PSP hits 10 million units shipped worldwide
by Conrad Quilty-Harper 
{ Oct 21st 2005 at 10:00AM }
That's right kids; Sony has announced that the PSP has shipped a total of 10 million units as of October 1st 2005. Breaking down the shipment by region: the majority of PSPs were shipped in the U.S.A. at 4.5 million units, with 3 million in Japan and 2.5 million in Europe. The European number is very interesting, considering it has only been shipping since September 1st this year. Either the PSP is wildly popular in Europe or there's a lack of demand from retailers in the U.S. and Japan.
Lets all congratulate Sony on the "fastest penetration speed" in PlayStation history — a momentus achievement. So respect it! As Keith Stuart at the Guardian Games Blog says: "Please stop giggling at the back there."
[Update: As some readers pointed out, this is number of units shipped, not sold.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
b @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Do you have any stats for Nintendo DS? Just to know. Thanks.
nate @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
what are the most recent numbers for the DS? I want to know how they stack up.
10 million is very respectable for a non-nintendo handheld. Very.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Holy shit 10 million?
As much as I dislike them. I have alot of respect for that considering its their first handheld.
Ruari @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
No... this is SHIPPED sales figures. The amount of PSP's in stores, not owned by gamers. The amount of PSP's owned by gamers will be more than half that figure probably around 3.5 million.
- It's 1.4 million PSP's sold in Japan compared to 2.6 million DS' (or something like that) and DS has outsold PSP week-in-week-out in Japan for about the past 9 months. Thus the gap is growing there.
White Rose Duelist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
In other news, Sony announces that they expect to the 10 millionth UMD to sell before the end of 2005.
b @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
It is very respectable considering the average user has 2 games for it. Where are the good games anyway? I don't get how it sold so "well".
Give us the DS numbers please.
yjs @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
WTF? 3 million SOLD in Japan? That doesn't sound right.
Ru @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
You can ship as many consoles as you want, but if no one buys them then we'll your in poop. Repeat these are the amount of PSP's that have been in stores NOT the total sold to people. That figure is about, coming up to, 4 million.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
"Sony has announced that the PSP has sold a total of 10 million units as of October 1st 2005"
Sony wouldn't lie - Would they?
[Insert sarcasm card here]
Master misChief @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
This is just another example of Sony's numbers game. They only publish the number of units "SHIPPED" - and that does not equate to the number of units "SOLD".
Conrad, could you please edit the language of the article to clarify that the units quoted were "SHIPPED" quantities, and not "SOLD" quantities? Both Microsoft and Nintendo only publish "SOLD" numbers - unlike Sony who want to inflate their numbers by quoting "SHIPPED" numbers.
Stephen @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
I don't believe it. I find it difficult to believe because the PSP has not but two or three great games, and those games aren't that great.
Sony may have sold 10 million PSPs to retailers, but those retailers haven't sold as many to the customers.
TheGameTrader @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Sold or shipped, doesn't matter. It's the same criteria for the PS2 and Playstation, and it sold/shipped 10 million faster than any Playstation before. Either way it's Pretty impressive. Don't hate the player, hate the game.
BXJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
You haters are so frikken annoying...do you guys have stock shares in Nintendo or something? Gimme a break.
Crushed @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
"Tokyo, October 21, 2005 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today that the cumulative production shipment of its PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld entertainment player had reached 10 million units worldwide, as of October 21st, 2005."
Note the word "shipment." I'm sorry that I'm a "hater" for truth.
Conrad @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Fixed! Sorry about that guys...
b @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
"[Update: As some readers pointed out, this is number of units shipped, not sold.]"
Now your whole post doesn't make much sense:
"The European number is very interesting, considering it has only been on sale since September 1st this year."
As I said, now this doesn't make any sense, since it is just shipped units. Or perhaps the numbers in Japan and America are too low considering they had the PSP for much longer, which is natural considering it has no games, it's expensive, it has dead pixels, discs fly out, a crappy square button, lacks a hard-drive, etc.
zero2dash @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
re:10. Posted Oct 21, 2005, 10:19 AM ET by BXJoseff
You haters are so frikken annoying...do you guys have stock shares in Nintendo or something? Gimme a break
...
Sony's full of $#!t and it's being pointed out.
Sony has lied about sales figures ever since the Ps2 launch; I don't recall them spouting BS about Ps1 figures but I damn sure remember Ps2 sales figures being a crock. "We've shipped this many units" does not equal "We've SOLD this many units".
PSP is a good media gadget. With a small amount of decent games to play (but potential to be a great system). Once they lower the price and start giving me more games (REASONS) to buy one, I'll buy one. Until that day - lying about sales doesn't do anything except make Sony look like a bunch of TOOLS.
...OH IT'S TRUE.
Smiling Politely @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
From GAF(http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=68110)
"Sony has shipped 10 millions PSP, but the important thing it's not the shipment, but the sales.
Sony has sold only 5 millions PSP worldwide: so they have the double in magazine's stocks.
Remember the officials numbers:
PSP: 1.9 millions in Japan
2.0 millions in USA
1.0 million in PAL (Europe+Australia+.....)
Total: 4.9 millions sold worldwide
Nintendo DS: 3.4 millions Japon
2.2 millions USA
1.5-2.0 (?) millions in PAL (Europe+Australia+.....)
Total: 7.1-7-6 millions sold worldwide
Source: Media Create (Japan)
NPD (USA)
Nintendo & Sony (PAL Territories"
nate @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Dude chill out, the whole "sold" thing was a misquotation by Conrad. Sony never said they had sold that many. You might need a blog or something to put all those rants. try www.livejournal.com or www.xanga.com
Conrad @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Good point b, I was actually in the middle of altering that part of the post as you sent in your comment! Hopefully it makes a little more sense now.
BXJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
I'm not supporting the PSP, I've owned one since it came out and it's pretty much good for nothing, but despite the articles type for stating SOLD systems at the bottom the only thing Sony HAS achieved was the "Fastest PENETRATION" we all know DS is selling more than PSP, they will always sell more than the PSP cuz Nintendo knows what they're doing in the handheld market. But good lord, a misinterpretted article is released stating PSP "success" and people start gagging!!
These forums are craaaaazzzzzzyyy
still love em though
So I'll say it again...
CapAmerica @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
The PSP must not be doing well if Sony will lower them selves to N-Gage tactics and release "Shipped" numbers instead of "Sold" numbers.
I've said it before and I'll say it again,
PSP = This Generations GameGear.
soco @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
now i just need some good games shipped for a price less than 45-55Euro. seriously, i see them priced at 55Euro for some of the newer games and it's totally not worth that much and i refuse to pay it. especially when you consider that they're not even the quality of a PS2 game, most of which retail for the same price range.
i'll play emulators and use it for movies until the prices come down. you can find them a bit cheaper, but that's just insane.
BXJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Ok Soco...now it's your turn.
Let's think about what you're holding in your hand.
We've all read about the PSP's capabilities and that in fact it's just as powerful as the PS2. We're coming into the "second gen" of the video games put out for PSP starting next week with Grand Theft Auto LCS.
NOW...paying for a portable PS2 for 249US sounds pretty realistic to me, considering portable computers cost at least a grand more because of the portability factor.
So why does paying 50 dollars for a completely new Grand Theft Auto game sound like a bad thing? It's PORTABLE GRAND THEFT AUTO IN ALL IT'S BASEBALL BATTING PROSTITUE GLORY.
Let the killer apps COMMENCE.
DullDullDull @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
What is it with the GTA fans? It must be the most overrated game in history: I guess the "Hahaha. I hit a cop with a baseball bat" factor distracts people from the fact that the game is really dull and repetitive.
BXJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
LMAO yea, well...Despite the fact that GTA is "repetative" when it comes to the PSP it will be a KILLER APP.
PSP owners will be playing the first streaming SANDBOX on a portable gaming system ever. Sorry if you're not excited about this feat.
soco @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
first off, i'm not talking dollars. if you wanna convert today, it's about 54-65$ (USD). yes, i paid 65USD for Lumines, which essentially amounts to a free java game from MSN with some flashy graphics that are synched to the music. good game, but not worth 65$.
plus, it's like a mini version of GTA, not nearly as detailed or complex as the PS2 version. second i don't like GTA and never did. third, the capabilities of the psp aren't really on par with the PS2 despite what sony says. yeah it's similar graphics, but at a fraction of the resolution, with a sluggish disc drive, and for playing anything that really streams from the disc.
don't get me wrong, i love my PSP, and i'll port my emulator to it eventually, but the game prices are a little insane, but then again all game prices in europe are insane in comparison to the US. if you do a E->$ conversion of just the platinum titles, we pay about 36$ for them when they cost just 19.99$ in the US. however, we've been over this on joystiq.
i want some decent games at reasonable prices.
Flipao @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Ah, yes, argue argue argue... in the meantime both companies are laughing all the way to the bank :P
Me?, I'm more than happy playing emulators on my PSP, new games suck anyway... oh, and new gamers have no skill ^_^
WizarDru @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
As I mentioned in a previous news article, for the PSP, the killer apps aren't coming until after the holiday season. This latest move smacks of desperation. It's a numbers-game, where Sony hopes to impress people that PSP sales are stronger than they actually are by failing to make the distinction between shipped and sold. For people who claim not to be competing with the DS, they sure seem to act like they are. That's a losers game; the PSP is a device that should be able to stand on its own for the things it does that the DS doesn't. However, Sony's DRM issues (because they are a content generator) are hamstringing them. AGAIN.
Sony either needs to make it a more user-friendly multimedia device (vis a vis video, in particular) or needs to push developers to get those games out ASAP. GTA:LCS, Popolocois and Infected aren't enough for this holiday season.
verf @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Fine, let the 10 million PSPs sit in store rooms if it makes Sony so giddy. I'm sure as hell not going to buy one.
Why in the world Sony released a competitor to the PS2 when that system has such great developer support is beyond me. Anyone spending money making a good game sure as hell isn't going to send it to the PSP.
strider_mt2k @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
How many units returned?
Sense @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Seriously, the DS looks better and better to me everyday. I got a PSP for graduation, and wipeout was fun, as is Lumines. Untold Legends is okay. But all the time I see fun, innovative games on the DS for less money. I just can't justify buying a portable game for $50 US, especially when I could buy a new Xbox game instead. I buy portable games to be engaging and quick. I don't really want console style games on the go (Except RPGs. Golden Sun!). Every once in a while I just stare at my PSP and wonder if selling it might net me enough cash for a DS and a game or two. And with games for $20 dollars less, I might actually buy a DS game once in a while.
JRM @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Sega used to boast about Shipment #'s for both the Saturn and the Dreamcast, and look how well they did.
gjd @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
"Seriously, the DS looks better and better to me everyday"
I know what you mean. I've never really been one much for handheld gaming, but with Mario Kart DS and the whole wifi thing coming out meaning I could play with my friends all over the place for free, and ElectroPlankton, I'm seriously tempted now. Of course, even the Micro looks good to me since it's so small and easy to carry around. I feel like it might be nice to have for when I take the subway system around here.
Jago @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
"Seriously, the DS looks better and better to me everyday"
Yea...I have both systems (I rebought the DS 2 days ago) and while I love Lumines, Wipeout and Virtua Tennis...Meteos and Trauma Center feel much for fulfilling for some reason. I'm keepin my PSP b/c I get free PSP (and DS) games when a game comes out using Gamespy multiplayer tech.
darryl @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
"Sony may have sold 10 million PSPs to retailers, but those retailers haven't sold as many to the customers."
Yeah, so retailers are sitting on millions of PSPs and they just keep ordering more? This whole SHIPPED / SOLD thing is just stupid. It's the only thing people can tout to hack up the PSP. Deal with folks, the PSP is a popular device, which will only get more popular.
Can't wait for the 20 million sold (oh, I mean SHIPPED) story. Morons.
Slo-Mo-Shun @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
I agree with darryl #36. It doesn't make any economical sense for a retailer to order more of a product when it is not selling, especially a product with a high sunk cost and elastic demand. If 10 million are shipped. I can hardly believe 1/2 of them will be sitting on store shelves looking pretty.
LaughingTarget @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
The shipped numbers do tell quite a bit. The PSP has been in the US since, what, March or something?
Lets dissect this now.
Sony shipped 4.5 million to the United States, which is pretty much the biggest game market in the world, outstripping other regions by huge swaths. Now, compare that to Europe, which shipped 2 million fewer units, but did so in around a month.
The PSP was out in America for 7 months, Europe for 1. America tends to buy game consoles at a rate of 2-1 over Europe. By these numbers, if 2.5 million were shipped to Europe in a month, that means 5 million should have been shipped this month alone to the United States, not just 4.5 million over 7.
What does this all mean? It means that people simply are not buying the units. Sony only shipped out 4.5 million units and people aren't buying enough to justify shipping any more. It won't be surprising to see that 4.5 million stay this way for a few months. Retailers don't like stocking products that don't sell. If the sales numbers are right, that means that there are 2 million units gathering dust in the US right now, and have been that way for some time now.
Babu @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
#36 - #37, units being shipped does not mean that retailers are stocking up with them, that just means they are sitting in warehouses collecting dust. When they are bought by retailers is when they are actually considered sold.
Ru @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
DS out-sold PSP this week I seen in charts. U.K charts.
DaveJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
In the UK at least, 'sold' seems to equal 'shipped' judging by the sheer number of retailers that are out of stock. I've been trying to find the best prices, and all the retailers who sell at sensible prices have no stock until November (the next Sony shipment), whereas the ones that are overpricing it still have a few left.
XenoCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
I bought a PSP.
Then I sold it after months of only a few games, each one overpriced, and not very good.
I'll get another PSP when they have a decent library of games. I couldn't care less about the video playing or music abilities of the system.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
All I know is that I love my DS and that is good enough for me. Fuck the competition.
b @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
LOL Darryl, I find it ironic that you call us morons; you think that the fact that retailers have that many PSP units in their warehouses actually means that they'll sell out real quick? It might take years or two unless a good game comes out. The only reason PSP is selling is because of PS2 recognition, it's sleek and it tries to do what an iPod Video does, but its main purpose? I doubt it.
But anyway, units "shipped" are NOT units "sold". Retailers pay AFTER consoles are sold; when there is a price drop on consoles, retailers do it when they actually get a discount from console manufacturers in order to sell faster so retailers can pay quickly. If it isn't selling, then it's not the retailers problem, it's Sony’s problem for making a piece of crap, and because Sony is more interested in getting paid than retailers because their debt is much more massive (by selling consoles at a loss), they must offer incentives (discounts) to retailers and give the suggested retailing price.
So it does make sense for retailers to GET (as opposed to ordering) that many PSP units. Sony expects it to sell better than it has sold, stupid analysts do too just because it's Sony without minding its poor gaming line-up, and retailers also because it's PS2's little brother and because they are so stupid that they follow analysts too. It'll take them a lot of time to be sold, and it'll take a lot of time for Sony to see the money, if they ever.
zero2dash @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Re: 24. Posted Oct 21, 2005, 10:48 AM ET by BXJoseff
Ok Soco...now it's your turn.
Let's think about what you're holding in your hand.
We've all read about the PSP's capabilities and that in fact it's just as powerful as the PS2. We're coming into the "second gen" of the video games put out for PSP starting next week with Grand Theft Auto LCS.
NOW...paying for a portable PS2 for 249US
Umm...BXJoseff - not trying to pick on your posts here, but...you're wrong about PSP = Ps2 in power. PSP is halfway between Ps1 - Ps2 in the power department. Which means then that you're paying $250 for a portable Ps1.5 running Bleem that also has multimedia capabilities.
PSP for $250 or Ps2 for $150?
Not a hard decision to make if I didn't have either but wanted one or the other...
Late
Shiggy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
What You Ship Is (Not) What You Get sold
Silver @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
#36,
Units shipped and units sold are 2 different things. Yea, it actually does make sense for stores to stock products, even the psp, especially with the holiday seasons on thier way, wouldn't you think? November is one of the busier shopping months and like you said, the psp is popular.
moron
mike @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
bottom line.. why is sony bragging about this? they are getting pummelled by the DS and it's only going to get worse when Mario Kart comes out..
Sean @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
"PSP owners will be playing the first streaming SANDBOX on a portable gaming system ever."
Unless of course you count the original GTA which was available for the GB Color.
Mark B @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
The PSP has graphics that are almost as good as the PS2. That is very impressive for a handheld gaming device.
The DS has graphics that are about as good as what the Nintendo 64 offered. In other words, the graphics on most DS games SUCK!!
And Nintendogs? Give me a fucking break!! LMAO