Foster City, Calif. — Sony Computer Entertainment America’s (SCEA) preliminary internal data showed sales of its PlayStation3 video game console increased by more than 135 percent at the company’s top five retailers since the new $499 price was announced July 9.
During this same two-week period, total PlayStation hardware sales have increased by 161 percent, software by 15 percent and peripherals by 60 percent, the company said.
Sony also pointed to new sales data from The NPD Group for the month of June showing PS3 sales were actually on the rise prior to July’s E3 Show, where the console’s price was formally announced.
Overall, the PlayStation brand continued to exhibit solid growth evidenced by a 21 percent increase in total retail dollars generated year-over-year in North America with total sales of $393 million.
PS3 sales were up 21 percent over May’s figures, with 98,469 units sold at retail.
Meanwhile, PlayStation Portable (PSP) sales increased 31 percent year-over-year, selling 290,108 units at retail, while the PlayStation2 recorded unit sales of 270,763 for the month.
“The new price on the 60 GB PS3, coupled with our very strong software showing from E3, is certainly paying dividends in terms of impressive sales across the board at retail,” stated Jack Tretton, SCEA president and CEO. “This jump in sales bodes very well for us heading into the fall as we launch an impressive arsenal of hardware and software, leading off with the new 80GB PS3 in August along with the unveiling of highly anticipated games such as Lair and Warhawk.
“That will be followed by Heavenly Sword in September and six more exclusive first-party PS3 games in October, including Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction,” he continued.
