Sony says PlayStation4 sales exceed 5.3 million

Japan's Sony said on Tuesday it has sold more than 5.3 million PlayStation 4 consoles three months after its release, as the firm battles Microsoft and Nintendo in the lucrative games sector.

The eagerly-awaited PlayStation, which sold more than one million units in just one day after its November 15 debut in North America, easily cleared a worldwide target of 5.0 million units before March.

The initial target was reached even before it is released in its home market of Japan on February 22.

PS4 sales were nearly double that of Microsoft's Xbox One console in the US market last month, Sony said last week, citing figures released by industry tracker NPD Group.

Rival Nintendo launched its new Wii U console late last year. It took more than a year for the video game giant to sell 5.86 million units.