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LONDON (Reuters) - Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news) (news - web sites). on Tuesday announced global cumulative shipments for its PlayStation 2 (news - web sites) video game console topped 60 million this month, reaffirming its place as one of the most successful consumer brands ever.
Sony also gave a rare insight into its manufacturing capabilities, saying it would increase production of the console to more than 3 million units per month through year-end 2003 to meet anticipated strong Christmas demand.
"We're looking to sell a significant number this Christmas," a London-based spokesman for the video game division, Sony Computer Entertainment, told Reuters on Tuesday.
The continued strong sales momentum of the three-year-old console all but buries the on-again-off-again speculation that the No. 1 videogame maker will institute a second price cut this year to stoke sales, observers said.
In many markets, Sony has expanded its lead on rivals Nintendo (news - web sites)'s GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox (news - web sites) as the console has established its place as the brand of choice among gamers.
Last month, Sony's European video games chief told Reuters the group expected to reach an installed base of 22 million PlayStation 2 consoles in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia by the end of its fiscal year in March, 2004.
As of Sept. 6, Sony said it shipped 14.17 million PlayStation 2 units to Japan since its March, 2000 launch; 26.4 million units to North America since its October, 2000 debut and 19.4 million units to Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australia since its November, 2000 launch.
PlayStation 2 has out-shipped its best-selling older sibling, PlayStation, at this point in its life cycle by a margin of 60 million units to roughly 37.5 million units, the company said.
LONDON (Reuters) - Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news) (news - web sites). on Tuesday announced global cumulative shipments for its PlayStation 2 (news - web sites) video game console topped 60 million this month, reaffirming its place as one of the most successful consumer brands ever.
Sony also gave a rare insight into its manufacturing capabilities, saying it would increase production of the console to more than 3 million units per month through year-end 2003 to meet anticipated strong Christmas demand.
"We're looking to sell a significant number this Christmas," a London-based spokesman for the video game division, Sony Computer Entertainment, told Reuters on Tuesday.
The continued strong sales momentum of the three-year-old console all but buries the on-again-off-again speculation that the No. 1 videogame maker will institute a second price cut this year to stoke sales, observers said.
In many markets, Sony has expanded its lead on rivals Nintendo (news - web sites)'s GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox (news - web sites) as the console has established its place as the brand of choice among gamers.
Last month, Sony's European video games chief told Reuters the group expected to reach an installed base of 22 million PlayStation 2 consoles in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia by the end of its fiscal year in March, 2004.
As of Sept. 6, Sony said it shipped 14.17 million PlayStation 2 units to Japan since its March, 2000 launch; 26.4 million units to North America since its October, 2000 debut and 19.4 million units to Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australia since its November, 2000 launch.
PlayStation 2 has out-shipped its best-selling older sibling, PlayStation, at this point in its life cycle by a margin of 60 million units to roughly 37.5 million units, the company said.
