Sony: PlayStation Move reaches 4.1 million in worldwide sales [update]
Microsoft's not the only one to achieve some market penetration with its newfangled motion controller contraption -- Sony has announced that in the two months the PlayStation Move has been available in Europe and North America, and the one month the device has been on sale in Japan, the core Move controller has sold 4.1 million units.
Considering the PS3 has sold 41.6 million units to date, that means one out of every ten homes that has Sony's gaming console now also houses a Move. Or, since the Move really works best with a second controller in hand, it could mean that one out of every twenty homes owns two of the devices. Or, perhaps less likely, one out of every thirty PS3-owning families contains three Moves, for their freakish, three-armed children.
Update: There seems to be some confusion as to whether this figure represents the number of Moves actually purchased by consumers or sold to retailers. Though the U.S. press release revealing the sales posted after the jump explicitly says "sold," the Japanese press release mentions "the quantity delivered to the dealer" in a footnote. We've contacted Sony for clarification.
Update 2: A Sony representative explained that the 4.1 million actually represents Move units shipped to stores, adding "While we don't disclose our exact sell-through number, the key is that our retailers continue to ask for more Move units and are taking every unit we can supply them with based on their sales." Which, you know, would have been a cool thing to put in that press release, we think.
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PLAYSTATION MOVE MOTION CONTROLLER SALES REACH
OVER 4.1 MILLION UNITS WORLDWIDE
Remarkable Milestone Achieved in Just 2 Months since Its Release in September
Tokyo, November 30, 2010 - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that the sales of PlayStation Move motion controller for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system reached over 4.1 million units worldwide *1. The milestone was reached in just 2 months since its release in September for North America, Europe/PAL territories and Asia, and 1 month since the release in October for Japan. The number not only shows clear success of the launch of the new motion sensing controller but also indicates positive momentum going in to the holiday season and to the year 2011.
PlayStation Move motion controller is used in combination with the PlayStation Eye camera*2 to detect the precise movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space of the user, thereby allowing users to intuitively play as if they are within the game. Delivering the most realistic and immersive experience, PlayStation Move not only captures user's motion but also player's image itself to offer new augmented reality experiences in select games.
PlayStation Move offers more than 25 supported/dedicated titles for Europe/PAL territories up to date with vast line-up of software titles from all genres and all types of audiences. Some of the successful titles include Sports Champions, Start the Party, EyePet Move Edition, MAG, SingStar Dance and more. Upcoming PlayStation Move titles include the platform-defining franchises like Killzone 3 and LittleBigPlanet 2 that will further establish PlayStation Move as the must have motion experience for casual and hard-core gamers alike.
More than 41.6 million PS3 system has been sold globally *3 and despite entering its 5th year since launch, the system is yet to record another year of success. PS3, equipped with sophisticated processing units as well as future proof cutting-edge technologies, unfolded its potential, this year, with the introduction of PlayStation Move and stereoscopic 3D capabilities. SCEI will further continue to deliver strong value to the platform and will accelerate the growth of the platform by vigorously enhancing the entertainment experience only possible on the PlayStation platform.
*1 Number as of November 2010. Cumulative number since its release date, September 15 for Europe/PAL territories and Asian countries/regions, September 19 for North America and October 21 for Japan. The number does not include sales of stand-alone PlayStation Eye camera or stand-alone PlayStation Move navigation controller.
*2 Users will need to use the PlayStation Eye camera to enjoy PlayStation Move motion controller on PS3.
*3 Number as of September 2010.
