(Reuters) – Sony Corp said on Sunday it had sold 1 million units of its new PlayStation 4 gaming console in the first 24 hours that it was available in the United States and Canada.
Andrew House, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment, the unit of Sony that oversees PlayStation, said in a statement that “sales remain very strong in North America.”
“We expect continued enthusiasm as we launch the PlayStation 4 in Europe and Latin America on November 29,” House said.
Sony Corp had previously announced it had received more than 1 million advance orders for the console. Still, the initial sales figures are Sony’s first salvo in a battle brewing with Microsoft Corp’s Xbox One console, which goes on sale Nov 22. Sony is also hoping its console can help build a platform for recovery at the Japanese company’s money-losing consumer electronics operations.
Sony is aiming to sell 5 million PS4 units by the end of its fiscal year that ends on March 31. Robert W. Baird & Co analyst Colin Sebastian has said he expects 2.5 million to 3 million PS4 shipments in the fourth quarter in North America.
Both the PS4, priced at $399 in the United States, and the Xbox One, with a price tag of $499, offer improved graphics for realistic effects, processors that allow faster game play and a slew of exclusive video games.
(For more on the console battle, click: ID:nL2N0IY047])
(Reporting by Liana B. Baker in New York and Malathi Nayak in San Francisco; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)