Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 4 sales are proving a bright spot for Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai, who is cutting costs to spur a revival at a company hit by falling demand for its televisions and cameras.
Sales of the $399 video-game console surpassed 7 million units worldwide as of April 6, five months after its release, Sony said Thursday in a statement from its Tokyo headquarters. Shipments have outpaced rival Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox One, which had sold 4.2 million units, according to an early April estimate from VGChartz.com.
Sales of the PS4 are proving that demand remains viable for high-performance gaming in the era of cheap play on smartphones and tablet computers. Sony has promised to slash $250 million from its entertainment unit costs and on Thursday said it would sell its stake in game maker Square Enix Holdings Co. as Hirai seeks new hit products to capture a consumer shift to mobile devices.