Sony aiming to sell 5 million PlayStation 4s by March 2014

Sony are hoping to burst out of the next-generation console gates, aiming to sell five million PlayStation 4 consoles by the end of their fiscal year 2013, which ends on March 31, 2014. The news was revealed during Sony's Tokyo Game Show keynote, as hosted by SCE President Andrew House.

While this figure doesn't seem like all that much compared to the PlayStation 3's current sales total of over 75 million units, new console uptake is usually moderately paced while the system is still relatively expensive. Sony only managed to sell five million PS3s after almost a year of the console being on the market, while Microsoft shipped five million Xbox 360s in seven months.

And when it comes to Nintendo, the Wii U has had a tough time making an impression with consumers, having sold just 3.6 million units since its launch late last year. If Sony are hoping to sell five million consoles in just four months, they're betting that consumer interest in the upcoming wave of consoles is at an all time high.

The PlayStation 4 will launch in North America on November 15, Europe on November 29, and Japan on February 22, 2014. Meanwhile, Microsoft will launch the Xbox One in the middle of Sony's launch window, with their system coming to 13 countries across North America, Europe and the Pacific region on November 22.