New PlayStation 4 Proves Sony Is Console King

Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) plans to release a new, slimmer version of its base-model PlayStation 4 console next month, in addition to the new high-end model the company has already announced, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.

With the PlayStation 4 nearing the third anniversary of its release, it’s not entirely surprising that Sony would look to update the appearance of its flagship console; the Japanese entertainment giant has released sleeker versions of the console’s previous iterations in the past.

What is surprising, however, is Sony’s decision to dual-release a new base-model alongside a high-end model of the PlayStation 4. This marks a departure from the company’s typical console release schedule, which traditionally only supports one version at a time.

With the release of two new versions of the PlayStation 4, Sony is appealing to both the casual gamers who have yet to make the jump to the latest generation of consoles and the hardcore gamers that want a more powerful system.

Sony will hold a press conference at the PlayStation Theater in New York on Sept. 7. The company has said that it will be discussing the PlayStation 4 business at this event.

Sony’s new PlayStation 4 versions seek to cement the brand’s status as the outright leader of the console race. As the video game industry heads into a new era backed by virtual reality technology, Sony’s recent dominance of the console market is an incredible head start.

Since the release of the PlayStation 4 in late 2013, Sony has sold more than 40 million units world-wide, which nearly doubles the sales of Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox One console over the same time period. Nintendo (OTC:NTDOY) says it has sold about 13 million units of its Wii U console since 2012.

Sony has significantly outpaced the sales of its two biggest competitors combined over the past three years, and the upcoming launch of two new PlayStation 4 versions should continue to highlight that dominance. Nevertheless, it won’t be without competition; Microsoft recently launched its own slimmed-down version of the Xbox One, and some reports suggest that a further-upgraded console is due by the end of the year.