Sony shares new sales figures for PlayStation consoles, confirming PS2 sold over 160M

[SquidEnthusiast]

They only updated the PS2 sales figures.

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Sony not updating the "as of" date on PS2 is...interesting.

 

[Tbone5189]

Switch won't reach 170mil, pretty confident about that
decrease is sharp (not doom&gloom here, but YoY% drop are over there and it's not weird they decrease also their own forecast) and once the Switch2 will be announced I'm pretty sure they will cease production not THAT later, for the OG model (meaning: no PS4-tally for example)
at the same time I'm also pretty sure they won't invest in crazy price cut for the OG model nor invest in a smaller/cheaper version like Sony did with PS1 and 2, or Nitendo did with the 3DS

IMHO of course, but if they will be at 153mil at the end of this FY (based on their forecast) we can safely assume it WILL pass the 160mil mark, but not by that much

We dont want logic, we want BOLD

 

[Evilms]

Sony not updating the "as of" date on PS2 is...interesting.

It's an oversight probably, but logically based on this it should be : as of March 31, 2013.

 

[Eddy]

Another thing going in PS2 favor is that it had an extremely long tail as a budget console for developing and secondary markets, which is another factor that doesn't really exist in the same way anymore. PS2 was perfect storm in many ways

Yeah, the PS3 not doing good also helped PS2 longevity.
Is this why they did not announced that the PS2 surpassed 160M in 2013?

Was their thought proccess something like: "we are gonna look bad if we celebrate this milestone while the PS3 is not doing great"
I have no idea

Like other have said PS1+PS2 262M HW was monumental, and Switch + Switch 2 will probably surpass that

In the end I am glad Sony finally gave us the actual number, I was hoping this would happen in 2025 when Switch have surpassed 155M, so its great we got the number before that

 

[KillerMan]

Would love for Sony to give us total sw shipments for PS4. before they changed to include digital only games it was already at around ~ 1.21 billion at minimum. This was also before Covid where PS4 actually hit peak sw shipments. Should be decent bit above PS2 even if you exclude digital only games. Shame that only number we could actually get at some point is the one that does include digital only games too so it would not be completely comparable.

 

[Aostia82]

We dont want logic, we want BOLD

What about BOLD logic!?

 

[Tbone5189]

What about BOLD logic!?

That said, if its 160mil or just around it in the end, it's going to be a hard deviation for the years to come. That said both hitting 160mil and with DS under it is most impressive as the most best selling systems is GB and PS4 which did just under 120mil.

NSW2 I'm hoping gets over 130mil which would be huge with of course huge software selling too.

Ps5 I'm still not sure of but 100mil++ is a lock. 110-130mil is likely but where exactly is anyone guess

 

[TheWon]

I used to believe this but I don't anymore - not for the #1 position at least. I think there is legit marketing value in being able to say "best selling VG console of all time". Given how close the NSW will naturally land to the mark to begin with, a little nudge from Nintendo is worth it (if needed..).

Agreed! Everything Nintendo has done is to control their image through their own media. They are aware of all metrics the western media uses as positive and negative indicators of their Brand. Winning console generations, Game ratings and sales numbers matter to them. The idea the Switch is year eight with no price cut is something else they are aware of as well. They want it in my opinion and want to get it in their own way.

 

[Robjoh]

I don't know the margin of the switch lite but I would assume that a cheaper price and push for it in countries where 400USD is to much would help if Nintendo also could launch regional prices on the software. I am not sure if Nintendo cares enough.

 

[salesguy]

Yeah, the PS3 not doing good also helped PS2 longevity.

I always inferred this was a profit play.

Not sure exactly why, but at some point the manufacturers realized they made more money from new consoles than keeping old ones alive. Starting with PS4 for sure, probably anything after ps2, prior gen consoles are cut off quickly now (jn terms of hardware manufacturing obviously, not software sales) and there's no more long tail.

 

[KarlRemarx]

I always inferred this was a profit play.

Not sure exactly why, but at some point the manufacturers realized they made more money from new consoles than keeping old ones alive. Starting with PS4 for sure, probably anything after ps2, prior gen consoles are cut off quickly now (jn terms of hardware manufacturing obviously, not software sales) and there's no more long tail.

It's not so much about profitability on new consoles - it's that the business currently operates on cycles (overlapping curves of rising and declining hardware/software sales over generations and therefore profitability following the same curves) which would be absurd in any other entertainment medium. They're trying to move away from this cyclical model to something more stable - to do that you need to accelerate new console adoption as quickly as possible and get those users buying software, so that they can make up for the declining sales and novelty of the previous hardware. The current transition to PS5 is showing this in action and Switch 2 will likely do the same - absolutely massive crossgen periods and ongoing games that span both generations, in an attempt to flatten the curve and achieve revenue/profit stability, rather than a massive cliff-face every 6 years where your business might implode because you messed up a hardware launch.

Look at Steam's YoY user growth resulting from detaching their business from hardware generations completely - there is massive growth opportunity for moving beyond the hardware arms race by stabilising into longer generations (or in PC's case, no generations) and retaining active, paying customers (through account systems, no-hassle backwards compatibility, etc). Nintendo are also trying to "flatten the curve" in these ways but also through things like the theme parks, movie business, merchandising, etc - all revenue streams that operate completely independently of the generational hardware cycle.

 

[Aquamarine]

Yeah, the PS3 not doing good also helped PS2 longevity.
Is this why they did not announced that the PS2 surpassed 160M in 2013?

Sony's approach in the late 2000s was multi-faceted. PS3 targeted the high-end enthusiasts and hardcore gamers in the west. PS2 on the other hand was a low-cost, affordable device for families and worldwide audiences, Sony's answer to the Wii's blue ocean strategy essentially.

What's special about PS2 is it enjoyed unprecedented support in emerging countries that were typically a non-starter. Like up through 2013, PS2 sold close to one million units in India for example. Compare that to just 375K for PS3. That extra boost enabled its incredibly-long tail.

 

[Belthazar]

If 3DS could still move ~10mil after the Switch launch, I can see Switch do similar by the time Nintendo stops production.

I don't think the 3DS can be used as a precedent for how the Switch sales curve will behave. 3DS had software that couldn't be played anywhere else and the Switch didn't replace it in that sense. The Switch 2, on the other hand, will effectively replace the OG as it will play every Switch game available (and presumably better).

The only way I can see the Switch still selling well after the Switch 2 is out if Nintendo is REALLY aggressive pricing-wise, which I also don't see happening.

 

[tentacle-tropes]

I don't think the 3DS can be used as a precedent for how the Switch sales curve will behave. 3DS had software that couldn't be played anywhere else and the Switch didn't replace it in that sense. The Switch 2, on the other hand, will effectively replace the OG as it will play every Switch game available (and presumably better).

The only way I can see the Switch still selling well after the Switch 2 is out if Nintendo is REALLY aggressive pricing-wise, which I also don't see happening.

Unless Nintendo is producing more consoles then they can sell & the price isn’t egregious enough in every territory; I don’t see how the Switch will be replaced that quickly by Redacted. ~10mil in 3yrs is entirely plausible given the circumstances Redacted will release into.

 

[Robjoh]

I don't think the 3DS can be used as a precedent for how the Switch sales curve will behave. 3DS had software that couldn't be played anywhere else and the Switch didn't replace it in that sense. The Switch 2, on the other hand, will effectively replace the OG as it will play every Switch game available (and presumably better).

The only way I can see the Switch still selling well after the Switch 2 is out if Nintendo is REALLY aggressive pricing-wise, which I also don't see happening.

The DS also sold close to 10 millions after the launch of the 3DS. So I think we can expect similar for Switch.

 

[Biscuit]

The DS also sold close to 10 millions after the launch of the 3DS. So I think we can expect similar for Switch.

In fairness, the 3DS sold relatively poorly at launch because its price was too high, so the DS maintained momentum a bit more strongly than was usual for Nintendo handhelds

 

[Phenom08]

In fairness, the 3DS sold relatively poorly at launch because its price was too high, so the DS maintained momentum a bit more strongly than was usual for Nintendo handhelds

I'm not sure we can say DS had better legs than usual Nintendo handhelds because GB/GBC had better legs and 3DS had similar legs so only the GBA had worse legs. Even if you say GB/GBC had betters legs due to GBC, you would also have to acknowledge GBA had worse because of DS completely cutting off its support and replacing it.

 

[Robjoh]

In fairness, the 3DS sold relatively poorly at launch because its price was too high, so the DS maintained momentum a bit more strongly than was usual for Nintendo handhelds

The FY year after 3DS launched the shipments of DS fell by 70% year over year. Which followed by another 50% year over year the next FY.

There is very little indications that DS were holding a momentum after 3DS was launched.

The question is simple if Nintendo cares enough to keep switch around after switch 2 is launched.

 

[allan-bh]

If Switch 2 come at $399 maximum I don't think Switch will be around for much longer. If it's more expensive it can survive for a larger period of time.

 

[Belthazar]

The DS also sold close to 10 millions after the launch of the 3DS. So I think we can expect similar for Switch.

Yeah, but the 3DS did completely shit the bed at launch with it being so expensive and barely having any meaningful software for a while, which is not likely to happen with the Switch's successor.

The only chance the OG Switch has of having good legs is if it's reasonably cheaper than the successor. Like, I'm talking half the price or under.

 

[Phenom08]

We need to keep in mind that it's quite possible that no specific transition is similar to this one (Switch to Switch 2) because there are so many factors or variables involved. DS to 3DS transition also saw the 3DS receive a price cut that put it in direct competition with DS due to the similar pricing. 3DS to Switch transition has the issue of Switch not being able to play 3DS games allowing it to possibly have some remaining demand.

I don't see the point in speculating it's legs because we don't even know when Switch 2 will show up. Switch may not even need legs to reach 160 million because it might reach as high as 155 to 157 million before Switch 2 even hits the market (November 2025).

 

[Nanashrew]

You ever think about how Sony won a Guinness world record for PS2 sales numbers some years back based on VGchartz numbers when Sony could have simply just told them this number like they're suddenly giving out now.

 

[Garlic]

You ever think about how Sony won a Guinness world record for PS2 sales numbers some years back based on VGchartz numbers when Sony could have simply just told them this number like they're suddenly giving out now.

Unserious numbers for unserious awards, ha

 

[fiendcode]

I don't think the 3DS can be used as a precedent for how the Switch sales curve will behave. 3DS had software that couldn't be played anywhere else and the Switch didn't replace it in that sense. The Switch 2, on the other hand, will effectively replace the OG as it will play every Switch game available (and presumably better).

The only way I can see the Switch still selling well after the Switch 2 is out if Nintendo is REALLY aggressive pricing-wise, which I also don't see happening.

PS2 and PS1 would probably make a better comparison then.

 

[Robjoh]

Yeah, but the 3DS did completely shit the bed at launch with it being so expensive and barely having any meaningful software for a while, which is not likely to happen with the Switch's successor.

The only chance the OG Switch has of having good legs is if it's reasonably cheaper than the successor. Like, I'm talking half the price or under.

As mentioned before:

The FY year after 3DS launched the shipments of DS fell by 70% year over year. Which followed by another 50% year over year the next FY.

There is very little indications that DS were holding a momentum after 3DS was launched.

The question is simple if Nintendo cares enough to keep switch around after switch 2 is launched.

I do expect Switch Lite to be half of Switch 2.

9-10 million more Switches after the launch of Switch 2 would be some something like 6 million the first FY and another 3 million the fiscal year after that. It is not like Switch will do any amazing numbers. It will stay around as a budget version for a couple of years and then die of.

 

[Jawful]

Switch won't reach 170mil, pretty confident about that
decrease is sharp (not doom&gloom here, but YoY% drop are over there and it's not weird they decrease also their own forecast) and once the Switch2 will be announced I'm pretty sure they will cease production not THAT later, for the OG model (meaning: no PS4-tally for example)
at the same time I'm also pretty sure they won't invest in crazy price cut for the OG model nor invest in a smaller/cheaper version like Sony did with PS1 and 2, or Nitendo did with the 3DS

IMHO of course, but if they will be at 153mil at the end of this FY (based on their forecast) we can safely assume it WILL pass the 160mil mark, but not by that much

wait til they don't actually call it switch 2 and instead switch xl+s and count all future sales as if it was the switch

 

[Mekanos]

You ever think about how Sony won a Guinness world record for PS2 sales numbers some years back based on VGchartz numbers when Sony could have simply just told them this number like they're suddenly giving out now.

Why is VGchartz still a thing

 

[tentacle-tropes]

Why is VGchartz still a thing

If I had to guess it’s a convenient source for numbers in an industry that has generally obscured said numbers, even if those numbers are just flat wrong, unsourced, or made up.

 

[acezam]

Thanks to @pierre485

 

[Joseki]

Plot twist, the PS2 production figure from the infamous PS2 "last production model" is actually real

PS2 pic looks legit. The production number is legit, too.

So we finally have a precise PS2 figure: 160.636.885 units produced.

 

[Brazilian77]

Plot twist, the PS2 production figure from the infamous PS2 "last production model" is actually real





So we finally have a precise PS2 figure: 160.636.885 units produced.

Produced is not shipped as was correctly pointed out by others. Actual shipped number is probably only a bit above 160 million

 

[duvjones]

Produced is not shipped as was correctly pointed out by others. Actual shipped number is probably only a bit above 160 million

And that is a bit above 160 million. Given the years of ramp down involve, I am pretty sure that they got it out the door.

 

[theprodigy]

Plot twist, the PS2 production figure from the infamous PS2 "last production model" is actually real





So we finally have a precise PS2 figure: 160.636.885 units produced.

ok so if/when Switch hits 160.64m we can officially put this to rest for good

 

[Cocodor]

Plot twist, the PS2 production figure from the infamous PS2 "last production model" is actually real





So we finally have a precise PS2 figure: 160.636.885 units produced.

It's really funny that the final number came out like this.

Hopefully some weird pictures of the final vita and PS3 also release for Shawn to confirm in some random thread lol.

 

[Brazilian77]

And that is a bit above 160 million. Given the years of ramp down involve, I am pretty sure that they got it out the door.

Sorry I wasn't clear with my phrasing. I meant there are units for warrant replacements, displays and so on. So really produced is NOT shipped. They have shipped less than the number they produced but more than 160 million from what they confirmed.

Granted, it is hard to give the order of magnitude, but from 160M sold, I have a hard time believing in less than 100k gap between produced and shipped because replacement units for warrants should not be a negligible number.

Edit: for example in the case of PS3, the picture we saw shows a larger than 0.5M gap between produced and shipped (if I remember correctly). There may be reasons for PS3 to have a greater failure/warrant replacement rate than PS2, but it needs to be almost 2 times above to compensate the lower number of consoles sold.

 

[Evilms]

It's really funny that the final number came out like this.

Hopefully some weird pictures of the final vita and PS3 also release for Shawn to confirm in some random thread lol.

The PS3 numbers was already confirmed by a developper who work at Sony City in Tokyo.

 

[Josh5890]

Well now we have the number.

 

[Evilms]

Number of units produced

• PS1 : 102.490.000 units
• PS2 : 160.636.885 units
• PSP : 82.523.607 units
• PS3 : 88.159.116 units

I hope that one day we'll have the figures for the PSVita and PS4.

 

[Phenom08]

Number of units produced

• PS1 : 102.490.000 units
• PS2 : 160.636.885 units
• PSP : 82.523.607 units
• PS3 : 88.159.116 units

I hope that one day we'll have the figures for the PSVita and PS4.

We have PS4 shipped right? 30th anniversary says over 117 right? Can we use that to narrow down PS Vita?

 

[Evilms]

We have PS4 shipped right? 30th anniversary says over 117 right? Can we use that to narrow down PS Vita?

2013 PlayStation 4 - PS VR | PlayStation History timeline

The launch of PlayStation 4 connected players like never before, with more ways to share and connect with friends and the global gamer community. And in 2016 play was transported to new dimensions with the launch of PlayStation VR.

www.playstation.com

They say : sold over 117,000,000 but we don't know the exactly how much units have really produced. Maybe one day we'll find out once the console is no longer on the market.

 

[allan-bh]

If Switch end up selling more than 160.0m but less than 160.64m, it will be an eternal debate of which system sold more.