PS2 hits 40 million units in PAL territories

Despite the excitement over next-generation formats, the PlayStation 2 continues to sell strongly - with the system this week hitting 40 million units sold through in the PAL territories, having sold over 100,000 units a week in the last few months.

The milestone is significant for a number of reasons - not just because it's a nice round number, but also because it means that the PS2 has now sold more units than its predecessor in the PAL regions. Current lifetime sales of the PSone stand at just over 39 million units - and by a comparable point in its lifespan, six years from launch, the PSone had sold just 33 million units.

The PAL sales figure covers not just Europe, but the other PAL territories of the Middle East, Africa and Oceania as well.

"We are extremely proud of the continuing success of PlayStation 2," beamed SCEE president David Reeves, who claims that the strong sales of the platform in recent weeks "proves the format is as popular now as it ever was."

"Through the continual development of new and innovative gaming titles, in particular the social gaming phenomena such as EyeToy, SingStar and BUZZ! PlayStation 2 will remain the computer entertainment system of choice for new and experienced gamers alike," he claimed.

Sony also noted that this week marked another milestone for the PlayStation 2 - last week's launches bring the number of titles available for the system in Europe to over 2000, with a further 50 titles due for launch before Christmas.