Sony 2005 Annual Report Download - page 15

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 15 of the 2005 Sony annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 137

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100
  • 101
  • 102
  • 103
  • 104
  • 105
  • 106
  • 107
  • 108
  • 109
  • 110
  • 111
  • 112
  • 113
  • 114
  • 115
  • 116
  • 117
  • 118
  • 119
  • 120
  • 121
  • 122
  • 123
  • 124
  • 125
  • 126
  • 127
  • 128
  • 129
  • 130
  • 131
  • 132
  • 133
  • 134
  • 135
  • 136
  • 137

Sony Corporation 13
Game
http://www.scei.co.jp/global/
The PlayStation 2 platform continues to expand further.
Since its launch by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) in 2000, PlayStation 2
(PS2) has continued to expand worldwide as the standard platform for home entertain-
ment, and cumulative shipments surpassed the 90 million unit mark in June 2005.
The new slimline PS2 (SCPH-70000 series) has been particularly popular since its
release in November 2004. Now in its fifth year, PS2 is still in high demand, with
shipments reaching 16.17 million units in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005.
Similarly, demand for PS2 software remains high. By March 31, 2005, there were
more than 5,000 game titles released for PS2 worldwide, and cumulative shipments
reached 824 million units. With first-party hits such as Gran Turismo 4, which sold
over 6 million units, as well as other major hit titles from third-party developers and
publishers, software shipments in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005, recorded
an all-time high of 252 million units.
New, attractive titles are expected to be released from first- and third-party
developers and publishers, and SCE will continue to expand the PS2 platform with
the strong software lineup as well as the popular slimline PS2.
PlayStation Portable creates a new market.
SCE released PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Japan in December 2004 and in North
America in March 2005. PSP is a new handheld entertainment system that brings
together a wide variety of entertainment content, including games, music and
movies, and employs full-scale 3-D computer graphics and the newly developed
high-capacity optical disc, Universal Media Disc (UMD).
Since its debut, PSP has enjoyed favorable hardware and software sales. Cumulative
hardware shipments as of March 31, 2005, in Japan and North America reached
2.97 million units, while shipments of software reached 5.7 million units.
By May 2005, there were more than 30 titles in the PSP game lineup in Japan and
over 20 titles in North America. Moreover, with the release of movie and music video
titles on UMD in April 2005, the entertainment experience on PSP has been enhanced
further. PSP was also released in Asia in May 2005, and will be launched in Europe in
September. SCE and other content developers and publishers will continue to release
attractive software in all regions. As an entirely new handheld entertainment platform
enabling users to enjoy entertainment content at any time, anywhere, PSP will create
a new market around the world.
Cumulative worldwide shipments of the Gran Turismo
series for PS and PS2 reached 43 million units in March
2005. The series revolutionized the concept of racing
games, delivering an entertainment-packed experience
as a real-life driving and racing lifestyle simulator. It has
won strong support from a broad range of users all over
the world and received high acclaim from automobile
experts and enthusiasts.
SCE released a smaller, slimmer PS2 in November 2004
in the Japanese, North American and European markets.
While inheriting the basic functions and design architecture
of the original PS2, the volume was reduced by 75%, the
weight was halved and the thickness was trimmed down
to 2.8 centimeters (1.1 inches). With the built-in Ethernet
network connector included as a standard feature, users
can enjoy easy access to online games.
New PlayStation 2 (SCPH-70000 CB)
Gran Turismo 4: The latest title from the Gran Turismo series.
S ONY AR -E 0629 Adobe PageMaker 6.0J /PPC