Sony‘s new baby, the Playstation 4 launched at midnight on Friday. The new console flew off the shelves (or out of fulfillment warehouses, as it were) and quickly became nearly impossible to find. As the hunt for a PS4 became a game of skill in and of itself, Sony racked up huge sales numbers – over 1 Million PS4s were sold in the first 24 hours of the console’s release!
Shuhei Yoshida, Sony Worldwide Studios President announced the triumph with an exuberant tweet yesterday.
PS4 has sold through over 1 million units within 24 hours of the launch in North America!!! 😀
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) November 17, 2013
Sony of America CEO Jack Tretton has made it clear that Sony expects to move 3 Million PS4s by the end of the year, and the sales are already on track. If the launch is any indicator, PS4 sales are going to be just fine. Some technical issues with a small fraction of the consoles and Playstation Network outages notwithstanding, the launch of the Playstation 4 is an unqualified success.
With all the PS4 hysteria, it’s not surprising that the internet (in all its infinite propensity for nonsense) has created a bizarre new meme involving the PS4 and Antonio Banderas. Why? Why does anything happen on the internet? Just go with it!
Gaming news site Kotaku collected a bunch of these animated GIFs and Photoshops here, and it’s really worth a look. But let’s just throw one more in here. Below you can see Antonio shooting “720p” full of holes in a not-so-subtle reference to reports that certain multi-platform titles won’t be running at a full 1080p on the Xbox One.
For its part, Sony Entertainment of America issued a press release celebrating the huge sales numbers and enumerating the features of the PS4. For more information, it follows below:
PlayStation®4 Sales Surpass 1 Million Units In North America In 24 Hours
Gamers Immerse Themselves In a New Era of Gaming and Entertainment Only Availabl on the PS4™ system
TOKYO, Nov. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that the highly anticipated launch of the PlayStation®4 (PS4™) computer entertainment system resulted in 1 million units sold through during the first 24 hours after it became available on November 15, 2013 in the United States and Canada.
“PS4™ was designed with an unwavering commitment to gamers, and we are thrilled that consumer reaction has been so phenomenal,” said Andrew House, President and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. “Sales remain very strong in North America, and we expect continued enthusiasm as we launch the PlayStation 4 in Europe and Latin America on November 29. We are extremely grateful for the passion of PlayStation fans and thank them for their continued support.”
About PlayStation 4
Built for gamers and inspired by developers, the PlayStation®4 system provides powerful graphics and speed, intelligent personalization and deeply integrated social capabilities. The PS4™ system comes with a DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller that allows gamers to easily share videos of their favorite gameplay moments on Facebook, and images of their gameplay on Facebook or Twitter, with a single press of the controller’s SHARE button. Gamers can also broadcast their gameplay in real-time through Ustream or Twitch, and friends can comment on the streamed gameplay. The PS4’s launch lineup includes highly anticipated games such as Killzone™ Shadow Fall, Knack™, Assassin’s Creed®IV Black Flag™, NBA® 2K14 and Call of Duty®: Ghosts. The PS4 system also offers access to entertainment options through a curated portfolio of digital entertainment apps, including Sony’s own Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited, as well as Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, NBA Game Time and Hulu Plus, all available on PlayStation®Store.1About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufactures, distributes, develops and markets the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system and the PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) portable entertainment system. SCEI has revolutionized home entertainment since they launched PlayStation in 1994. PlayStation®2 further enhanced the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP® broadens the entertainment experiences into the portable arena. PS3® is a computer system, incorporating the powerful Cell Broadband Engine and RSX processors. PSNSM, that includes PlayStation®Store, delivers unparalleled online gaming experience to PlayStation users. PS Vita is an ultimate portable entertainment system that offers a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity. SCEI also delivers the PlayStation® experience to open operating systems through PlayStation®Mobile, a cross device platform. PlayStation®4 redefines rich and immersive gameplay with powerful graphics and speed, intelligent personalization and deeply integrated social capabilities. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, SCEI, along with its affiliated companies, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and its division companies, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia develops, publishes, markets and distributes hardware and software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide.1. Entertainment apps to be released will vary by regions. User responsible for applicable service fees.
All games featured are trademarked and copyrighted properties of their respective publishers and/or licensors. PlayStation is a registered trademark, PS4 is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Knack and Killzone Shadow Fall are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. The Sony Computer Entertainment logo is a registered trademark and “SONY” and “make.believe” are trademarks of Sony Corporation.Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc. The Twitter name is a trademark of Twitter, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Ustream is a registered trademark of Ustream Inc. Twitch is a trademark or registered trademark of Justin.tv Inc. Android is a trademark or registered trademark of Google.Inc.
© 2013 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Black Flag, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries.
2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
[Via: Shuhei Yoshida (Twitter), Kotaku]