The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

PS2 reaches sales milestone

50m units sold in North America alone

Agentless Backup is Not a Myth

The PlayStation 2 is nine years old, but its sales remain strong. Sony has announced that it has now sold 50m units in North American alone.

Predecessor to the PS3, the PS2 currently costs around $130 (£88/€98) and recent figures from market analyst NPD revealed that 206,000 units were shifted in the US during November 2008. By contrast, Americans bought about 378,000 PS3s during the same month.

It’s hard to say exactly why the PS2 holds such an affinity with gamers, as – unlike its successor – the console can’t play Blu-ray Discs, doesn’t have an integrated hard drive and won’t connect to the internet.

However, the slimline model – released in 2004 - is extremely, well, thin and makes an excellent DVD player.

The official line from Sony is that PS2 sales remain strong because of low-income buyers who want to experience, or get back into, the world of videogames.

Microsoft hasn’t had such luck with its original Xbox, which was launched in late 2001 and discontinued in late 2006. However, recent figures show that sales of the console’s successor – the Xbox 360 – are higher than those of the PS3. ®

Customer Success Testimonial: Recovery is Everything

Latest Comments

LOL

"However, the slimline model – released in 2004 - is extremely, well, thin and makes an excellent DVD player."

Actually it's a pretty rubbish DVD player (the Microsoft astroturfers made a huge deal of why Blu-Ray on the PS3 would suck, because the PS2's DVD player sucked. How wrong they were).

0
0

More from The Register

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Proof the pen is mightier?
Sammy’s iPad Mini killer has a stylus to stab other rivals too
Microsoft lures buy-curious vixens, corduroys with a cheap fondle
Surface slab sales latest: Will no one rid Ballmer of these turbulent tabs?
First look: iOS 7 for iPad
No, Apple hasn't released it yet, but that doesn't stop intrepid devs
 breaking news
Curtain drops on Apple Store ahead of WWDC: What lies behind?
Steve Jobs watching from on high. No pressure, lads
 breaking news
Cold, dead hands of Steve Jobs slip from iPhones: The Cult of Ive is upon us
Billionaire biz baron's death clears way for uber-shiny iOS 7
Airbus imagines suitcases that find themselves
Point your mobe at your smalls to track their every move
Surprise! Intel smartphone trounces ARM in power trials
Tests show equal performance while sipping significantly less juice
Samsung plans LTE Advanced version of Galaxy S4
1Gbps download capability could stiffen drooping S4 sales forecasts
Apple said to be 'exploring' 5.7-inch iPhone
Who's the copycat this time, Mr. Cook?