First PS3 Launch Figures Released

Video game magazine publisher Enterbrain has released the first figures regarding the Japanese launch of the PlayStation 3 console. According to those numbers, the PS3 sold 88,400 units in the first 2 days following its launch. This figure means that almost all retailers sold out and that Sony had a strong start in its PlayStation 3 campaign, ahead of the critical for the company U.S. launch of the PS3, on November 17.

The Cell-powered console was greeted with much enthusiasm by Japanese consumers as many queued for hours in order to guarantee they could get their hands on the limited supply. Amidst accusations that homeless people were paid to queue overnight by wealthy businessmen and claims that most consoles sold are now being offered on auction site eBay, the fact remains that PS3 was the headline event this weekend in Japan.

The figures released also claim that 54,600, or 62 per cent, of the units sold were of the advanced (60 GB) model. Additionally we are informed that the best selling titles for the console over the launch weekend were Namco Bandai's Ridge Racer 7 and Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight, selling 27,000 and 20,000 copies respectively. The interesting fact is that the figures suggest that about 7,000 PS3 units were bought without any games.

The U.S. launch will feature about 400,000 units and is bound to offer more convincing figures and better data for us to begin drawing conclusions regarding the future of Sony's next-generation offering.