PS4 passes the 7m sales mark, putting it ahead of rival Xbox One

More than 7m units of the PlayStation 4 (PS4) have been sold globally, Sony said of its next-generation console. This puts sales of the PS4 ahead of its biggest competitor, Microsoft’s Xbox One, despite that console’s latest price drop.

Sony’s announcement comes only a month after the PS4 reached sales figures of 6m globally in March, making it by far the console’s best month in terms of sales outside of November 2013, when the console was launched.

Sony also announced it has sold 20.5m software units both in retail stores and on its online PlayStation Store.

One of the biggest additions to the console was the ‘share’ button included on the new controller, which allows players to record and share clips from their games online and with friends, something that has been done 135m times. Also, some 4.9m games have been broadcast via game-streaming sites Twitch and Ustream.

“The PS4 journey has just begun, and although we are still facing difficulties keeping up with the strong demand worldwide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to meet the needs of our customers, and surpassing the wildest expectations of gamers by delivering new user experiences that inspire and engage," said president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Andrew House.

“We look forward to unveiling many of these experiences to our fans in the coming months."

According to VGChartz, the 7m milestone puts the PS4 in a significant lead over the Xbox One. As of 6 April, Xbox One sales totalled about 4.2m. Many retailers had recently cut the price of the US$499 Xbox One by US$50.