Sony: PlayStation 4 is entering 'final phase' of its lifecycle

Sony has told analysts and investors that the PlayStation 4 is entering the "final phase" of its lifecycle. 

Speaking during an investor presentation (translated by Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki), Sony Interactive Entertainment chief exec John Kodera explained the PS4 is about to embark on the last leg of its journey, and that sales will be affected as a result. 

That won't be a huge surprise if you've been keeping an eye on the company's financials, with console sales having dropped off slowly but surely over the past two years. Kodera didn't specify a timeline for this "final phase."

Indeed, the PS4 has sold 73.6 million units to date, with 20 million of those sales coming during 2016. Last year, however, PS4 sales fell slightly to 19 million units, and Sony only expects to sell another 16 million units during the current fiscal year. 

Despite that decline, Kodera believes recurring revenue from membership services will cushion the blow. Sony is also banking on rising software sales to keep revenue up, and Kodera today promised there'd be even more exclusive titles heading to PlayStation platforms in the future.