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PlayStation 2 Reaches 60 Million Units

Posted by simoniker on from the a-drop-in-the-ocean dept.

Thanks to IGN for reprinting the Sony press release announcing that worldwide shipment of Sony's PlayStation 2 totaled 60 million units on September 6th. This can be split up into Japan/Asia (14.17 million units since March 4th, 2000), North America (26.42 million units since October 26th, 2000), and Europe/Australia (19.44 million units since November 24th, 2000.) The press release points out that: "Shipment of 60 million units within 3 years and 6 months since the launch is 1.6 times more in volume compared to the same period after launch of the original PlayStation." GamesIndustry.biz also note: "It's been quite a haul for Sony, who shipped their 50 millionth PS2 on January 15th 2003, having hit 40 million just four months previously and 30 million four and a half months prior to that."

8 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. bah! by kurosawdust · · Score: 4, Funny

    shipments schmipments - start measuring your impact on the gaming community in "millions of thumb-blisters" and then we'll talk...

  2. Math for fun and profit by jvmatthe · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Let's assume that the boxes that PS2 consoles are shipped in are 18 inches by 18 inches by 8 inches. That's 1.5 cubic feet. If you multiply by 60 million, you end up with 90 million cubic feet. The cube root of 90 million is 448 plus a bit. Assume 15 feet per story in a building.

    Then if all the boxes for all the PS2 consoles sold were stacked up in a cube, it'd be roughly 30 stories tall and as long on each side as about 1.5 football fields.

    I'm sure I forgot to carry a one or something. Maybe even a divide by zero somewhere. But that's probably close.

    Now if I only had a dollar for each console sold...

    --
    Curmudgeon Gamer: Not happy
    1. Re:Math for fun and profit by eunos94 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yes, but how many Libraries of Congress would fit in there?

  3. Re:Just a note... by rwven · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well, shipped != sold to the STORES. shipped DOES = sold to Sony. they have the luxury of getting their $chaching$ up front

  4. This reminds me of Ghostbusters... by ssstraub · · Score: 3, Funny

    WINSTON (concerned) What do you mean "big?" [Spengler picks up a Hostess Twinkie from the workbench] SPENGLER Well, let's say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. According to this morning's PKE sample, the current level in the city would be a Twinkie 35 feet long weighing approximately six hundred pounds. WINSTON That's a big Twinkie.

  5. 60 gazillion millions by August_zero · · Score: 2, Interesting

    HOw many of these 60 million are resales? I treat my PS2 with the utmost care and I am on my 3rd due to breakage. Come to think of it, of all the Sony products i have purchased over the years, only a couple of them still work. Maybe I am just unlucky...

    Seriously though, I guess it testifies as to how important the stupid thing is to me since I have replaced it twice.

    --
    On Wall Street they say "buy low, sell high" On the pad we say, "buy high, sell high" Isn't that somehow better?
    1. Re:60 gazillion millions by wanderers_id · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm on my 3rd too. And i wanted to say thanks to BEST BUY for giving me two of them FOR FREE!

      Their product replacement plan is definatly worth it for the PS2. I bought one for $300 and when it broke, Best Buy gave me a new one, and since the price had dropped to $200, they gave me the diference back in store credit and let me buy another replacement plan. So I took in my broke PS2 and walked out with a new one with new warranty and a FREE GAME!

      That one broke and I returned it for ANOTHER a few days ago.

  6. Re:Haul or Loss? by phorm · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I think this only counts for a certain period. basically up to when your slim sales-margin isn't beating the cost of R&D, development etc. I don't think it means the hardware itself costs more than the sale price.

    Eventually, the R&D costs are paid off, and even with a smaller profit margin (lowered console price) you'll see a good profit for a high sales margin (assuming that most of these make it off the shelf)