Sonyopened a newwebsiteto celebrate PlayStation history, featuring a timeline for their hardware production from the very first system to the PlayStation 5 and PS VR2. While the pages offer curious insights into the systems, one particular detail stands out: the PlayStation 2 sales have been updated to “over 160,000,000 consoles,” a number considerably superior to the prior business data pages.
A New Mark
Originally released in 2000, thePlayStation 2was Sony’s second home console and a major upgrade from its predecessor. The game system featured a unique processing unit called the Emotion Engine, which they produced in a collaboration with Toshiba up to 2012, when it was discontinued worldwide. The PS2 provided a major graphic evolution for the company, having much more detailed images that made it especially remarkable for 3D experiences when compared to the previous console.
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The console was home to major titles from eastern and western developers alike during these 12 active years on the market. The hits includedGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas,Final Fantasy10 up to 12, Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, and some popular series even started on the platform, such as God of War, Kingdom Hearts and Devil May Cry. Sony’s now-defunct Japan Studio also worked alongside Fumito Ueda in the artistic action-adventure games Ico andShadow of the Colossusthat would go on to become classic experiences for PS2.
When it comes to hardware unit sales, PlayStation 2 is the most successful console system in gaming history, followed by the Nintendo DS at around 154 million and the Nintendo Switch at around 146 million. Previously, using data from their reported sales up to 2012, Sony officially pointed to “More than 155.0 million” when commenting about unit sales on theirbusiness data & sales page, which is still available as-is at the moment of this writing.
Back in March 2024, however, Sony Interactive Entertainment then-CEO Jim Ryan had already mentioned a different value. During theOfficial PlayStation Podcast Episode 481, he discussed the PlayStation brand with Sid Shuman, Kristen Zitani and Brett Elston as a sort of farewell party as he would retire in April. In his comments, he pointed out that the PlayStation 2 had sold over 160 million consoles, which led to some discussion on the internet.
Despite the official nature of the podcast, there were no updates to the other business pages after it. As a result, it was hard to gauge how legitimate the claim was, as it could have been an exaggeration in rounding up the numbers mentally.
When it comes to hardware unit sales, PlayStation 2 is the most successful console system in gaming history, followed by the Nintendo DS at around 154 million and the Nintendo Switch at around 146 million.
Thanks to this new PlayStation history page, Sony has officially confirmed the sales of over 160 million consoles worldwide, making a considerable jump of over 5 million units from the previously known number. While the system already had a remarkable position at the top of console sales, it’s now become even harder for the still-ongoing Nintendo Switch sales to reach the same value during its lifetime, especially with a successor on the horizon for 2025.
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