Over this past holiday season Sony have once again raised the bar as far as hardware sales are concerned. According to Sony, in the period between Thanksgiving and the New Year, PS2 has sold a staggering 6.5 million units globally. The release of these figures comes as a re-affirmation of Sony's console dominance following recent triumphant sales figures released by Microsoft.
The 6.5 million figure for this holiday season comes as an improvement over last years, still very impressive, 5 million units sold. It is therefore plain to see that Sony sales have not only not been adversely effected by the Console Wars but that their PS2 console is thriving under stiff competition conditions. A demonstration of that success can be seen by viewing sales figures for the console in the U.K., where, during 2002, PS2 hardware sales have risen by 12 per cent making this past year the best for the console since its launch in 1995.
According to SCE UK's MD, Ray Maguire It is remarkable to think that in just over two years we are half way to achieving what PlayStation did in seven years, suggesting that the release of the two other consoles has helped push PS2 further into the mainstream. Maguire also suggested that the release of extremely popular titles such as GTA - Vice City and The Getaway, over this period also had a lot to do with the success.
Although Microsoft claim to have outsold Sony, as far as online kits are concerned, it is important to view figures for what they really are. What that means is that while the success of XBox Live cannot be disputed, the sales figures released concern the U.S., a well-known XBox stronghold. Gaining a clear advantage for the coveted 2nd position in console sales will involve global figures. Nintendo do seem to have a slight advantage over Microsoft in worldwide figures but XBox is relying heavily on the upcoming release of the Live kit in Japan.
Japan is an extremely important market for Microsoft for two tactical reasons. A significant XBox user base in that country will settle, once and for all, the who's on second argumet while it will also serve as a stepping stone from which Microsoft will form their strategy for overcoming PS2's dominance. In order to achieve that goal Microsoft are releasing the XBox Live kit on January 16th in Japan with Sega's Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II, titles expected to have special appeal to Japanese gamers.
