Sony Boosts Internal Sales Estimates for PlayStation 4

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Originally published June 11, 2013

By Ian Sherr

LOS ANGELES—Sony Corp. is raising internal sales projections for the forthcoming PlayStation 4 videogame console amid positive signs about demand for the device, executives of the Japanese electronics company said Tuesday.

Andrew House, global head of Sony’s PlayStation videogame business, said the company is shifting its internal projections for the product after favorable reactions to the company’s presentation Monday at the Electronics Entertainment Expo here this week. He did not quantify those projections.

The company said it will sell the PlayStation 4 later this year for $399, and began letting consumers place preorders Monday night. Contrary to rival Microsoft Corp., which is releasing the Xbox One for $499 in November, Sony will not offer publishers technology to restrict the resale or sharing of disc-based games.

Excitement from gamers was evident on Amazon.com Inc.’s website, as the PlayStation 4 jumped to the top of the list of best-selling videogame products on the website. Sales were apparently so high that Amazon included a warning that it could no longer guarantee release-date availability for new preorders.

Jack Tretton, head of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, said GameStop Corp. executives had told him the company would buy “every single unit” Sony can manufacture if it could. “We’re excited about the momentum,” he said.

 

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(Published June 11, on The Wall Street Journal’s website.)