PlayStation 2 Reaches 9 Years, 140 Million Units

Sony's PlayStation 2 system reached the ninth anniversary of its launch this week, and the manufacturer released updated statistics demonstrating the machine's unprecedented sales success, including a total unit sales figure of 140 million. That sum represents the highest install base for any single game console in history, beating out the Game Boy and Nintendo DS at about 119 million and 108 million units respectively. The closest home console is Sony's own PlayStation, which sold 102 million units. In the United States, the PS2 has sold roughly 44 million units, and Sony claims the system is owned by "one in every three U.S. households." More than 485 developers have released almost 10,000 PlayStation 2 games, which have sold some 500 million copies in the United States. The $99 system still sees the release of newly-developed games, lending credence to Sony's frequent claims that its PlayStation-family consoles are planned with ten-year life cycles in mind.