Sony has announced that sales of the PlayStation 4 worldwide have now reached 18.5 million since the console launched in November 2013.
The platform holder made the announcement in a Japanese press release, which notes that the PS4 is the fastest selling PlayStation console in history. Sony also confirmed that its figures represent sales through to consumers, not retailers.
During the holiday shopping season from November 23rd to January 4th, 4.1 million PS4s were sold, and the company also revealed that 10.9 million people have subscribed to PlayStation Plus. To date, 81 million PS4 physical and digital games have been sold.
"Even in this New Year's holiday shopping season, I am very pleased that many of you chose to support the PS4. We aim to deliver a compelling title line-up this year, and offer a more complete service, we will continue to provide new value to the PS4 as the best place to play, " SCE's CEO Andrew House commented.
Earlier today, Sony revealed details of its PlayStation Now subscription plan, which includes over 100 PS3 games playable on PS4 and other supported devices.
While the Xbox One outsold the PS4 in November according to NPD, Sony's console continues to dominate outside of the US and the price cut which prompted a surge in Xbox One sales has now ended. While it's quite possible Microsoft will catch up on or even surpass Sony at home, they face an uphill struggle in many parts of the world.
The PS4 goes on sale in China on January 11th, where the Xbox One is already available.
