PS3 motion-control system hits shipment milestone in North, Latin America in first month; sales figures remain MIA.
When the NPD Group released its sales figures for September 2010, it pointed out the only area of growth was game accessories. Chief analyst Anita Frazier said a major factor behind the 13 percent year-over-year boost was the introduction of the PlayStation Move, the motion-control system for the PlayStation 3.
That said, reports were mixed as to the system’s success. While Sony Computer Entertainment Europe chief Andrew House wasn’t shy about saying how the system had sold 1.5 million units in the European Union, there was silence from Sony Computer Entertainment America about how the system had fared in the Western Hemisphere.
Today, Sony broke its silence by announcing the Move has shipped–not sold–1 million units in North and Latin America during its first 30 days on the market. The figure is in-line with analysts’ estimates that it had a “modest” launch of just 300,000 units sold in the US during its first two weeks on sale. Sony had not released specific sales figures as of press time.
“We had to go back and increase production twice, we’re absolutely maxed out right now,” Sony Computer Entertainment America president Jack Tretton told the
Reuters news service.
The PlayStation Move launched in Europe on September 15, North America on September 17, and in Japan on October 21. The system, which consists of the PlayStation Eye camera and LED-capped wand controllers, is available in a variety of configurations. Controllers are sold on their own for $50, bundled with the PlayStation Eye camera and minigames compilation Sports Champions for $100, or with all that and a 320GB PlayStation 3 for $400.
Although games like Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 sell for full price, a line of PlayStation Move games sells for just $40 each. There are currently 24 Move-compatible games on the market, with another 16 planned to ship by March 31.
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