Sony Boasts 50M PSPs Sold; Still Behind DS

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. was proud to announce to the world today that its PlayStation Portable system has reached the 50 million mark in sales.

The PSP hit the 50 million milestone in January 2009 after having launched in December 2004 in Japan, March 2005 in North America, May 2005 in Asian countries and regions, and September 2005 in Europe/PAL territories.

The device has since seen three major hardware revisions, with the first slimming and lightening the unit considerably. The third and current version adds a built-in microphone, which works with Skype for VoIP calling.

Sony also pointed out that more than 2,000 games on UMD are available worldwide, with cumulative software sell-in units reaching 200 million to date. Sony did not, however, mention figures regarding movies on UMD -- something generally regarded as a failure.

The PlayStation Store also gave PSP gamers a new option to purchase and play games. Now gamers can purchase PSP games, including some PSone classics, directly on the PlayStation Store for download onto a Memory Stick, giving the system a digital downloads service currently with more than 500 titles.

Of course, in the handheld market, the king is Nintendo. The DS’s popularity and reach have given it worldwide sales of nearly 97 million by the end of 2008, with more than 533 million games sold. But given the fact that no other handheld has been able to stand toe-to-toe with a Nintendo portable, Sony’s PSP should be considered a resounding success.