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PSP Smashes Sales Records in the UK
404Ender writes "According to recent numbers the PSP has sold more than 185,000 units since launching September 1. This blows the previous record away, which happened to be set by the Nintendo DS. This is wonderful news for fans of the Sony handheld, and it certainly quiets many of the naysayers who have been pointing to the success of the DS sales compared to the PSP. Does this solidify Sony's position in the handheld market with a firm foot in the door?"
05/Sep/2005
Sony's new PSP console has sold an estimated 185,000 total market hardware units in its launch week, outdoing Nintendo's DS (87,000 units at launch) to become the most successful UK console launch ever. 24 games were available at launch, the largest for any console, with 20 entering the All Formats Top 40 and 9 games breaking into the Top 10. Games were priced at £34.99 with the console itself retailing at £179.
Sony PSP takes over the All Formats chart this week with the biggest software launch for any console. 20 out of the 24 PSP launch titles enter the All Formats Top 40 with Sony's 'Ridge Racer' (PSP) topping the list, knocking Codemasters' 'Brian Lara International Cricket 2005' (PS2/XB/PC) down to No2 and becoming not only the fastest selling PSP game but also the fastest selling Ridge Racer game across any format. 1 in 5 people who bought a PSP game bought 'Ridge Racer', but it was over 6 years ago since a Ridge Racer title reached number 1 in the All Formats chart with Ridge Racer Type 4 (PS1) back in week 17 1999. 'Brian Lara International Cricket 2005' is the only non-PSP game in the Top 10 with PSP games filling all the remaining Top 10 positions and Sony claiming the top 2 PSP games with 'Wipeout Pure' (PSP) entering the All Formats Chart at No3. Sega's 'Virtua Tennis' and Konami's 'Metal Gear Ac!d' debut at No4 and No5 respectively, holding off EA's big PSP release 'Need for Speed: Underground Rivals' which is a new entry at No6. The most popular type of PSP game is racing with 5 racing games in the Top 10 PSP chart, including 'Toca Race Driver 2' at No6 and 'Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition' at No7, while out of the 24 PSP games released, 5 are new IP. Non-PSP new releases are eclipsed by the dominance of Sony's new console with Novalogic's 'Delta Force: Black Hawk Down' (new this week on XB and PS2) debuting at No1 in the Xbox Chart, but only reaching No15 in the All Formats Top 40. Microsoft's new RPG 'Dungeon Siege II' also suffers the same fate, reaching No1 in the PC Full Price Entertainment Chart, but only No33 in an All Formats Top 40 where half of the games are new PSP titles.
Four of my friends bought PSPs. Only one of them got a perfect PSP, the other three got dead pixels.
Whats annoying them is that they are getting conflicting information as to returning.
#1 Returned with no problem. Had another dead pixel got it returned again. Third is ok.
#2 Two dead pixels. Told by shop that they are allowed sell them with a certain amount of dead pixels. Refusing to replace.
#3 same as previous friend except they would exchange if more dead pixels appeared. (same shop).
disclaimer: I'm from UK and I hope I haven't fallen for a troll
2 8
4 306
The following stats in general conflict with your opinion. Xbox stats follow what you say, the picture is quite different for other consoles. Especially if you then normalise for population, gdp per head, whichever other metric you choose.
"From gaming-age: http://forums.gaming-age.com/showthread.php?t=336
All shipment figures as of December 2004.
PS2
19.47m Japan
32.86m USA
29.06m Europe
81.39 Total
XB
1.70m Japan (asia pacific- some discrepancy as sony and microsft count as japan, others count as Europe/Pal)
13.20m USA
5.00m Europe
19.90m Total
GC
3.78m Japan
10.11m USA
4.13m Europe
18.02m Total
GBA
15.48m Japan
32.82m USA
17.44m Europe
65.74 Total
DS
1.45m Japan
1.36m USA
0.03m Europe
2.84m Total
"
Taken from http://forum.pcvsconsole.com/viewthread.php?tid=1
It sure does not look "a drop in the bucket". You only prove your ignorance of both geo-political matters and economy when you make such sweeping assertions.
Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
Tell friends #2 and #3 to go back to the shop and discuss the Sale Of Goods Act with regards to Merchandising Quality. Tell the shop that they're not allowed sell them with a certain amount of dead pixels by law. That normally makes them think again. If it doesn't try Citizens Advice or even a solicitor.
If enough people do this then shoddy salesmen will get the message
init 11 - for when you need that edge.
Have you SEEN our DS gameslist?
Once again, the UK gets shafted by Nintendo and 3rd party publishers and has to wait months to get the games which people in the US enjoy.
The DS ran away with the lead in the US because it had a damn good lineup of games (right now both Nintendogs and Advance Wars DS are selling strong). Here in the UK we haven't even had Meteos.
All we're enjoying is a lengthy break before the killer apps get here and I've got to say it doth royally suck. The PSP's launch titles in the US were better than the DS but in subsequent months the DS got its excellent games into circulation and started to pick up momentum.
What we're seeing in the UK is what happens when licensing and bureaucratic publishing houses delay the launch of games in Europe months after their release in the US. It's not normally noticeable for the companies concerned but at a time like this it's the games released soon after launch that are critical to a console's success.
I'm a mac user so I'm kind of used to being treated like a 2nd class citizen for gaming (except for games produced by ID and Blizzard) but if Nintendo would like to know why their arguably superior system with its stellar lineup in the US is getting pounded here, they might want to look at the utter disgrace that passes for cross-continental licensing and distribution.
(The author is currently sitting on his ass waiting for Advance Wars DS, Nintendogs, Meteos and a variety of other games already out in the US to be released in the UK)