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Sony Corp. said that weekly PlayStation 2 sales in North America grew by more 40 percent in the last 2 weeks, an early sign that the video game console will head into the holiday shopping season with an "incomparable competitive advantage."
The Japanese electronics company, whose PlayStation 2 game machine competes against Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox and Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s GameCube, is heading into its fourth holiday season, as it reduces costs to squeeze more profits out of the console and invests heavily in next-generation video game consoles.
Weekly North America sales of the PlayStation 2 console rose 40 percent in the past 2 weeks, compared with sales in previous weeks, a sign that holiday sales have already begun, Sony said in a statement.
Sony's announcement also comes on the heels of a pre-holiday price cut for the Xbox in Japan by a third to 16,800 yen (approx. U.S. $155). A week earlier, Sony had cut the Japan price for the PlayStation by roughly 20 percent to 19,800 yen ($182).
In the U.S., the Xbox retails for $180, while the PlayStation 2 sells for $200 for a combination including an online adapter and a game. The GameCube sells for $100. By itself, Sony's PlayStation 2 console sells for $180.
"We are extremely confident going into the upcoming holiday season as positive sales results illustrate our ability to successfully execute across all areas of our business," Jack Tretton, executive vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment America said in a statement.
Sony said that 30 percent of its PlayStation 2 sales in recent weeks were for the $200 combination pack, while sales of its first-generation $50 PlayStation (PS One) jumped 31 percent in the past month from the previous month. (Reuters)
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