PS4 sales nearing 36 million after adding 5.7 million this holiday

It's not just Microsoft that enjoyed a record-breaking holiday season. Sony on Tuesday announced that it sold more than 5.7 million PlayStation 4 systems during the holiday season, bringing the platform's new sales tally to 35.9 million units globally as of January 3, 2016. This is up from 30.2 million at the end of November.

The holiday season is defined by Sony as November 22, 2015 through January 2, 2016 for North America, Latin America, and Europe. In Japan and Asia, it's November 23, 2015 through January 3, 2016.

PS4 game sales were also strong during the holiday season, with more than 35 million copies sold at brick-and-mortar stores and through the PlayStation Store. Sales numbers for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita games were not divulged, nor did Sony name a top-selling PS4 holiday game.

Sony also today announced that PlayStation Plus subscriptions rose by 60 percent compared to the same period last year, though no specific figures were shared.

"We are absolutely delighted that so many customers have selected PS4 as the best place to play throughout this holiday season and that the PS4 community is growing more than ever," Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Andrew House said in a statement. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to deliver innovative entertainment experiences."

House went on to say that Sony aims to deliver an "unprecedented games portfolio" to the PS4 in 2016. He called out titles like Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, a new Hot Shots Golf, and The Last Guardian in the press release. Other big exclusives or timed exclusives for PS4 in 2016 include Street Fighter V, No Man's Sky, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Gran Turismo Sport. 2016 also marks the release of PlayStation VR.

In December, PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida said the PS4 is getting an "unprecedented rush" of big games in 2016. "It's the year PS4 users, and those who are on the fence on whether to buy it will absolutely think, 'It's good to have a PS4.' Please look forward to it," he said at the time.

For its part, Microsoft is also claiming that 2016 will be a huge year for Xbox games. Microsoft has not announced any new Xbox One sales numbers (and doesn't plan to), while executive Phil Spencer previously said Sony's lead is so large that Microsoft may never be able to catch up.