Sony 2006 Annual Report Download - page 30

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28
GAME
http://www.scei.co.jp/global/
The PlayStation®2 platform sees increased
penetration and further expansion
In the six years since its March 2000 launch in Japan by Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE), PlayStation®2 (PS2) has grown
into the biggest-ever home entertainment platform, with cumulative
worldwide shipments surpassing the 100 million-unit mark,
exceeding the total number of PlayStation® (PS) consoles shipped.
More than 7,000 software titles were released for PS2 from third-party
developers and SCE, and, as of March 31, 2006, cumulative
software shipments had exceeded 1.0 billion units.
In the year ended March 31, 2006, unit sales of PS2 hardware and
software were high—particularly in Europe and the United States—
reflecting the release of major hit titles worldwide in the year-end/
New Year peak selling season. PS2 remained in high demand, with
shipments of hardware reaching 16.22 million units, surpassing
shipments in the previous period.
SCE will continue to promote greater market penetration and
higher sales of PS2 by working with content developers worldwide
to broaden the lineup of software titles available, thereby ensuring
that PS2 is a platform that users will continue to enjoy.
PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) expands the world of
portable entertainment
Since launching PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) in Japan in December
2004, SCE has released this platform globally. As of March 31, 2006,
PSP had shipped a cumulative total of more than 17.0 million
units worldwide, outpacing growth for any other platform in SCE’s
history. With a large screen and high-resolution liquid crystal
display (LCD), which enable users to enjoy a wide range
of entertainment content, PSP has gained huge support from
a broad range of users around the world as a new handheld
entertainment platform.
As of March 31, 2006, there were more than 500 titles in
the PSP software lineup worldwide and cumulative shipments
exceeded 47.0 million units. Attractive new titles are expected
to be released steadily by third-party developers and publishers
around the world and by SCE Worldwide Studios. With PSP’s
expanded software lineup, SCE will vigorously promote even
greater market penetration.
Since its launch, PSP has evolved continuously with system
software updates adding such new and attractive features as
Internet browsing and playback of high-quality video. By continuing
to add new features, including a function that will allow users to
enjoy a huge selection of popular PS titles from the past, SCE will
provide new ways for users to enjoy PSP. SCE will also expand the
location base of its PlayStation Spot stations, where PSP’s
wireless LAN function enables simultaneous transmission of data
to multiple PSPs, enabling users to try out demo versions of new
game titles and a wide range of other content easily and free-
of-charge.
To expand the potential of PSP hardware, SCE will introduce a
new camera and global positioning system (GPS) receiver. When
PlayStation®2 PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)
© SCEI © SCEI