It took Sony quite a while – about two and a half years – but the PlayStation 4 has now finally overtaken the Wii U in Japan in terms of install base. This week’s Media Create numbers for Japan (via NeoGAF) confirmed that the PS4’s lifetime sales now stand at 3.267 million units- which is officially more than the Wii U’s install base of 3.265 million units in the country.
Given that the PS4’s only now started to get going (it got its first major hit in Japan a few weeks ago with Persona 5, with other major games, such as Final Fantasy 15, Kingdom Hearts 3, and Dragon Quest 11, all due to hit it in the next few months), and that the Wii U is now all but dead, with Zelda: Breath of the Wild being the only major title on the horizon for it, I think it is safe to conclude that the PS4 will now keep its lead over the Wii U.
Lifetime sales for the Xbox One, meanwhile, stand at 68,224 units in the country- put together, the three consoles have each put forth a far worse showing this generation than their respective predecessors, so there is cause for concern for the Japanese console gaming market’s health. That said, the PS4’s slow recovery, as well as the upcoming Nintendo NX, give us some reason to be hopeful going forward.