Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter believes the PlayStation 4 can potentially reached 175 million sales during its lifetime, but only if Sony drops the price to as low as $200.
Speaking during an interview with GamingBolt, Pachter believes Sony’s current-generation console could easily achieve 120 million+ worldwide sales during its lifetime, but could even surpass the PlayStation 2 if Sony plays their cards right.
PS4 sales to hit 175 million, but only with significant price cut
“I think Sony could go as high as 120-140 million pretty easily,” Pachter said. “And what I am most encouraged about is that the PS4 Slim is priced at $249- we’re seeing a faster degradation of the price curve for the PS4 than we saw for the PS3. That’s pretty impressive.
“And it’s the same with Xbox- you know, the Xbox 360, I don’t think it ever got below $300. Certainly you had sales, but I think the official price was $299 back when the Xbox One launched. So seeing the two major consoles at $249, barely three years after launch, is a really good sign. And if we can get a PS4 for $199, or $149, yes, they’re going to sell a ton of them.”
“Yeah, cheap is good,” he continued. “I mean, let’s be real, most people on the planet think that $400 is a lot of money. And most people on the planet appreciate that $300 is less than $400, and $200 is even less. Cheaper is better. And we know that McDonalds sells more hamburgers than restaurants sell stakes, because hamburgers cost a dollar, and stakes cost $20. So, you can feed yourself for a dollar instead of $20- it just makes sense. So if you dropped the price of a console to $200 – if Sony were able to – I think they could go as high as 175 million.”
Sony launched the PS4 in November 2013 alongside the Xbox One, although the console quickly pulled ahead of its lead rival in terms of overall sales. In fact, PS4 has frequently outsold the Xbox One in monthly U.S. sales; it’s only in recent months following the launch of Xbox One S that Microsoft has managed to gain the advantage.
Related – PS4 Slim review
Nonetheless, PS4 has shipped 47.4 million units worldwide to date, making it by far the most successful current-generation home console on the market. Sony recently launched the PS4 Slim, which replaces the standard model, and the PS4 Pro is released worldwide today. Featuring enhanced tech specs, this more expensive version of the flagship platform allows for 4K gaming and various other performance enhancements for compatible software.
Read our PS4 Pro review to see if it’s worth picking up Sony’s new hardware.