[dropcap size=dropcap]W[/dropcap]e’re now getting our first look at how quickly the PS4 has sold since launch with some actual quantitative data. Sony’s Shuhei yoshida took to twitter to excitedly announce that a million PS4s have been sold within 24 hours of the North American launch of the system on November 15th.
President and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Andrew House followed that up with his own sentiments: “We are thrilled that consumer reaction has been so phenomenal. Sales remain very strong in NORTH AMERICA, and we expect continued enthusiasm as we launch the PlayStation 4 in Europe and Latin America on November 29.”
The million units sold in 24 hours means that this is Sony’s fastest selling console ever, surpassing the PlayStation 2′s launch in Japan which had units flying off the shelves back in 2000. For comparison’s sake, these are dramatically better numbers than the North American PS3 launch back in 2006.
Racks of PS4 units sit waiting to be sold to eager gamers world-wide!
Sony Corp had previously announced that it had received more than 1 million advance orders for the console. Still, the preliminary sales figures are Sony’s first bombardment in a battle fermenting with Microsoft corp’s Xbox One console, which goes on sale Nov 22. Sony is also hoping that its console can help build a platform for recovery at the Japanese company’s money-losing consumer electronics operations.
Sony is aiming to sell 5 million PS4 units by the end of its fiscal year on March 31. Robert W. Baird & Co analyst Colin Sebastian has said he expects 2.5 million to 3 million PS4 shipments in the fourth quarter in North America.