said House. "We start off with a price point that is much more consumer friendly than was there for the PS3. Also, one of the success stories for the business as a whole has been our ability to open up new geographies for video games over the last five years. You are seeing opportunities for new markets that we haven't tapped into."

House also said that Sony has made sure that the PS4 functions as a game console and media device "from day one".

"That's important because there will be someone who wants this as a games device, but the fact it is a great place to view BBC iPlayer, for example, gives other family members reason to use it. That is crucial in broadening what the console's reach could be," he said.

For Sony, the dual launches of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One mean that home consoles are back on the mainstream public's mind. That the PlayStation 4 has taken an early lead is a good sign to House.

"When two consoles of this scale launch almost simultaneously, it seems to have put games back into the mainstream, so the launches are important from that point of view," said House. "It also sets the tone for how momentum is going to be for a platform's lifecycle. The contradictory other side to that, is the old: 'It is a marathon not a sprint.' It is not just about one night. But it is an important start in terms of staking out the road you're going to try and follow."

[Image via Zimbio]