Sony: PS3 sales went up almost 40% in 2008

It may not be doing as well as the other two current gen consoles, but the PS3 isn’t throwing in the towel. SCEA VP for sales Ian Jackson shares that PS3 hardware sales grew by almost 40% for the year, and up to 130% for the holidays starting Black Friday. Despite reports from the NPD that the PS3 actually fell from the previous year, Sony maintains that their console is not out of the game. Details inside.

It may not be doing as well as the other two current gen consoles, but the PS3 isn’t throwing in the towel. SCEA VP for sales Ian Jackson shares that PS3 hardware sales grew by almost 40% for the year, and up to 130% for the holidays starting Black Friday.

Despite reports from the NPD that the PS3 actually fell from the previous year, Jackson maintains that their console is not out of the game.

We’ve had a solid holiday season and have delivered consistent growth throughout this year. Two thousand eight was a pivotal year for PlayStation with the best software line up in the industry, a dramatic expansion of PlayStation Network including the launches of the video delivery service and the beta of the PlayStation Home.

Early internal data points to an increase of more than 130% of PS3 hardware sales for the holiday season – since Black Friday – and we’re also seeing a growth of nearly 40% in total PS3 hardware sales for the calendar year. We remain confident this momentum will continue into the new year

Sony, however, has yet to release figures for December, although they did indicate a 60% increase from January 1st to November 30th compared to the same period of the previous year. The NPD, on the other hand, reports that the PS3 fell 18.8% from 2007 – the only console of the big three to see a dip in sales.

Seems a tad confusing right now, but I’m pretty sure the report disparity will be made clearer (hopefully) when Sony releases its December figures. In the meantime, we can simply take Ian Jackson’s word for it – Sony did well in 2008 and is expected to continue to do so in 2009.

• Screen Digest: Year of the PlayStation 3 delayed to next year
• PlayStation 3 manufacturing costs almost down by half

Via CNET