Sony: PSP On Track For 6 Million In North America

Officials from Sony Corp. have stated that the company is on track to double the number of PSP consoles sold in North America, to around 6 million by the end of 2005. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) spokeswoman Molly Smith has told Reuters that the company is on course to reach the 2.5 to 3 million additional sales predicted by president and CEO Kaz Hirai in October. According to independent market researcher NPD Funworld, the PSP has sold 2.5 million units in the U.S. alone, as of November, compared to a figure of 3 million given by Sony. By comparison the Nintendo DS, which launched four months earlier, has sold 2.7 million units in the U.S. at the end of November, according to NPD. These figures mean that the PSP will have to sell a significant amount of consoles during December to meet its targets – assuming Canadian sales increase by the end of the year from the current total of around 700,000 units. NPD figures estimate around 350,000 PSPs were sold in the U.S. in November, behind a figure of approximately 370,000 Nintendo DS and 690,000 Game Boy Advance consoles. In light of these results, Sony’s targets, which might indicate consoles shipped to retailers, as opposed to sold through at retail, seem optimistic, with IDC video game analyst Schelley Olhava commenting that a price cut had been hoped for during the Christmas gift buying season, and also suggesting: “The market is limited because the price is so high”.