Sony tops global console sales for first time in 8 years

Sony has re-taken the crown as the world’s most successful games console manufacturer.

Nikkei reports, via AFP, that in the year ending March 2014 cumulative sales of PlayStation hardware – which presumably included PS4, PS3, PS2, Vita and PSP – reached 18.7m units.

In the same period Nintendo sold 16.31m combined units of the Wii U, Wii, 3DS and DS and Microsoft sold 11.6m Xbox One and Xbox 360s.

It’s the first time in eight years that Sony has topped the overall console hardware sales league.

The news comes ahead of the commencement of E3 2014 today. All three companies will over the next two days detail their plans for the year ahead.