Sony Corp. has sold more than 5.3 million PlayStation 4s globally, beating its forecast, as it prepares to release the console in Japan this Saturday.
The sales were for the period through Feb. 8, the company said in a statement Tuesday. Sony, which released the console in the U.S. on Nov. 15, had projected it would sell 5 million consoles by the end of March.
Demand for the console is a bright spot for Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai, who this month forecast a surprise net loss of ¥110 billion as Sony's television operation heads toward a 10th straight annual loss. The PS4, the company's first new console in seven years, retook the lead in U.S. retail sales from Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox One last month after being priced $100 below the competing console.