The Best-Selling Console Ever

Sony Computer Entertainment America announced on Friday that the holiday sales of its PlayStation console have made it possible for the company to call it the best-selling console system of all time. More than three million PlayStation units were sold from November 1 until December 31, 1999, outselling competing platforms at a margin of over 2 to 1. The installed user base of the PlayStation console in the US is now 25 million.

"We have made considerable strides towards achieving our vision for PlayStation by delivering the broadest gaming audience in history and making it a viable entertainment choice enjoyed by millions of consumers around the world," said Kaz Hirai, president and chief operating officer of Sony Computer Entertainment America. "The results of our fifth holiday season drove PlayStation's mass-market penetration to unprecedented levels reaching 25 million homes in North America. Although historic, this is truly just a precursor for how the company will continue to transcend what we know to be computer entertainment with the planned introduction of PlayStation2 later in the year."

Sony Computer Entertainment America also revealed that the PlayStation business (hardware, software, and peripherals) over the holiday season had gained more than US$1.5 billion in retail sales. The company had previously projected a figure of $1 billion for this period.

In terms of software, TRSTS reports from The NPD Group state that more PlayStation game titles were sold during the holidays than all of the other competing formats combined. The PlayStation was responsible for sales of 15.1 million games in December, more than double that of the Nintendo 64 and more than ten times that of Sega's Dreamcast console.

"When planning for 1999, we underestimated the momentum that the marketplace has generated surrounding PlayStation," said Jack Tretton, vice president of sales for Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Through the continued growth of the PlayStation category, our retail partners reported to us that 1999 was a record year for video game sales. For 31 months straight, PlayStation has been the sales leader in every category in which it competes. Sony Computer Entertainment America has maintained that success by providing both the PlayStation enthusiast and new consumers with a wealth of entertainment choices at affordable prices."

Sony Computer Entertainment announced in December that 70 million PlayStation consoles have been sold worldwide.