Sony Celebrate 70million Units News

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today celebrated worldwide sales in excess of 70 million Playstation2 units since its Japanese launch on March 4, 2000. SCEI claim that shipments of the PS2 have grown at 1.6 times the rate of the original PSOne, reaching an unbelievable 70 million units in just three years and ten months.<br><br>In the two month period from November 2003 until the end of the first week of January 2004, more then 1.11 million PS2 units were sold in Japan, showing an 18% growth compared to the same period in the previous year. Sales in Europe/PAL territories continues to be the largest territory for Sony with sales exceeding 3.56 million units, an increase of 5% over the same period last year, whilst North America sold more then 2.94 million units during the same period. Combined, sell-through of the PS2 reached an impressive 7.83 million units during the two month Holiday period.<br><br><b>PS2 Cumulative Shipments by Territory</b><br><br>Japan 16.18 million units – March 4th 2000<br>N America 29.26 million units – October 26th 2000<br>Europe/PAL 24.56 million units – November 24th 2000<br><br>However SCEI must surely realise that 2003 was without doubt the peak of the PS2 life-cycle, suggesting that sales will not meet the same marks in 2004. Naturally to counter this SCEI have a number of new products up its sleeve, including the release of the PSX in Europe and America followed by the eagerly awaited release of the PSP in November/December 2004.