Worldwide PlayStation 2 shipments hit 100 million mark

Sony has announced that 100 million PlayStation 2 consoles have been shipped worldwide, which the company claims makes PS2 the fastest selling computer entertainment platform in history.

As of November 29th, more than 22.2 million units have been shipped in Asia (including Japan and South Korea), while the figure for North America stands at 40.65 million units. More than 37.1 million units have been shipped in PAL territories.

The original PlayStation was the first ever console to reach the 100 million mark - an achievement which took nine and a half years. The PS2 was first launched in Japan back in March 2000, with US and European launches following in October and November of the same year.

According to Sony, the PS2 continues to command a healthy following in the fifth year of its life cycle, which was further boosted by the launch of the new slimline model last year. The company expects PS2 sales to surpass that of the original PlayStation and has reaffirmed its commitment to the console, stating: "SCEI will continue to expand PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PSP platforms and will create and develop a new world of computer entertainment for the broadband era."

Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation 3, is due to hit the shelves next year.