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Arthur T Knackerbracket [soylentnews.org] writes:

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Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story [techspot.com]:

According to the presentation [sony.com] from Sony's internal Game & Network Services business reports, the PS5 has raked in $106 billion in sales since launching in November 2020. That's quite the figure for a console that's 'only' been on the market for around three and a half years.

However, several aspects require clarification. That $106 billion doesn't just account for PS5 hardware and software sales – it covers Sony's entire gaming business during the current generation: PS4 sales, older game releases, subscriptions, the works. It's the total pie, not just the PS5 slice.

Still, the numbers are impressive when you consider the PS4 generation 'only' pulled in $107 billion across its entire seven-year run from 2013 to 2019. With the PS5 closing in on that total revenue after just four years, it's clearly on track to become Sony's biggest console cash cow ever.

The secret sauce seems to be players spending more cash on the PS5 ecosystem as a whole. While the PS4 outsold its successor by a massive 117 million to 56 million units, the higher PS5 price tag combined with increased spending on DLC, microtransactions, services, and accessories is giving Sony a bigger bang for its buck.

On average, each PS5 owner has dropped $731 on the PlayStation ecosystem so far. For PS4 folks over a similar timeframe, that figure was just $580 per person. DLC and microtransaction spending is up a staggering 176% compared to the PS4 days, bolstering Sony's bottom line. The only area seeing a decline is full game sales, which are down 12% versus the PS4 generation at this stage.

Initially, the console copped plenty of flack for the lack of killer exclusive games and stock shortages. But from Sony's perspective, all those issues are now in the rear-view mirror.

With over 59 million PS5 units shipped and the console outpacing Xbox's last-gen performance, the attention has turned to the future. Rumors of a PS5 Pro model [techspot.com] with sweeping hardware upgrades are swirling, potentially giving Sony another avenue to double dip on its already lucrative user base.

There has been some less-welcome news, though. Sony's financial report [techspot.com] for the fourth quarter of its financial year revealed that the PS5 missed the revised sales target for the quarter. And earlier this year, Sony's gaming division announced [techspot.com] plans to trim its global workforce by roughly eight percent, or around 900 people, with the aim of streamlining resources.

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