PlayStation 4 already profitable, half of owners have PS Plus

PlayStation 4 may only be half a year old, but it's already pulling its own weight. According to a recent speech by Sony CEO Kaz Hirai, PS4 has already reached profitability, which as he notes is a marked change from previous generations when companies would take a loss on consoles in their early years.

"It's been a hugely successful launch, but the key to the long term success of the platform lies in how solidly we can continue to grow the installed base," Hirai said in a corporate strategy meeting (via Polygon). "In terms of game titles for PS4, as of April 13, 47 titles had been launched with a total of 20.5 million units being sold via retailers and over the network on the PlayStation Store. From a profitability perspective, PS4 is also already contributing profit on a hardware unit basis, establishing a very different business framework from that of previous platform businesses."

Hirai also mentioned that "approximately half" of PS4 owners are member of PlayStation Plus. On PS4 that means access to multiplayer games, though the paid subscription service is likely most known for its "Instant Game Collection" that grants a handful of downloadable games monthly.