20.02 million Sony PSP units sold!

[ToxicTaZ]

As of 2006/07/24 There are 20.02 million Sony PSP Sold!

http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatapsp_e.html

Sony PSP is right up to Nintendo's DS in sales! The Nintendo DS also came out 4 months before Sony PSP.

 

[darkblu]

i'm sure you meant "shipped". you may want to fix the title of this thread too.

 

[Blade]

What, you mean that enormous stack of PSPs I see at various retailers isn't being reserved for somebody?

No way!

 

[Shifty Geezer]

That's the number of PSPs Sony have made, and not how many have been sold. Probably something like 2 milion are sat in stores and on shelves. The Nintendo sales figures appear to be devices actually sold. Least that's what everyone says. I don't know how they keep tabs on that. Perhaps every time a store sells a DS they have to notify Nintendo?

 

[Corwin_B]

Those numbers are really fun.

JP : 5.20 millions listed, whereas latest Media Create data indicate 3.5 millions units actually sold.
US : 8.17 millions listed, whereas latest NPD data indicates around 4.7 millions units actually sold.

Taking only these 2 regions into account makes a difference of 25% for the 20 millions figure. That's without counting Europe.

No wonder Sony is reducing production capacity for the PSP...

And actually, if you look at the link provided, it says "Production shipments", which means basically everything out of the production chain (shipped to retailers, warehouse, replacement units, transit...).

 

[Teasy]

The difference between these numbers and actual sales data is around 40% in the US and 35% in Japan. Even if the difference is only 25% in Europe it would still mean around 13 million PSP's sold worldwide and 7 million sitting on shelves! Which is hard to believe to be honest. Sony calls these numbers "Production shipments" so is it possible these are actually the total number of units so far produced and shipped to Sony's warehouses?

 

[Skrying]

The difference between these numbers and actual sales data is around 40% in the US and 35% in Japan. Even if the difference is only 25% in Europe it would still mean around 13 million PSP's sold worldwide and 7 million sitting on shelves! Which is hard to believe to be honest. Sony calls these numbers "Production shipments" so is it possible these are actually the total number of units so far produced and shipped to Sony's warehouses?

Its the total number produced. There are tons of PSPs sitting around in warehouses, on shelves, etc.

Basically, Sony has produced a lot of PSP's that have no sold. The really funny part about this is that by releasing how much they've made, Sony can bet on people doing like the OP did and not understanding what the number really means.

Frankly, when it comes to units sold the DS is FAR out selling the PSP.

 

[Rolf N]

It would be easy for Nintendo to release another PR stating their own shipments in humorous rebuttal. I'm not entirely sure it'd be their corporate style ...

 

[Arwin]

Frankly, when it comes to units sold the DS is FAR out selling the PSP.

But that difference is almost completely made in Japan. I agree that people have to be careful with confusing shipped and sold, and that the topic title should be corrected. However, even shipped it's a fairly impressive number.

 

[Skrying]

But that difference is almost completely made in Japan. I agree that people have to be careful with confusing shipped and sold, and that the topic title should be corrected. However, even shipped it's a fairly impressive number.

Can you provide proof that its almost all in Japan?

Also, how is it impressive? Just because Sony has made 20 million does not tell you how successful the device is. From my understanding a great number are sitting on shelves or in a warehouse, that is certainly not impressive.

 

[Corwin_B]

Can you provide proof that its almost all in Japan?

Difference in Japan is already over 6 millions units. Nearly half of DS total sales were done in Japan, so I think Arwin has a point here. Difference in the US is small (may or may not grow after the DS Lite release). Europe probably has the DS leading (since even in UK (Sonyland) it was leading by around 150K units), but we don't know by how much since we don't have actual sales data for the PSP across Europe.

Also, how is it impressive? Just because Sony has made 20 million does not tell you how successful the device is. From my understanding a great number are sitting on shelves or in a warehouse, that is certainly not impressive.

Agreed here.

 

[DemoCoder]

I think it's amazing that a device twice the price of the DS and more than a home console has sold as much as it has. So yes, PSP sales are amazing. I think Sony would sell alot more if they embraced HomeBrew.

 

[Skrying]

I think it's amazing that a device twice the price of the DS and more than a home console has sold as much as it has. So yes, PSP sales are amazing. I think Sony would sell alot more if they embraced HomeBrew.

How do we know the sales are amazing when we dont even know the sales?

 

[Corwin_B]

How do we know the sales are amazing when we dont even know the sales?

That's not totally true. We have actual sales data for Japan (3.5 millions units as of last week) and for US (4.7 millions at the end of June).

 

[Arwin]

How do we know the sales are amazing when we dont even know the sales?

Well, from http://www.dsrevolution.com/article.php?articleid=1319, sales for June 2006, with totals:

The Nintendo DS Lite stormed into America in June and along with the original model of the DS, sold almost 500k, more than the PlayStation 2 and PSP combined. This put the DS a few hundred thousand ahead of the PSP, just as the PSP was getting close to passing DS' total sales. If DS sales continue to be strong, Sony's handheld will have a hard time catching up from here on out.

Hardware
01 - Nintendo DS - 593,000 (5,186,092)
02 - PlayStation 2 - 312,000 (40,002,926)
03 - Xbox 360 - 277,000 (2,002,724)
04 - PlayStation Portable - 221,000 (4,713,872)
05 - Game Boy Advance - 189,000 (37,796,961)
06 - GameCube- 51,000 (12,130,319)
07 - Xbox- 24,000 (15,787,984)

So, before the DS Lite launched in the U.S., the DS and the PSP were at 4.593.092 and 4.492.872 respectively. Europe isn't going to be a lot different. But as Corwin_B pointed out, Japan is a huge difference. Whereas you have to note that the PSP sold about as well as in the other regions, if you look at relative numbers (Europe and U.S. house a fair few more people), the DS is a much bigger success. All in all, I would estimate that if the DS total sales worldwide are at 21 million, then the PSP at that point would be at about 14million.

Another interesting bit of statistics on the site above is this:

Nintendo DS June Software Sales - $51,594,737 - 1,829,740
Xbox 360 June Software Sales - $65,247,368 - 1,216,550
PlayStation Portable June Software Sales - $39,804,494 - 1,110,367
Xbox 360 LTD Software Sales - 8,701,206

You see that even with the DS Lite having been released this month, software revenue for the PSP is still actually not nearly as far off from the DS sales as the number of software units sold (77% in revenue vs 61% of titles sold, with average amount spent on one title at $28.20 DS vs $35.85 PSP).

(It is also very clear that at this point in time, the PSP is a more lucrative platform to develop for than the 360 and I imagine doubly so when you can reuse PS2 assets - I just read Scarface was dropped for the 360 but is coming to the PSP, so my brain said *click*.)

 

[Angelcurio]

I really dont know how can people say that the psp is not successfull.

We are talking about a market that has been monopolized for the latest 20 years or so. Then we have a new handheld that even if it only has a 30-40% of the market share, is an enormous acomplishment.

We have seen a lot of handhelds in this industry, and not a single one of them has been able to coexist with the Nintendo handlhelds. This is coming from someone who have bought a lot of those failed handlhelds. Just to remember how many handhelds have failed just trygin to survive along the Gameboy family:

Wonderswan - checked.
Gamegear - checked.
Neogeo Pocket - checked.
Neogeo Pocket color - checked (btw, an awsome handheld if you ask me).
Nokia N-gage - Checked.
Gizmondo - Checked.

Then the psp comes out of nowhere and have created a market for itself.

Sometimes, people dont consider this a big deal, but if we check this same example of monopoly in other industry areas, it would have been considered a huge succes. For example, what could happen if a new OS is launched, and suddenly it takes only a 25% of the windows market?

How many people have been praising Firefox, when it has only taken a 10% of the market share?.

Now in the handheld area, the psp have sold a comparable amount of units (outside of Japan that is), and also it was launched like 3 months afer the DS launch in the states, and 9 months late in Europe.

And no, i am not defending Sony, the DS is a great handlheld, and its games are great, specially Castlevania. I am just trying to point out that the PSP is far from a failure, and also, it is actually making a profit.

 

[Teasy]

But that difference is almost completely made in Japan. I agree that people have to be careful with confusing shipped and sold, and that the topic title should be corrected. However, even shipped it's a fairly impressive number.

These aren't shipped to store numbers either though, they are shipped to warehouse numbers. A company can make as many of something as they want and store them in warehouses..

I think it's amazing that a device twice the price of the DS and more than a home console has sold as much as it has. So yes, PSP sales are amazing. I think Sony would sell alot more if they embraced HomeBrew.

What I find amazing is that a console with graphics a generation behind the PSP and without a lot of its multimedia functionality has sold not far off twice as many systems as PSP.

 

[Corwin_B]

I don't know anybody not suffering of recto-cranial inversion denying that the PSP is a success, and it deserves to be one because it's a pretty nice machine. However, you have to take into account the massive pre-launch gloating of PSP supporters, and the enormous expectations that rode on the handheld : back before the launch, listening to Sony supporters (and some analysts too), the PSP would crush the DS and its "Flash games" in a matter of months, would "bring handheld gaming out of the ghetto", and would basically repeat the PS1&PS2 magical formula into the handheld market. The PSP was supposed to be the new walkman, and UMD would be a great success.

Which didn't happen as we all know. Now, the same people are busy making excuses about non-games saturating the market and "nobody expected Sony to blow Nintendo out of the water on their first try". If those people had had reasonable expectations from the start, they wouldn't have to be in damage control mode. The PSP is a pretty successful machine, it's just that some people's hopes were too high in the first place.

 

[Teasy]

So, before the DS Lite launched in the U.S., the DS and the PSP were at 4.593.092 and 4.492.872 respectively. Europe isn't going to be a lot different. But as Corwin_B pointed out, Japan is a huge difference. Whereas you have to note that the PSP sold about as well as in the other regions, if you look at relative numbers (Europe and U.S. house a fair few more people), the DS is a much bigger success. All in all, I would estimate that if the DS total sales worldwide are at 21 million, then the PSP at that point would be at about 14million.

To be honest I can't see PSP being at 14 million sold. If PSP is at 3.5 million and 4.7 million in Japan and US respectively then that would mean its European sales would have to be 5.8 million. I just can't see PSP sales in Europe being ahead of its US sales, given how late Europe got the device and the size of the US market, never mind over a million ahead. I'd say that 12 million sold worldwide is a reasonable guestimate.

You see that even with the DS Lite having been released this month, software revenue for the PSP is still actually not nearly as far off from the DS sales as the number of software units sold (77% in revenue vs 61% of titles sold, with average amount spent on one title at $28.20 DS vs $35.85 PSP).

That makes sense considering PSP games cost more then DS games, so revenue from PSP games is going to be higher per game. I'd be interested to see what profits per game were like on each platform.

 

[Acert93]

That's the number of PSPs Sony have made, and not how many have been sold. Probably something like 2 milion are sat in stores and on shelves. The Nintendo sales figures appear to be devices actually sold. Least that's what everyone says. I don't know how they keep tabs on that. Perhaps every time a store sells a DS they have to notify Nintendo?

When my GCN laser got off line, when I called Nintendo support I gave them the serial number of the unit and they knew the exact place, date, and price I purchased the GCN from.