EA expecting 10 million next-gen consoles sold through by April

Console publisher heavyweight Electronic Arts is bullish in its predictions of consumers' next-gen hardware adoption, predicting Sony's and Microsoft's next-generation consoles to move a combined 10 million units by April 2014. In a roadshow with investors hosted by market research firm Baird, EA management said that its one near-term concern on the hardware end was production exceeding consumer demand ahead of the new year, particularly with several next-gen exclusives still on the horizon. It also cited the disparate price point between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 ($499 versus $399) as potentially influencing the demand curve. "EA now believes that pre-orders and first day sales are a less reliable predictor of sell-through," said the Baird report, which nevertheless affirmed that EA's 10 million figure forecast was in line with its own predictions. Both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are set to launch later this month in North America -- November 15th and 22nd, respectively.