Sony sticking to 6M PS3 shipment target

February NPD report doesn't affect Japanese electronics giant's ambitious forecast.

According to the latest report from NPD Funworld, the PlayStation 3 came in third in the next-gen console race in January. The industry-research group reported that the console sold around 127,000 units domestically during the month, versus 228,000 Xbox 360s and 335,000 Wiis.

Combining January's 243,554 units and 2006's 687,300 units, NPD estimates that the PS3 has sold just over 1 million units in the US since its November 17 release. That figure does not include Canada, where the PS3 sold just over 6,000 units in February.

Despite getting the bronze medal, Sony is sticking to its ambitious sales goals. "We are still targeting 6 million shipped worldwide by the end of March," Sony Computer Entertainment America corporate PR director Dave Karraker told GameSpot. Sony's fiscal year ends on March 31, 2007.

By its own account, Sony plans to inject around 1 million PS3s into the European retail channel when the console goes on sale there (and in Australasia) on March 23. In February, Sony Computer Entertainment chairman Ken Kutaragi announced that 4 million PS3s had shipped in the US and Japan. The company has not issued any PS3 shipment updates since.

305 Comments

  • Toadstool1969

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 11:06 am PT

    KikoJones wrote:
    Ah the usual Gamespot dumb fanboyism. Regarding the Euro launch, Sony sets aside enough to meet demand and dumbasses blast Sony for not selling all the units. Yet, if they had done what M$ did of under-allocating units or what Sony themselves did last November, the same dumbasses would scream that they were creating artificial demand like M$. So funny. Sony will easily sell 1 million during the Euro launch and with games like Motorstorm, Oblivion and the upcoming Lair and Heavenly Sword sales will continue to grow. Look at what happened last monthi japan with the release of the Gundam game that the Japanese really wanted: #1 game in Japan plus it moved consoles. Same thing will happen in other territories.

    Gunduam may have "moved consoles" in Japan but the same cannot be said for Oblivion. That is not to say that Oblivion is not a great game (own it, love it) but a lot of folks already own it on another platform (PC or Xbox 360). Only the quality PS3 exlusives will help Sony move consoles.

  • Irve

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 6:09 am PT

    no shortages of PS3 then ... it's all well and good making 1 million units a month .. but if you can't sell them your in trouble .... much like microsoft at christmas time .. loads of units .. very few sell outs ...

  • Captainintendo

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 2:07 am PT

    I have to agree with Somini that Microsoft is too focused on pushing out new hardware rather than focusing on building up a console with a good library. My biggest fear is that Microsoft will buy out all of the good game developers (like they did with rare) and the other companies wont stand a chance as they dont have anywhere near as much financial backing as the monopolizing monster that Gates created. A company should do good because it makes a good product, not because it has shrewd business practices and buys everyone out.

  • e1337prodigy

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 2:02 am PT

    Raio_ Don't be rude. I'm pretty sure I can report you for saying some of those things. Yes I know Sony can't sell there ps3 for the same price as Wii. If sony wants this launch to be a success in Europe they need the price lower. But they won't because they put a blu-ray drive in it. Which is fair enough, just making a comment (which is what this says 'add a comment') Not argue. Well I think that Nintendo are making a profit on each console they sell? correct me if I'm wrong. For your information KikoJones, I'm no fanboy. I own PS2, had a ps1, got xbox, xbox360 and a N64. I'm a fanboy of games though . They will probably sell those 1mil consoles yes, but what I'm saying in my original comment is if they want to sell more send more consoles to (or at least the same amount) to Europe than they are to USA.

  • Somini

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 9:16 pm PT

    I can't believe people who are bashing the PS3, because the graphics look the same as 360's graphics. I thought it was common knowledge that the 360 was a system that was "easy-developed" and that PS3 is hard to develope for. This means that PS3 games will not have reached it's full potential until maybe within a year or two. Just look at last-gen, the PS2 had crappy graphics in the beginning, but they evolved over time. The PS3's graphics look stunning (in some games) already. The original Xbox never overmatched the PS2 in graphical quality if you compare the PS2 to the Xbox, even though the Xbox came out a couple of years later. A thing that has been true for both PS1 and PS2 are that they haven't reached they're true potential before they have got into a few years into development. this is a thing that I'm worried about when it comes to MS, they're trying to make consoles in a fast pace, a couple of years, when Ninty and Sony are making consoles that will last for 3-5 years. The original Xbox never reached it's true potential because it never got old enough and that's somehow the point that I'm reaching at, IMO trying to "speed" consoles into the market, like MS is trying, that isn't a great idea, even though they can provide the public with "cheap" consoles, it doesn't mean that it will be cheaper in the end. Buying a Sony product every 4-5 years for 600$, or buying a MS product every 3 years for 400$, you do the math. And, I feel (IMO) that it's a great thing to still own a PS2 and get great games, where the Xbox owners of previous-gen doesn't get any games at all.

  • BILLNYE6983

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 7:25 pm PT

    furor6 they already fixed the HDTV thing (well I think, I don't have one so I don't know 100%)

    And why is it that 360 fans and PS3 compare the most expensive versions (often times to the cheapest version of their console). Although as I already said the cheaper 360 is a rip if you get either one get the one's in the 400-500 range unless you really want the extra space with the $600 PS3 and honestly for all the extra stuff (some may say junk but still) 100$ is not a big difference (especially since live will cost you $50 so for a lot of people it's only $50)

    Fightnight Round Three does much more than LOOK better on the PS3, I played it really far through on the 360 then I played it on the PS3 and it's not just the graphics, the details are so much better, like hairs moving indivually blood and sweat dripping in (seemingly) random paths. And to me that's the big thing, other than that though most PS3 games look the same as 360 games (I personally haven't enountered any better looking 360 games that are on both consoles at least). Gears overall looks better than Resistance but Resistance had a lot of odd little details, like breaking a window it won't just smash and disappear after one hit and the best part is there are broken peices at the bottom of the vidoes (once again the little things). Also from experience I think the AI on Resistance is better (but gears is still overall a better game, still though it's not odd for Epic to make a good shooter, but Insomniac, they make Ratchet and Clank for christ sake). Regardless people who say PS3 is really bad honestly haven't played one, I don't know anyone who hated it after playing it not saying they loved it and thought it was the best, but no one hated anymore, most were pretty damn impressed. Still though if you haven't played it and you talk bad about it YOU ARE IGNORANT.

    And since when do gamers care about game sales does that make a system good, how much money the company makes? Also the PS3 looks nothing like a george forman grill (I would know I have one!) they used the design (supposedly) to help keep it cool. And since when are gamers so conserned with how there console looked (and the Xbox was also big idiots)?

  • furor6

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:22 pm PT

    While i am not a fanboy to any system. I do believe Sony has doomed themselves. I have been playing games since the old NES and I don't think people are going to adapt to the ps3 until there price comes down to a reasonable number. The whole blu-ray thing really is not that important to alot of people. Most people don't even have a hd tv yet. I have one that only supports 1080i and i think the ps3 will down convert movies back to 480i. The 1080p tv's are still way to expensive. Most people buy game machines to play games. While hd games are great i dont think its the number one factor. These companies are just hardware selling hardware. Sony would love for you to buy there ps3 then purchase a 3000.00 hd 1080p television to boot!! Ol Ken could make another payment on his Lamborghini!!

  • rogerarmoo

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    Are we still talking about a console that is relatively just been released world wide? Hmm fair comparison haha! I think wait in a years time when all systems have some of their best games out, i think only early adapters are buying the Ps3 not the mainstream of people.

  • matrixman2k

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:17 pm PT

    Although they make some of the best stuff, sony really made the ps3 look like a george foreman grill. Only you are not going to burn much fat with it...

    They need to spend just a little more cash on R&D in order to make a smaller, more attractive machine - and with the emotion engine gone and cell soon to be updated with 65nm version, that should be realistic.

    Sony try using a smaller HDD...

  • furor6

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:14 pm PT

    Also you can go to nexgenwars.com and see who is leading in sales.

  • furor6

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:12 pm PT

    Sony has really screwed up this time. I own both the 360 and ps3 and while both are good systems i feel ashamed to tell people i purchased the ps3. I mean really, when you can get almost all the same games on the 360 and there is no difference in the graphics. Actually alot of the games look better on 360. I am really thinking that the 360 is just as powerfull if not more powerfull than the ps3.

  • bgres077

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:09 pm PT

    Too bad they won't ever sell that many, they're already available in stores. I hope that Sony can recover from this early-release slow start, but I really don't see it happening.

  • cancer_777

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:43 pm PT

    lol, this is getting sad

  • fartys

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:00 pm PT

    i aint buying 1 so good luck on that 1 sony!

  • hotrider12

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 1:39 pm PT

    muhaaaaaa sony ain'nt **** Im not a sonyfanboy either Im a gamer of all comsole but sony ain'nt **** they put there foot in thier mouth for ps3
    muhaaaaaaaa bastards if I had to buy a console it would be nentindo wii
    Im playing my old ps2 metal slug 4&5

  • hotrider12

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 1:32 pm PT

    haaaaaaaaaaaaa, sony sucks big time haaaaaaa, no way they can recorver from this wii lowering there price around christmas, m s lowering the old 360 price and the black 360 coming out haaaa ps3 you lost it

  • hotrider12

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 1:26 pm PT

    sony just f-k up big time!!!! we all know what will happen last place!!!
    no need to argue about it sony got there ass all up in it whew that **** stank

  • KikoJones

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 1:00 pm PT

    Ah the usual Gamespot dumb fanboyism. Regarding the Euro launch, Sony sets aside enough to meet demand and dumbasses blast Sony for not selling all the units. Yet, if they had done what M$ did of under-allocating units or what Sony themselves did last November, the same dumbasses would scream that they were creating artificial demand like M$. So funny. Sony will easily sell 1 million during the Euro launch and with games like Motorstorm, Oblivion and the upcoming Lair and Heavenly Sword sales will continue to grow. Look at what happened last monthi japan with the release of the Gundam game that the Japanese really wanted: #1 game in Japan plus it moved consoles. Same thing will happen in other territories.

  • MalakTawus

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 1:00 pm PT

    You can say what you want,but imo the truth is that when the big games for ps3 will be out (MGS4,FFXIII,RE5,GT5,DMC4,T6....and some new projects)probably(...very probably...)the ps3 will sell like crazy,but yeah,since then it will have some "selling problems".

  • Raio_

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 12:53 pm PT

    e1337 your a retard man, the PS3 cant be sold for the same price as a Wii look at the hardware in it, the wii has a shakey stick and THATS IT, theres nothing to it, its cutesy image is the reason for its popularity and its price, PS3 is targeted at the mature gamers along with the 360, these totals from Sony are accurate they are a MAJOR corporation, they have a huge PR department and spend millions on customer studies, They know what they need to cover demand.

    Oh and 2 further points, so far Wii has released its biggest title till Q4 on release so the sales will die soon, and 3 wii sales = 1 PS3 sales so dont base it all on unit sales alone.

    Man i swear i wanna punch some of you guys sometimes as the bash.org quote says the day i invent a device that allows me to tea bag retards over the internet i'll be a millionaire

    *rant over*

  • dr_jashugan

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 12:12 pm PT

    6 Million? That's a good joke Sony. LOL

  • Itsdewdewbabiee

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 11:45 am PT

    I own a PS3 and a X360, for me anyway the PS3 console itself looks much better than the 360... Both systems are going to be expensive either way you look at it... You wont be able to really get the full advantage of both systems if you don't have a HD TV... So you will probably wind up spending another $600-2K on just that... I love Blu-ray its awsome I have a 1080p TV and I cant go back to regular DVD's... You can see so much detail in the picture, you can even see frickles, skin wrinkles, individual blades of grass leaves... Its amazing... I love the system I cant complain about it... Price is just right for me... For what I get... Its worth it!

  • Jstephens914

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 11:19 am PT

    I see them every where I go here in Colorado. Time for a price drop and some games, until then they will just collect dust.

  • e1337prodigy

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 10:46 am PT

    Well that's just stupid Sony. You sending yet more (4mil consoles) over to USA and Japan. Already the sales have dropped since January "January's 243,554 units " from February's "127,000 units " that's more than half. Clearly people who already have the console are waiting for the price to drop. So they should be sending 4mil to Europe and 1mil to USA. If the price is right in Europe (which it is not from what I heard £500?) those 4mil consoles will sell like hot cakes. Edit: Take a lesson from Nintendo's books. £180 bargain! oh oh and how much did that sell oh yes three times as much. Mums and dads won't pay £500 for your product sony, they will pay £180 to keep the little ones happy.

  • sascha23

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 10:12 am PT

    Riverwolf007, the vgcharts site shows the number 'sold' versus the numbers shipped. I think with the Euro launch, Sony will hit the 3.5 mark sold by end of fiscal year. I also think they will be able to ship 5 million units worldwide (by end of March), but as many have said it will be on shelves to ensure they are always in stock. I do see 360 sales maintaining as well. The PS360 battle (as I like to call it) will be pretty evenly matched this time around. Which means lots of exclusives on both systems.

    Let's hope neither do what M$ did with the original Xbox. Support ceased for that system almost immediately.

  • bcolter

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 10:07 am PT

    Best of luck with that Sony.... ha ha ha

  • GreyFoxV1

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 10:00 am PT

    They need to step off their throne and stop BSing us because there is no way they are shipping that many units in a little more then a week.

  • LosDaddie

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 8:23 am PT

    The PS3 is dead last in sales. This means more PS3s sitting on shelves.

    The PS3 needs a price cut or it will stay in last place. $600 is expensive to the majority of consumers.

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 8:01 am PT

    Sony has already announced a cheaper and better stand alone Blu-ray player that will ship this summer.

    As for Blu-ray in general while the numbers are dead even for sales between HD-DVD and Blu-ray the fact is both those numbers combined are 1/10th of DVD sales which increased 2% over this time last year.

    DVD is not getting replaced anytime soon...maybe, just maybe, once both formats fail the big boys will realize they should work together instead of trying to rule the world alone.

    Oh, and in regards to Blu-ray having more space...they just finalized the spec for triple layer HD which means HD-DVD will now hold 51gig and Blu-ray has not gotten the double layer 50gig disk out the door yet.

    Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD...waste of time money and effort, just like the 8-versions of DVD we have. In the end it won't matter combo-players will be the standard and no one will know the difference.

  • dakko

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 7:04 am PT

    haha, they have shipped over 4 million but only sold just over 1 million, the ps3 is certianly in super high demand... hmm could be the price XD im not anti ps3, i just dislike it because i cant afford it

  • Riverwolf007

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 7:04 am PT

    So VG charts say 2 million have shipped yet ken states double that number? Who is lying? The guy with a vested interest in the company or the guys that crunch the NPD numbers? I guess NPD is "teh bias".

  • nev70

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 6:47 am PT

    On saturday i walked into HMV with my mrs and kids there was a hand writen sign that greeted us it read THERE ARE STILL PS3'S AVAILIBLE FOR PRE-ORDER ! 5 days before its launch you can still pre- order a ps3 now what does that tell you ?

  • natedogr

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 6:36 am PT

    It will be interesting to see if Sony can catch up to the other consoles. Price cut?

  • Sanguis_Malus

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 6:19 am PT

    Its going to take time for Sony to recover, they have been arrogant, greedy and complacent. Now they are paying the price !

    Only when the quality titles eventually appear will the PS3's appeal be in full effect !

  • Mothman

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 6:14 am PT

    Be aware of the semantics here. Sony says they will "ship" 6 million by the end of March. "Ship" just means that they've sent that many out the door and includes stock sitting in warehouses and on store shelves. It does no mean that 6 million PS3s have been sold to consumers.

  • brianpoetzel

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 4:06 am PT

    billny said: you've obviously not played a PS3

    not only have i played one but i am also an owner. please don't assume.

  • snakenamedjoe

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:27 am PT

    Twilight Princess is not even the top selling game on the Wii. People who don't like the Wii always say that TP is the only game for the Wii, but they have no idea what they're talking about. Of course they don't know what games are out there for the Wii. They don't have a Wii. But don't worry, eventually Nintendo will catch up with the demand, and then you'll be able to get a Wii for yourself, so you can stop being sad and bitter.

    So anyway, I'm done badmouthing Sony over the PS3 now. Officially. Sony has been taken to the cleaners by the Wii. I got my wish. No need to hope for continued woe to Sony. It's time for the healing. Sony has to go back to the drawing board with the PS4, and they have certainly (I hope) learned a lot from the trouncing they got from the technically inferior Wii. When Sony designs their next system they will be looking to make it developer friendly. That's all I ask. That's the bottom line for why the Wii is winning right now. It's cheaper and easier to make games for it, so developers give it more support. So I win there. Sony will have to cater to my top wish. But that won't be enough to get Sony back into the war in the next generation. Between now and the PS4, Sony has to learn to innovate. Stealing ideas from Nintendo and Microsoft just isn't going to cut it anymore. Nintendo has caught on to Sony's copycat ways, and will be working to surprise the world with innovations closer to their console launch from now on. If Sony wants to steal Nintendos ideas, they will continue to be a generation behind, and while that might have worked when they had the huge fan base, that lead is blown and now Sony must survive on their own merrits to get back into the race.

    I don't really care if Sony innovates, just that they make proper moves for the game industry, that is just what Sony has to do now.

    To Sony and the PS4, I wish you good luck.

  • TintedChimes

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 11:24 pm PT

    Drop the price please and my cousins will buy it for the Blue ray player. I don't have a HD tv so I'll wait for the games to come out.

  • LeonidaSparta

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 9:05 pm PT

    i think sales will pick up as more and more games will come out.
    Looking forward in buying Resident EVil 5, FFXIII, Gran Turismo HD, Virtua Tennis 3, Devil May Cry, the list goes on and on

  • BILLNYE6983

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 8:04 pm PT

    brianpoetzel , you've obviously not played a PS3, really there is not way you can look at Resistance and Motorstorm and say it looks like PS2, just no way I'm generally the last to say this but your lying. And why does everyone always use the 60 GB model of the PS3 the 20 is a much better deal it gives you everything the $400 360 gives you plus online, so if you got a 360 Premium with Xbox live that would make it cost $450, is the PS3 really that overprice (and the consider the blu-ray player add so if you wanted to play HD-DVD's it would cost you $200 more dollars...).

    And good games the PS3 has RFOM and Motorstorm Wii has only Zelda (why do people overlook the Wii's lame ass line up...) 360 has gears, graw2, and dead rising (I think crackdown bites balls and lost planet is meh) nothing else has wowed me so far on the 360 and since gears and graw2 are really good shooters I can't even consider a lesser shooter to be one of it's 'good games'.

  • TheJoker003

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 7:32 pm PT

    I feel BR will dominate just because of movies like Spider-man 3, Casino Royale, etc.

  • Somini

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 7:26 pm PT

    gmayronne: I surely agree with what you are saying about Blue-ray, BR is far more superior compared to HD-DVD when you compare storage capability, but still, it doesn't mean that BR will rule HD-DVD even though it's got a great head start. Still, BR has a big advantage when it comes to which major companies are supporting it.

  • hovan316

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 7:25 pm PT

    Well said!

  • rstankos

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 6:19 pm PT

    Let's talk about NextGen. My PS1gave me incredible games (not all at launch,) and made CDs the base of my home entertainment system. Years later, the PS2 came (still letting me keep ALL my PS favorites,) showed me WOW graphics, gave me surround sound and made DVD the centerpiece of my system. (Always have been, and still am a gamer.) Now comes PS3! NextGen, again! HighDef! Unbelievable graphics, sound, and processing muscle. Upgraded to high def, and still get to keep my old PS library (both 1 and 2!) Now I've got BluRay, which in combo with HD makes a mind blowing visual feast. When you consider that a BluRay player alone sells for nearly $1000, although less expensive units are coming, this is a sweet deal. Of course, if you're not ready to take the next step yet, I could see where it would be a pricey "toy!" My PSs have not only been my favorite games, but a centerpiece of my home entertainment system. The games have always followed, and I've never been disappointed. Now comes "HOME" and as always, NO CHARGE for on-line play. Works out to a bargain in my book. I hope the price will come down, but I couldn't wait, and am glad I didn't!

  • Tenjikuronin

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 5:51 pm PT

    I'm not sure about other parts of the country, but where I live, the PS3 has not been readily accepted by consumers. Almost everyone that I have spoken to (many of whom were PS2 fans to the fullest) seem to have no interest at all in purchasing a PS3. Price has been the biggest factor, but aside from that the addition of Blu-Ray to the PS3 has put off many people who aren't looking to buy a multimedia machine but rather are looking for a gaming system that they can have fun with.

  • chiefmegadeth

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 5:50 pm PT

    Im sorry but i dont think its gonna sell more then a couple of million world wide,its already selling crapy in Japan and the USA!
    there will be no difference in europe and australia...
    $1000BUCKS no way!

  • Trogeton

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 5:44 pm PT

    I sure would not be surprised.. Im getting one either way... the second I get the money... then I would have another new gen, and all the sony consoles

  • mcxps3

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 5:44 pm PT

    i picked up my ps3 in march i love it but i dont think ppl are giving it chance saying it has no games like it was suppsed to launch with 100 titles. My advice to anyone thinking of buying a ps3 cuz you had a ps2 (Which basically means everybody) pick up 2 games with purchase, plan what you want ot buy in the future and go play ps2 games if you get bored.

  • tylerdurden2621

    Posted Mar 18, 2007 4:59 pm PT

    Maybe they should stop trying to ship so many consoles and try to ship out some good games.

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