PS4 News: Sony Exec Believes Console Will Easily Surpass Lifetime Sales of PS3

Sony is confident that the PlayStation 4 will be a lasting success, so confident that at least one executive for the company believes the PS4 will easily top the 80 million (and counting) in lifetime sales of the PlayStation 3.

PlayStation CEO Andrew House spoke to MCV about the console, and he was quite bullish about the PlayStation 4. He gave several points for why the console can succeed, including it's $399 price point and the expansive market that the console will be able to tap into internationally:

"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...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 spoke about how the PlayStation 4's multimedia apps and services will help sales, especially compared the PlayStation 3.

"The other point is that we took several years to take PS3 from being a dual function device to a multi-functional entertainment device. PS4 arrives with a full suite of those non-game entertainment services right from day one. And 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," House said.  

The CEO also spoke briefly about the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4's chief rival. He reflected on the initial, unpopular policies the Xbox One had concerning Internet connectivity and used games and how those factors may help the PlayStation 4 in the first few months of its lifecycle:

"It surprised me that we were required to make such a clear statement that we were going to maintain status quo in areas that we took for granted...That wasn't dictated by us, that was by the moves the competition was making. That remains the largest surprise for me - how visceral that reaction was. But the fact that we had to put a stake in the ground, in an area that we felt was just common sense, still has me quite literally scratching my head."

Look out for more news on the PlayStation 4 right here as the console keeps rolling out to new markets all over the world.