Sony announces it has sold 6 million PS4 consoles since launch

The Japanese consumer technology and entertainment titan said that the global sales figure includes 370,000 PS4 consoles snapped up in Japan since they launched there on February 22.

"I am absolutely delighted that PS4 is off to such a great start in Japan," Sony Computer Entertainment chief executive Andrew House said in a release.

The long-awaited Japanese launch came after a stellar debut in the United States and Europe, offering a ray of hope to Sony after years of gloomy sales of its key consumer electronics goods.

House said player response to console features for sharing game play and connecting in online matches has been "phenomenal."

Early adopters of the PS4 have enthused over its vast computing capacity and the cinematic graphics it makes possible.

Industry trackers have the PS4 strongly outselling the new-generation Xbox One (Launch pics I Review) that US rival Microsoft fielded in November

(Also see: Sony sells 5.3 million PlayStation 4 consoles, exceeds full-year target)

Sony's fellow Japanese rival, Nintendo, launched its new Wii U (Launch pics) console in late 2012. It took more than a year for the video game giant to sell 5.86 million units.

PS4, Wii U and Xbox One are fighting to be at the heart of digital home entertainment at a time when consoles are under intense pressure to prove their worth as people increasingly turn to smartphones or tablets for games and videos.

(Also see: PS4 vs Xbox One vs Wii U - how the new gen consoles stack up)

Sony's gaming division has emerged as a potential saviour for the once-mighty giant, which is struggling to reinvent itself in the digital age, having been left in the dust by nimbler rivals like South Korea's Samsung.