PS4 News: Over 300K Consoles Sold in 2 Days in Japan

The PlayStation 4 sold more than 300,000 copies in two days after launching in Japan on Feb. 22, giving the already successful Sony console a even wider sales lead over Microsoft's Xbox One.

According to a report from Japanese website Famitsu, translated by IGN, the PlayStation 4 has sold over 320,000 units in the two days following the release of the highly anticipated console. With the Sony system already claiming more than 5 million in sales worldwide before the console came to Japan, this puts the PlayStation 4 firmly in the No. 1 spot for next-gen console sales over Microsoft's Xbox One and the Nintendo Wii U.

When the PlayStation 3 launched in Japan in 2006 the machine only managed to sell around 88,000 copies in its first two days of release. However, the United States launch of the PlayStation 4 netted Sony with over 1 million units sold in 24 hours. The PlayStation 4 is also available in over 50 other countries and regions, but it looks as though the United States and Japan may be the biggest markets for the system so far.

With over 5 million units sold since the PlayStation 4 was initially launched on Nov. 15, the system has proven to be the most popular choice for video game fans. In comparison, the Xbox One has sold 3 million units since its release on Nov. 22. The Wii U, despite being launched close to one year before the next-gen competition began, is hovering just under 5 million units sold, according to the latest figures from Nintendo.

Just what's behind the PlayStation 4's success? One factor is certainly the console's price. At $400, the PS4 costs $100 less than the Xbox One and $100 more than the Wii U. Another crucial factor is Sony's successful marketing campaign that focused on the console's games, and the various mistakes Microsoft made with its earlier pre-launch versions of the Xbox One didn't hurt Sony either. 

Despite the PlayStation 4's success, it is still early in the console's life cycle and the Xbox One could eventually surpass the PlayStation 4 in sales. With Titanfall set for release on March 11, and the XBox One set to improve many of its features, Microsoft's machine may be poised to make a more competitive run in 2014.