NEWS - Return to news section

Sony says many PS4 owners are actually former Xbox 360 and Wii owners, which goes some way to explain the huge popularity of Sony's new console.

Citing data from Nielsen, Sony Worldwide Studios senior VP of product development Scott Rohde says that up to 31% of PS4 owners did not even own a PS3.

Data also showed that 17% of PS4 owners didn't own any last-gen console, which suggests that the value proposition of the PS4 was just right to attract not only gamers of rival systems, but also new gamers as well.

"It's always fascinating to look at all this data. So, two of the things I can talk about - because they're true. 17 per cent of PS4 owners did not own a last-gen console. That in itself is a pretty shocking number," says Rohde.

"31 per cent of PS4 owners did not own a PS3, but they did own either an Xbox 360 or Wii," added Rohde. 

Rohde used these stats to explain why some of the most popular PS3 games will now be remade for the PS4, including the critical hit The Last of Us.

"Now, those are some pretty amazing numbers. And that's why, again, I think we're doing things like bringing The Last of Us to PS4, because there's a huge percentage of those people who never got to play it and that's a shame," explained Rohde.

Sony's latest revelation came just before the release of the May NPD video game sales stats for the important US market. While the PS4 once again was the top selling console, the Wii U made important strides in its bid to gain market share, thanks largely to the release of the eagerly anticipated Mario Kart 8 game.

The latest Mario Kart game was the second best selling title across all platforms, despite it being only available on the Wii U. It helped the Wii U to sell an estimated 60,000 consoles for the month, up 85% compared to last May.