Kotaku

Jesus the PS2 has everyone pimp slapped.

Its insane that the DS is up so high too in relation to how long its lifespan has been so far.

Playstation 2= king of all consoles for now <3

Wii is impressing me, itll obviously overtake the PS2 if this continues, even if there arent too many good games for it for now

no doubt, seems like everyone i know has a ps2 or has owned one

i had a wii, i sold it to get rock band on ps3. im glad i did i dont play too much multiplayer and wii is obviously not a great single player console

I think you left out a zero on the Wii's total.

Witz, I have always wondered, where do you work?

what really surprised me is that the PSP has a higher lifetime total hardware sale number than the 360;

also.. wait? aren't there 10 million LIVE account users? how can there only be 9,150,000 360 consoles? >_>

@MechanisMs: 10 million users on ive probably adding worldwide sales

@MechanisMs: This is the United States only. The rest are mostly in Europe and Australia and there are a few in Japan as well.

@MechanisMs: Worldwide

PSP rocks :D

@Witzbold: I don't see what's to be surprised about, DS has a lot of good games.

The funniest thing about these sales figures is the proof that the PSP isn't as big a flop in hardware terms as everybody makes out. The fact that is has outsold the 360 to date is proof alone that the platform would be viable. Problem is:
Nobody wants to buy UMDs
Nobody wants to buy games
Nobody cares how memory sticks Sony sold
Still can't believe the speed of the Wii uptake. It makes the 360 and PS3 look like tired old fat men.

@MechanisMs: I think that included Live subscriptions from the original Xbox as well.

@MechanisMs: In the US. Read slower next time.

@MechanisMs: My wife and I each have our own gamertag, so if only a quarter of the consoles online have at least two people in the household, it does make sense.

@MechanisMs: This is US only. Microsoft announced that they had hit 10 million XBL subscribers worldwide. The others would come from Europe and Japan.

@MechanisMs: Total consoles count only North American sales in that chart. Total LIVE account users figure you mentioned counts worldwide accounts.

@MechanisMs: Usually when the industry says "10 million" it means "around there". Saying "9+ million" doesn't have that 10 million pizazz.

@MechanisMs:

It clearly states in the article title and body of the article CURRENT US LIFETIME TOTALS as in not the rest of the world.

Just wanted to point that out to you.

I still have and old phat PS2 I use all the time as a spare when someone is using my 60GB PS3. There are still so many games out to play. I can't see myself fully stopping PS2 for awhile. It's an awesome system.

@Stormrider900: Japan doesn't significantly affect that figure. I'd say the rest comes from Europe and Asia (outside of Japan). There are more Xbox 360's sold in Hongkong/Singapore/SE Asia than Japan.

ok people we get it

why so many responds to MechanisMs? and the same one at that

XD lol

What are the GBA sales in North America? (just for fun)

If PS3 sells in 2008 as many units as the 360 sold in 2007, it should be selling just as well as the 360, but that will depend if it can pull off as good of a year as the 360 in 2007, which will undoubtedly require a lower cost somewhere.

Wii should pass up 360 relatively soon, seeing as how all console sales drop after the holidays except Wii's, which have been consistent since it launched.

And I'm surprised the PSP sold less units than the PS2 this year. Working at GameStop, I can tell you the PSP was an extremely hot item this holiday season, selling out right next to the DS and Wii. I guess the PS2's better sales throughout the year made it pull ahead (if only by a little).

So, Wii's gonna reign supreme (among consoles of this generation), and Sony is doing just fine in the console/portable market (should the PS3's sales pick up in 2008).

Well, currently the 360 is still winning. Wii will catch up unfortantely, God that system sucks.

Lifetime-To-Date Total Hardware Sales

* PlayStation 2 - 41,120,000
* Nintendo DS - 17,650,000
* PSP - 10,470,000
* Xbox 360 - 9,150,000
* Wii - 7,380,00
* PlayStation 3 - 3,250,000

The PSPs sales total is higher than I thought. It needs to get more games soon though. Compared to the other consoles, it's release list is tiny. I am super excited about Patapon though, but that's another story for another day.

@Soldrak: I know. But still, there are some people in Japan with Live accounts. Just not very many.

I don't know why the PS2 doesn't get more games nowadays. I mean, people are STILL buying it, and it's both cheap and lucrative to make games for the console. Even if it's just lame Wii ports, it still brings in cash. But I haven't seen many new PS2 games around. I'd expect there to be a huge flow of titles now that the market is high and just about everyone has one.

the ps2 was the middle ground of gaming consoles! it has something for everyone...just not graphics

PS2. A seven year old console and still going strong. Not shocked by it's amazing sales, had at least three myself throughout those years. Good times.

PS2 FTW! =D

@Mit: Um, the 360 sold just about 7 million units in 2007. It did better the year before (counting 2005 as well). Therefore I would not say that'd be a good development for the PS3.

@Kinburn: I also agree with this statement. It would be neat to see how the rest of the consoles compare (gamecube, xbox, gba).

Yeah the 360 had an amazing year in 2007. SO many awesome games came out in the holiday season. I don't even have to mention any names there were too many good titles. I'm not suprised that PS2 has top sales, its a great console for its price. As for the PS3 aswell, i'm not suprised its at the bottom, its very expensive and personally I don't like the games on it.

@White-Sharingan: No it won't.

The PS2 has been out since 2000 over here in the states. It has 4 up years against all the others.

But praise the Baby Jesus nontheless.

@DigitalHero: Something tells me you made a whole new armies worth of enemies today.

Mechanisms got freaking answers!

@MrBrains: The PSP hasn't "outsold" the Xbox 360. As this year's numbers show, in fact the 360 is catching up. Moreover, the PSP has been around for 8 extra months. But most importantly - comparison of console and handheld sales is largely irrelevant, since they are not in direct competition.

I am glad I picked up the xbox360 so late. I got the new drive, new chip, and the games I picked up are popular on live.

Now I 'll be busy till Q4 of '08 and pick up PS3 bundle.

The DS deserves its high ranking due to some great games and innovative design. The Wii simply doesn't.

When is that SMG port coming to PS2?

@mfohio: lol oh wow :) nice

@mfohio: tomorrow

itll be under $10

When the Wii drops closer to that lower price bracket, then it will be eating into the PS2's market as well, where the PS2 currently sits alone. Nintendo really are the borg.

PS2 rocks the house in.

I'm equally surprised the 360 outsold the PS2 this year and that the PSP has outsold the 360, period.

wow, i didn't figure i'd get so many replies :] yeah, i know that the NPD is only for US figures but taking into the account the other "gamer nation" and its enthusiasm for the 360 (almost nonexistent) it still seemed sort've odd.

I figured it was either a problem in the estimation (NPD makes totals with sampling data) or the equation (maybe people who sold/no longer play their 360 still counted in MS's count of paying LIVE users)

and of course i got a variety of different answers, mainly that this was the US only. (does this mean that the 360 has only sold maybe 2 mil elsewhere in the non-US world combined?)

@MechanisMs: US only also means it doesn't even count Canada as normal NPD figures would include. Canada is a decent market as well.

@MechanisMs: No, they said they've shipped* 17.7 million worldwide by the end of 2007. Yeah that is shipped but the shipped items sell at a decent enough pace that they are continually restocking.

@MechanisMs:

Xbox LIVE isn't just 360 it's also the original Xbox.

@MechanisMs: Not everyone has a live account my friend.

Hmm... I'm scared.

All these comments about the PS2 owning actually seem to be from people who don't understand that it's been around for 7 years...

@VipingViper: The commas are in the right places, so it's not like anyone's going to confuse it for having sold a tenth as much.

sony's not looking too bad for 2008, i think in 1 or 2 years ps3 will sell really well following the demise of the ps2, but then again thats just my $.02

I'm winning the console war, because I have all of them listed (accept a PS3 ... yet)!

Hot damn, Sony is doing amazing when it comes to consoles. I mean, they have to focus more on other electronics too, while Nintendo only does video games, but Sony's still on top

"PlayStation 2 - 41,120,000"

Jeebus that's a lot of consoles. It's really no wonder that Sony went into this generation with the attitude that consumers would pay anything for a console with the word Playstation on the side of it. Now Sony seems to be learning the hard way that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

I just bought a DS and PSP last month, love em both. I was planning on getting a Wii, but I borrowed a friends... played it for about an hour and then it sat unused for the rest of the week. So I don't get why the Wii numbers are so high.

@zerbrechen: Seems you dont understand that PS2 is a last gen console, and it actually almost sold as good as the 360 (which I actually thing PS2 outsold 360 worldwide). It even outsold the PSP.

I understand its a 7 year old console so the total numbers are meh

but the 07 numbers are whats impressive (especially when the only good game were Guitar Hero 3 and GOW2 IMO)

@DigitalHero: BAAAAAAAW, I'M SO UPSET THAT A POPULAR SYSTEM WHICH I WAS TOO STUPID AND/OR POOR TO SUPPORT, IS ABOUT TO OVERTAKE MY SYSTEM IN MEANINGLESS SALES NUMBERS, THAT I HAVE TO WINE ABOUT IT TO GOD LIKE A LITTLE DICK AND POINTLESSLY QUOTE A SECTION OF THE ARTICLE TO SHOW MY SYSTEM IS MOMENTARILY IN THE LEAD.

Fixed.

@MrBrains: the psp has been out longer than the 360 though... unless you just meant that the fact it's sold more than the 360 means it isn't a failure?

(Which I actually think PS2 outsold 360 worldwide this year)* there fixed ^^

@White-Sharingan: Of course, I'm not saying the PS2 is anything to brush off for anybody, but being astounded at total PS2 sales is so 2006.

Awesome 2007 numbers for a last gen console, though. I'm almost interested in seeing the Gamecube numbers XD

i still dont beleive that the wii will have the lifespan that the PS2 had(mainly through the lack of 3rd party games). the DS will though, it has proven its worth time and time again.
@worthyexpress: yeah, i sold my wii as well. it just didnt live up to the hype and i only played a couple of times when friends were over(now we play rockband)

@EnigmaNemesis: Yes, accept a ps3.

@Polarenvy: I'll accept a PS3 :D

Sorry, are these numbers in any way a surprise to anyone? Save a few odd months, these are simply the monthly sales data * 12.

@Green-clad Gamer Dude:

Was that really necessary? Since it is "meaningless" after all, right?

@DigitalHero: LOL... you'll get persecuted :(

@polarenvy:

Soon, soon!

@MrBrains: The DS/PSP shouldn't be compared to the 360/PS3/Wii because they aren't even on the same category. It's hardly fair to compare a cheap handheld to a full fledged console, I mean people buy PSP's for all kinds of reasons. I know someone who bought one just to have a movie and mp3 player.

@MrBrains: Nobody wants to buy UMDs but nobody minds buying DS Cartridges. So much for not having a double standard on proprietary handheld media.

While hardware sales are somewhat important, what really drives continued support is game sales, more to the point...3rd party sales.

So what we need to know is the attach rates of the consoles and total 3rd party units sold per system.

You can sell 20 million consoles a year but if people arent buying games it makes no damn difference.

@Soldrak: Sounds like you know the PSP's entire install base in Japan.

@okenny :): Lynched you mean, surely! Men, to arms!

it's cool to see that the ps2 only outsold sony products.. which kinda reflects the current state of sony as a games console manufacturer.. it's older console is outselling the newer ones.. meh.. kinda sucks doesn't it? it's really good to see the 360 maintaining good sales figures and the wii.. wow.. much respect to nintendo for really delivering on what they promised: getting games to non-gamers.. congrats on that!

The GBA is at 41,650,000 in North America as of Sept 07. More then the PS2 but the PS2 is still selling units well.

It's from Sept 07 but the info is here:[www.nintendo.co.jp]

@Green-clad Gamer Dude: Surely a person of your sophistication can take more punishment than that before blowing their top. The Wii hardware and software specs are mediocre and the 360 has mediocre manufacturing. Both things are true. You don't see the 360 fanboys vomiting out text and then going "fixed!" We have to be willing to own up to our realities and celebrate the victories. The Wii is the number one console and the 360 doing very well in the US and has an amazing software platform. See... that didn't require anger <3 :)

I own a Wii, so I say this after great consideration, but I think that the Wii may be killed this year by crappy software. I mean, it has an install base comparable to the 360, but the 360 has sold waaayyy more software, and will probably continue to do so until something changes.

If the #1 selling "software" on the Wii is Wii Play, Nintendo has some work to do... they can't keep handing out extra controllers forever.

Of course, even if the attach rate for the Wii was 2, Nintendo would still make money. Such is their genius.

@EnigmaNemesis: Don't admit that! People will say you can't give an objective opinion! OBJECTIVE OPINION!(?)!

Given that so many people have a PSP, it sure is rare to see one. Granted, everyone I know who owns a portable console has a DS, but you'd figure it'd be more commonplace to see a PSP. Anyone else have that experience?

@okenny :):

ROFL!

@EnigmaNemesis: Including a PS3, I have all the consoles mentioned above as well. Guess that means a winner is me.

@okenny :): This man speaks wisdom. Also, 41 million sold in total? Jesus.

@KeroseneClimax:

*cries*

Yes, you are the win sir!

*shunned in defeat*

But one day, yes, yes I will rise again. And that day ... will be a good day!

@Green-clad Gamer Dude:

Yeah, people are either stupid or poor if they don't buy a popular system.

You are wise beyond measure and your brilliance shines through in your every word.

half of the xbox 360 sold shouldn't been there,since they are replacements.

@worthyexpress: "The Wii isn't a good single player console"

That hasn't been my experience. Maybe I don't own the right games or something, but apart from Wii Play or Wii Sports, there aren't many multiplayer games I know of, and the ones I do know of are going to be coming out later (SSBB, SMK Wii).

Also, does anyone know of any online multiplayer game on the Wii?

@foxuser17:

Like the PS2's with the disc read errors?

And the Wii's being sold to people who dont buy games?

*ba da ching*

@PlayerX:

Medal of Honor ... probably made the best use of it, even better than Nintendo has attempted to do.

@White-Sharingan: Kotaku members are a helpful bunch. They will swarm to you with info the same why the fanboy flames of vengeance will attack those who dare defile the loyal trust between a console owner and his corporation of choice. It's the same energy but it can be clearly used for good as well as wasted.

I'm very impressed at the typical readers understanding today. Normally he would have been flamed for missing the details in the story.

@PlayerX: Even though the DS installed base dwarfs that of the PSP, I see far more people on the subway here in NYC playing the PSP than I do playing the DS. It's crazy--the ratio is something like 4:1. Also, for what it's worth, I've noticed that the PSP players on the subway are almost overwhelmingly African-American, while DS players are more likely to be white.

@EnigmaNemesis: Oh, wow...keep on fighting the war though! It's only the battle that has been lost.

I haven't played a game on the PS2 since... 2003.. maybe once or twice in 2004, not sure.

@KeroseneClimax:

Does you PC run Crysis nicely?

@MechanisMs: The original xbox has live subscribers too... assuming MS didn't kill live service to them along with the rest of the console.

I guess it really should be stated that no system will ever outsell the PS2 in the next 10 years. I would have fingered the Wii (and it would have loved it too), but I'm not sure Nintendo is going to wait that long before releasing a new iteration of it.

@atomos: Fucking Fat PS2 disc drawer has been playing hide-and-seek with me for a couple of years now... last weekend it ate GTA III and scratched the Hell out of it. I'm thinking of getting a slim and retiring the FatBoy under the short end of the couch.

The PS3 will have a huge year in 2008 with the Big game called Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gran Turismo 5. Microsoft's lineup sucks in 08

My 2cents...

Wii wont overtake PS2's lifetime, not in US or worldwide, I even bet Nintendo would release a new Wii before that happens. What is amazing is that it is becoming the best selling next gen console, not yet but it will. Nice work Wii! But if it wants to stay number 1 and sell more software, then Nintendo needs to step up more then they have with third party support and keep pumping out first party at fast pace, not to mention improve on their online component.

PS2 is still VERY much alive, and another price cut my put it in lead or second place to the DS anyway in "new" sales. That is something I think people sometimes forget, something that is pretty insane! Question is, how much does Sony profit from this? Do they want PS2 to keep selling, even taking some sales from the PS3 perhaps.

The PSP, not first but doing great at second place, I can see it growing a lot more with FF and GoW coming out. Nice to see it is making a comeback! But software sales are bad. Does Sony make profit now on every PSP made? I'm not sure. How much profit have they made period on the PSP.

Xbox 360 is king of the states but... Still just barely sell more 360's then previous year in the US. And that is on top of a great 2007 in terms of number of titles 360gamers like. The strong point for the 360 is software sales, and I suspect digital download sales, any figures released on that? How much they made on XBLA games and themes etc? Still, the 360 is being overtaken in its own territory by the Wii. Something one can't deny, and I hope MS do something to increase growth, unless this is what to expect on yearly basis.

Playstation 3... You did manage to pick up at the end of the year on the holiday sales, but it is still bad. Software sales ain't great, even some first party titles tank even though they are good and digital marketplace? Who knows and the system itself is just breaking even now in terms of cost, and are still big in the negative margin with all costs producing and developing the PS3. What will it take? Blu Ray most likely won, they won, and many AAA titles are comming this year not to mention Home and firmware updates adding to the quality. So if it doesn't sell twice then it is now at the end of 2008, then the PS3 have failed in the US, also, the PS3 stands the risk that it might be picked up by many as a Blu Ray player, but people won't buy software for the console, and if Sony just breaks even they still loose out to the competition.

(Why did I write this whole thing? Maybe I should just work on my humor and post a 1 liner next time :P)

@EnigmaNemesis: Unfortunately, I don't play PC games much and haven't gotten around to checking out Crysis. Though to be honest, my computer would probably commit suicide before being able to play a game like that properly.