PlayStation 4 surpasses 7 million units sold through worldwide

As of April 6, Sony's PlayStation 4 has sold through more than 7 million units worldwide, the company announced today.

More than 20.5 million software sales have been made digitally and in retail stores worldwide, and players have used the system's share function more than 135 million times. Twitch and Ustream broadcasts have risen to more than 4.9 million with more than 90 million spectator sessions.

According to president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Andrew House, the global community response "has been overwhelming."

"The PS4 journey has just begun, and although we are still facing difficulties keeping up with the strong demand worldwide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to meet the needs of our customers, and surpassing the wildest expectations of gamers by delivering new user experiences that inspire and engage," House said. "We look forward to unveiling many of these experiences to our fans in the coming months."

The PlayStation 4, which is now available in 72 countries, launched last November. Last month, it passed 6 million consoles sold.

In late January, Microsoft announced that it had sold more than 3.9 million Xbox One consoles worldwide; the company sold more than one million consoles within 24 hours when it launched across 13 markets on Nov. 22, 2013.

We've reached out to Microsoft for updated sales numbers for the Xbox One and will update accordingly.