PS2 to outsell newer consoles through next year?

by Blake Snow { Dec 28th 2006 at 3:55PM }

Not all news is bleak for Sony, well, at lest for its former console the PS2. Many analysts and industry execs predict that the trusty, all-time sales leading PS2 will likely outsell the PS3, 360, and Wii in 2007, and maybe even into 2008. Business Week has the scoop: "Despite all the hype surrounding the PS3, its predecessor is likely to outsell it for two more years ... The PS2 probably has the capacity to sell more than any other gaming console."

I personally saw shoppers buy up PS2s and Guitar Hero like nobody's business during the holidays. Good times are to be had by all on the console for a while longer. Can you hear that? ... It's the sound of a worthy cow being milked.

[Thanks, FSK405K]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

kodec @ Dec 28th 2006 4:05PM

Worthy? The PS2 hardware is crap, and the games belong on better platforms. Guitar Hero would benefit greatly from Xbox Live content.

raging_evil @ Dec 28th 2006 4:05PM

I agree, my brother and some other friends of mine picked up a ps2 just for Guitar Hero II "for the kids".

Probot @ Dec 28th 2006 4:07PM

I saw three people in my family get a PS2 this year for Christmas. No Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3. That's a good sign for PS2. Plus Guitar Hero II was a pretty high profile game, and God of War 2 is still coming out next year.

But when I was shopping, PS2 were still in stock, while the game system I was looking for, the DS Lite, was no where to be found.

Maybe, in a technical way, PS2 will outsell other consoles. But I think the DS Lite will be the best selling game system overall.

crono141 @ Dec 28th 2006 4:09PM

If nintendo can get wii production up, and if demand remains constant or nearly the same, Wii will outsell PS2 next year.

You might be right about PS2 selling more than PS3 and 360 though, unless 360 gets a price cut.

Neil @ Dec 28th 2006 4:16PM

Just make God of War 2 demo on the PS3 Store and I'll have a baby.

Vince @ Dec 28th 2006 4:17PM

The PS2 just keeps on giving, it'll still be going strong when these new fangled consoles are getting dusty in the toy cupboard.

Ves @ Dec 28th 2006 4:16PM

If only red Octane would have had the 360 version of Guitar Hero ready for christmas. The demo stations at Best Buy of Guitar Hero II were always crowded. And its that exact audience (the casual ones that are sick and tired of the dual shock controllers with 1000 buttons) that the Wii has been riding so high off of. The first Guitar Hero and DDR basically proved the Wii business model before it even hit the street. People love these games!! The PS2 for sure picked up sales from Guitar Hero II since it is for now a platform exclusive. And I don't think everyone realises just how important it was. When this thing is realeased for the 360 it may make a few waves in the industry.

Funny thing is that Sony basically inherited the game in exclusive form simply because they had the most popular platform last generation. Red Octane picked the console with the most users and made it for that one (with the first GH).

The fact that it did so phenominally well as last generation title further proves the viability of the wii. People don't care about graphics as much as they do about fun and an easy to get into interface. The ipod proved this as well.

Ves

Mal F4cti0n @ Dec 28th 2006 4:17PM

I wish MS didn't stop support for the box. I loved that thing! Had all sorts of music on it and set up for games. When people would come over and I would whup them in ESPN football and Beastie Boys would play "watcha, watcha, watcha want", my friends would get pissed.....ahhhh, the memories.

David004 @ Dec 28th 2006 7:22PM

I was going to say "Who cares?1" and "He's most likely not right". I still doubt he's correct, but that's besides the point.

Ves brings up a good point. People are buying it because it has tons of games and is cheap. They aren't buying it for the terrible graphics. People want, lots of games to choose from for cheap, the Wii should do fine down the road once Nitenndo get's it's head out of their ass.

Night Elve @ Dec 28th 2006 4:30PM

@ 1. kodec

Huh? I have my PlayStation 2 since it was launched in USA and i haven't had a problem with it all this whole time and i play every day.

glitched @ Dec 28th 2006 4:31PM

well at least maybe in the US:
http://videogamecharts.com/page3.html
the PS2 is still hotter than next gen.

but definately not in Japan, where everything but both xbox's and gamecube outsold the PS2 in December.
http://videogamecharts.com/page5.html

Nate @ Dec 28th 2006 4:33PM

"8. I wish MS didn't stop support for the box. I loved that thing! Had all sorts of music on it and set up for games. When people would come over and I would whup them in ESPN football and Beastie Boys would play "watcha, watcha, watcha want", my friends would get pissed.....ahhhh, the memories."

Uhhhhh....you do know that the 360 can do the exact same thing, right?

Karen @ Dec 28th 2006 4:34PM

I bought a PS2 and a Wii this holiday. I bought the Silver PS2 because I can pick up games on clearance for $5-$20. I'm hoping to get Guitar Hero for my Birthday :P

But I'm playing Zelda on the Wii right now...

HAHA @ Dec 28th 2006 4:34PM

hell yea my espn football 2k5 had a song for every situation.

The fact that it did so phenominally well as last generation title further proves the viability of the wii. People don't care about graphics as much as they do about fun and an easy to get into interface. The ipod proved this as well.

Utter BS!!!this is happening with the Ps2 because it still has games and not everyone can afford 300+ for a new new console right now. also the game prices and especially accessories are ALOT cheaper right now as well. im pretty none of these Ps2 buyers had 400-600 dispoable money to spend on a new console. But If no one cared about HDTV would be a bust....people in general like things that look good....very few like ugly...

andrew @ Dec 28th 2006 4:44PM

picked up guitar hero and a new pstwo because mine broke :'(, but its been broken for a year and a half and i wouldn't have bought a new one if it wasn't for guitar hero.

DeejayKnight @ Dec 28th 2006 4:49PM

It makes perfect sense to me why the PS2 would sell more, im kinda surprised that analysts need to announce it.

The PS2 has a large catalog of awesome titles, and nowadays they're selling for $20 a pop. When you think financially, a parent looking to make their child happy will spend a lot less for a decent gaming setup with a PS2 than with the other consoles.

Hell, you can get two PS2s for just a bit over what the Wii costs, which means you could get a PS2 with five or six HQ titles for the same price as a Wii.

And that's just thinking about it financially. Publishers and developers won't just drop support for a system with over 100 million consoles sold, so the PS2 isn't going anywhere.

Tell me why an analyst needed to announce this, again?

ackmondual @ Dec 28th 2006 4:57PM

3 good news for Sony, but then 5 penalty points for them as well? Isn't it VERY bad for business to spend years and billions of $$ on designing a new product, only to have various woes with sales and production? Even if the PS2 does high sales, won't the PS3's disappointing sales and relative inactivity do more damage than the good of PS2? I understand that most PS2 games will run on PS3 when/if these folks decide to upgrade, but I can't shake the feeling that this just isn't that good for Sony.

KC @ Dec 28th 2006 4:57PM

Overall, this could be a bad sign for Sony (at least in the short run). If someone is buying a PS2 this holiday, they are very likely not going to buy a PS3 anytime soon (maybe next XMAS at best).

Now in the long run this is good because they build their Sony fan base\loyalists. And of course these people are not buying 360s.

I'm happy with my PS2\360 mix right now... I would highly recommend buying a 360 for next gen (wait for price drop or SKU change around March) and then upgrade your PS2 to PS3 in 2 years.

v1cious @ Dec 28th 2006 5:10PM

what do you expect? you can walk into any store and buy a ps2 for about 100 bucks now, if even that. 50-75 used in some places. it's the SNES of this generation.

Chucky's Cat @ Dec 28th 2006 5:14PM

The PS2 will probably outsell other consoles for 2 more years if developers continue supporting it. Why? PRICE!!! Why the hell anybody would pay $600 for a console without any good games is beyond me??!!!????!! SONY should lower the price of the PS3 by letting the continuing PS2 sales offset the losses. Their new console is starting to turn into a very pretty but expensive paper weight.

drew @ Dec 28th 2006 5:14PM

the fact that the ps2 has such a rich library keeps me from purchasing a wii or a ps3... there are so many great games that i haven't even gotten a chance to play in the 4 years or so that i've had the system. for a couple years there, maybe 2003-2004, i don't know how anybody could have kept up with the awesome flurry of ps2 titles. seriously, pick up shadow of the colossus to see what i mean.

tack @ Dec 28th 2006 5:18PM

There are alot of people out there that ps2 is good enough for, its not that expensive and there are tons of really cheap used games out there.

Gamers have upgraded to a 360 already, but not everyone is that into games.

Anonymouse Rep @ Dec 28th 2006 7:47PM

The biggest question I got during this past holiday period was when is Guitar Hero coming to Xbox 360. There were SO many PS2 sales because of that game. Most of the store sales people I talked to said that if the 360 had had GH2 out for holiday, they would write off the PS2. (Second biggest question was when is Microsoft going to drop the price - my answer to that was the same as to the first. I don't know, but I expect it at some point in the future.)

I agree that the PS2 is probably going to be selling strong for quite some time - heck, it's $129. By the same token, I'm going to be curious to see what'll happen when the supply issues for the Wii are resolved - if the desire is still there in mid-summer, the sales for it will surpass the PS2 this year.

For what it's worth, based on some things I've heard on conference calls, the actual article has some errors in it.

"Even at $130 a pop, Sony earns about $8 on each PS2 it sells, compared with an estimated loss of $250 per PS3. (Nintendo is believed to break even on the Wii, while Microsoft takes a loss on the Xbox 360.)"

Nintendo is making a profit on each Wii sold, and I think we've discussed the 360 profit issue to death. Yes, it's making a profit per console, no it's not the $75 that was once touted on here, and yes, the entire Entertainment and Devices Division is still in the red because the Zune is also part of this group - and those development costs go against the group as a whole. (Nothing personal, guys, but when I have a VP of Microsoft state in a conference call that the console IS making a profit, I'm going to tend to believe him.)

FSK405K @ Dec 28th 2006 5:56PM

Just got my PS2 this summer (because of Guitar Hero). If that and a few other absocredible games can convince me (Sony-hater) to give Sony a profit, it can do so for mom and pop for quite a long time. Whomever said PS2 is the current SNES is spot on.

nick @ Dec 28th 2006 6:10PM

I know this girl that received $500 worth of gift certificates to Best Buy, and was planning to use the money to pick up a PS2 yesterday.

It's sometimes surprising that people still want a PS2 after all these years, but the price is certainly right, and there's still a bunch of great games out there.

Hirsbrunner @ Dec 28th 2006 6:20PM

Is lest correct? Or should it be least?

Like many have said, w/the lower price tag of the PS2, and shortages of Wii and PS3, it simply makes sene. :-p

alecks @ Dec 28th 2006 6:25PM

6. If only red Octane would have had the 360 version of Guitar Hero ready for christmas. The demo stations at Best Buy of Guitar Hero II were always crowded. And its that exact audience (the casual ones that are sick and tired of the dual shock controllers with 1000 buttons) that the Wii has been riding so high off of. The first Guitar Hero and DDR basically proved the Wii business model before it even hit the street. People love these games!! The PS2 for sure picked up sales from Guitar Hero II since it is for now a platform exclusive. And I don't think everyone realises just how important it was. When this thing is realeased for the 360 it may make a few waves in the industry.

Funny thing is that Sony basically inherited the game in exclusive form simply because they had the most popular platform last generation. Red Octane picked the console with the most users and made it for that one (with the first GH).

The fact that it did so phenominally well as last generation title further proves the viability of the wii. People don't care about graphics as much as they do about fun and an easy to get into interface. The ipod proved this as well.

Ves

LOL, Destroy your life plz. Everyone else is safe- this was the only idiot that stood out as a fanboymcnasty.

mesocool @ Dec 29th 2006 7:15AM

What is a PS3 to do. Oh well I think I better get my violin. People are no longer hyped about the graphics now that they see it next to 360 and its getting murdered and the wii is way cheap even the 360 is cheaper. There are more Sony fan boys than have bout the system by a long shot. Problem is, most gamers cant get up 800$ for a 600$ systems a couple of games and some batterie and a extra controller, and taxes, ops I guess that would be 900$ hmmmmmm.

Jon @ Dec 28th 2006 7:02PM

Well my girlfriend recently got a gift card for her birthday and as the shop wasn't able to keep our Wii pre-order promise we used that instead to purchase a slimline PS2. Not a Sony fanboy (the only other console she has is a GameCube and she has been looking forward to the Wii), but she has been pleased with the two games I got for her (DQ VIII and Shadow of the Colossus). The cheaper price made the deal even sweeter.

otakucode @ Dec 28th 2006 7:24PM

I really wouldn't mind the PS2 sticking around for another couple years, it has some really great titles, and enough of a variety that we even see niche titles (even though we usually have to import them, at least it is possible).

Except for one thing. PS2 games look like ass on an HDTV. The scaling of the PS2 gives this weird moire-like effect to the games. Graphics aren't everything in gaming, of course, but the graphics are so bad on the PS2, and the developers consistently ignore how underpowered the PS2 is, that the design of games seriously suffers. Playing a game like Okami, I know it should be beautiful... but they try to do too much with the hardware that was outdated when it was first released. They don't respect the consoles limits and design to them, they design to current technology and it ends up looking cruddy. Take the PS2 library and transfer it to Xbox or even the Gamecube and it would be fine, both of those boxes age very well and work great with an HDTV. The scaling of all content is well done and the designers seem to design to the hardware (especially on the Gamecube which, given any other faults, provides the smoothest gameplay experience) on these other platforms.

I suppose its moot for me though, I doubt the PS2 will get many more exclusives, so I'll just get the good games on systems with more power.

Now to get my hands on a Japanese Xbox 360 so I can play imports...

justchris @ Dec 28th 2006 8:23PM

They're obviously not including the DS in this calculation. While the PS2 still has at least one price drop coming, the DS has the pricedrop, and hasn't yet reached it's first saturation point. The PS2 is already at it's 3rd, with only one more to go.

It's going into it's 3rd year, has at least one, if not two price drops ahead of it, and still has the entire GBA market to sell to. At it's current rate, it's tracking to outsell the PS2 LTD by the end of 2007, and that's despite being in short supply since July.

CP229 @ Dec 28th 2006 8:40PM

Even though this is good news for sony right now, it is bad for them in the long run. Just like what #17 said, if more people are buying the PS2, they are less likely to buy a PS3 anytime soon. The 360 already has a full year head start over everybody else, and Nintendo is already getting profit off of every console sold.

As we all know sony loses lots of money on every PS3 sold, so to gain a profit the PS3 has to stick around a while. The PS3 has yet to released world wide and with a $600 price sticker that is sure to scare a lot of people away the first part of this generation. So at the end of this generation it is very likely that Sony and the PS3 still might be fighting for a profit while Nintendo and Microsoft are all ready to release a new console.

But it is not all doom and gloom for the PS3,Even though it has had a rocky start and it will probably take a while for it to take off. With a little luck and if Sony plays their cards right the PS3 can gain the same momentum as the PS2.

That reminds me I should go buy a PS2. ;)

Josh @ Dec 28th 2006 8:54PM

I really want a PS2, but I'm not paying more than $100 for it, so until you drop the price, Sony, you're not getting any of my money.

Red Neo @ Dec 28th 2006 10:09PM

I agree on everyone saying it's about the price. 129 for a console that has lots of good games is hard to pass up. This gen FTW.

jc @ Dec 29th 2006 12:38AM

Yeah, I got suckered into picking up a ps2 and a few games. Impulse buy... and somewhat regrettable if it weren't for guitar hero 1 and 2.

Some of these games are sooo overrated. Have God of War (hate this game), Okami, and Shadow of Collosus and not impressed at all. They all look like crap, and overall even the best PS2 games dont measure up to mediocre 360 titles like Saints Row. Also got Katamari which was fun for about half hour and Bully which also didnt impress me.

Guitar Hero 1 and 2 arent really "games". But they are awesome and for me, the only reason to keep my PS2 hooked up to the TV.

Dukhat @ Dec 29th 2006 3:32AM

LOL at the Nintendo Fanboys who call the PS2 "underpowered."

The Wii is not competing with the PS3 or 360. It is competing with the PS2. PERIOD.

The Wii will not outsell the PS2 next year. Content sells systems; not hype. Any consumer would take the PS2 lineup over Wii any day.

You Wiitards are so stupid with your arguments. PS3 is designed to be an upgrade in the future for those who own PS2's now. The Wii is a last-ditch effort by Nintendo to buy marketshare with hype. Its graphics and features-set put it in the last gen, not this generation.

The PS2 will beat the living crap out of the Wii for the next 2 years while the PS3 gives PS2 owners what they really want; more hot new IP's and sequels to the games they love.

What does the Wii offer in terms of content? A Zelda gamecube port, Wii sports, and 3 gamecube sequels (Metroid, Mario, SSB).

Stupid Nintendoheads.

Phipscube @ Dec 29th 2006 4:06AM

Sony have used this business model before with the PSone to PS2 transition. Its funny reading comments that are EXACTLY the same as back then. All you have to do is replace "PS2" for PS1 and "PS3" for PS2 and you have 2000 all over again.

Anyone buying PS2 now WILL NOT buy PS3 soon. PS3 will sell to people who bought PS2 many years ago AT THIS MOMENT. its why you wont see a Pink PS3 soon or a slimmer more mass market appealing model thats $129. This will come later and most likely generate the highest sales overall. Until then, keep your best asset running, and only gradually phase it out... your hugely popular last gen machine.. gradually introduce the new machine and adjust marketing according to the expected buyer at the time.

Do all you guys seriously not remember comparisons to Dreamcast and PS2 back in the day? And not remember DC games looked NICER? Rez? Soul Calubur? (PS2 jaggies being the culprit) everyone saying Sony had lost? DC FTW? ...Remember?? People were still buying PS1 and didnt give a flying F about the DC PS2 "war", they carried on playing their PS1 in masses whilst Sony got the PS2 on track and the transistion was gradual.

They could do that because they have never abandoned their last gen with a foul swoop, only slowly phasing out. Believe it or not but 100% Back compat plays a BIG BIG role in this even if its never really used, its more for a feeling that all your games are still worth something that you just recently bought for your older PS model.

No matter when you move to the next platform its highly likely you just recently bought a game that you might still be playing. Is it not cool that you can do that on your new model? God of War II is a definate tactical release. Its a guaranteed seller, and its possibly the last PS2 game for many hardcores before they move to PS3 (Or maybe get swayed to another platform) ...

Not remember the comments of how PS1 was the best thing for Sony and PS2 was never going to be as popular as it? No?

Gamecube will kill PS2? (Seemed that way for a few months... but...)

Broken PS2 promisies (Emotion Engine?) and Ken K's wacky statememnts back in 1999/2000, along with a launch of a pitiful game lineup for a whole YEAR (Worse than any I remember)! did not kill PS2..... why? because whilst 0.01% of the whole world population preached the death of PS2, online (Beleiving that they were being watched by the whole world) the rest of the REAL world carried on playing PS1 and by the time they wanted to move over to PS2 they discovered a nice momentum of software, reasonable price, and best of all, backwards compatibility with their existing software. Only a very small percentage of folks even remember how badly PS2 launched. Even 1 million people is 0.09% of overall PS2 installed base...

michael black @ Dec 29th 2006 5:51AM

The Hell with PS2,XBOX,Gamecube! I moved on! And people need to move on! I play WII,XBOX 360,PS3!

Move on loser developers & gameplayers!

seedaripper @ Dec 29th 2006 7:03AM

aww come on! you gotta give 'Phipscube' a star for that one ; )

crono141 @ Dec 29th 2006 9:01AM

Yep, dukhat is DEFINITELY the poster formerly known as ">".

Xeno @ Dec 29th 2006 9:49AM

Actually - I just bought Downhill Domination and God Of War (

Tony @ Dec 29th 2006 12:28PM

Just bought Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I'll get Justice League Heroes after that. Then RE4 (finally), and Okami...oh, and God of War 2. Plus replaying my old faves like Sly, DMC 3, the Onimushas, and Monster Hunter basically obviates the need for any next gen' console.

Long live the PS2. It's saved me a shed load of money on new hardware, and will no doubt last me long enough for the PS3 to get established in Europe.

AG @ Dec 29th 2006 12:33PM

The PS2 is still the sweetest system out there IMO. Developers have had many years to work with the PS2 now and games that have come out this last year have looked and played amazing. 2007 won't be much different! I can't wait to play God of War 2!

glitched @ Dec 29th 2006 6:37PM

aww come on! you gotta give 'Phipscube' a star for that one ; )

I second that! he had nice insight into the comparison between PS2 and PS3

EC @ Dec 31st 2006 5:05AM

Phipscube took the words right outta my mouth.

I was a Dreamcast loyalist when it was popular to be one, hell I was even a Cube man for a time. But now, sitting here after a good six years with the same PS2 and same dualshock I bought at launch with newer games like Guitar Hero II, Bully, and FFXII... I love you my PS2. Thank you and keep on truckin...

danieln @ Jan 16th 2007 6:23PM

nintento lost so much money on the gamecube even if the wii does well they still lost their best gaming company in 2001. the ps2 also has good online.