NPD: 1.5 Million PlayStations sold in November

Hello everyone, the new NPD sales numbers are out, and I wanted to share some new sales stats that have us excited here at PlayStation central.

For the month of November, PlayStation hardware unit sales exceeded 1.5 million units, including close to half-a-million PLAYSTATION 3 consoles. That’s means nearly 4 times as many PS3s ended up in North American homes in November than the month before.

A slew of incredible titles this holiday season has definitely been a factor in that growth: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Rock Band, Assassin’s Creed, Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, Heavenly Sword, and Pain (did I miss any?) should keep everyone busy well into the new year. And our new ad campaign has helped get the word out that PLAYSTATION 3 is THE gamers’ console.

As far as the PlayStation Portable is concerned, a lot of dudes decided to “Get Your Own” in November. NPD reports over 567,000 PSPs were sold in November, thanks in large part to the popularity of the slimmer, lighter PSP, the debut of the PLAYSTATION Store for PC, and critically acclaimed titles like Beats, Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, and Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow.

While the PS3 has just passed its first birthday, the PlayStation 2 is still kicking hard seven years after launch. The PS2 remains the best-selling gaming platform ever released, with nearly half-a-million more adding to the system’s greatness in the month of November. The release of games such as BUZZ! The Mega Quiz, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, and the limited-edition white PS2 bundled with SingStar Pop means that the PS2 will continue to be a favorite for millions of gamers.

We know that PlayStation.Blog readers are all about the games – and these numbers are relevant to existing PlayStation owners as well. With the rise of online multiplayer games like Warhawk, Syphon Filter: Combat Ops. and this week’s big-buzz release Unreal Tournament 3, thousands more players can mean a longer, better gaming experience.

So if you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of new members to the PlayStation family, welcome – and thank you! And for those who have been around for awhile, enjoy the influx of new gamers to play with and against!