This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor.

Sony released some surprising data recently. In a statement sent directly to industry media titled, "PS2 and PSP Continue to Outsell Current and New Generation," Sony gloats that the PlayStation 2 has sold more units in May than the Xbox 360 and more PSPs in May than the Nintendo DS and GameBoy Advance.

First of all, since when is Sony allowed to do this? That is, release unprovoked to the world that their systems are selling more than everybody else, neener neener neener. Granted, most of the "news" in this industry is generated by the subjects of the news anyway, but this kind of pushes it. This kind of self-congratulation really stinks of poor sportsmanship, and makes you wonder what the company is so afraid of that they'd need to come from left field with a response to some imaginary arguer.

It's like if some stranger standing behind you in a checkout line randomly proclaims, "I'm not crazy!" which both raises and confirms the notion that he probably is.

The second thing that this press release comes to mind is some kind of social bewilderment. From the press release:

Maybe I'm equipped with too simple a mind, but I refuse to believe that over 200,000 PlayStation 2s sold last month in the US. Who are these people that after six years of the system being released, just now say to themselves "Hmm.. maybe I should get one of them PlayStations"? Are they just now hearing about it? If so, we must not be doing our jobs.

I guess some people in 2000 saw the news reports for the PS2 and decided to wait five or six years until the price was right. About 230 thousand people or 7 in every 10,000 Americans decided May of 06 was the time to buy a PS2. The wait must make it all that more satisfying.

The article also purports that 152,000 GameBoy Advances sold last month, which is even more confounding, considering the DS plays GBA games and more. To a lifetime gamer the idea just seems foreign, but these numbers suggest that there's a market of gamers beyond what most people would consider: some kind of ultra casual gamer, who doesn't care whether there's newer consoles on the way or better versions of the same thing, they just care about price and packaging. These people obviously do not read sites like this or follow the industry at all, they just treat game purchases how I might treat the purchase of a hairbrush: whatever's cheapest and does the job. These people at the tip of the "long tail" of consumers obviously comprise a significant share of game companies market, which suggests why so many people are quick to accept the notion that videogames are simply products, and would have no problem with government legislation controlling the sale of such to minors.

It also means that first-sight appeal, name recognition, and price have a lot to do with long-term sales. The PS2 probably sold more units to the unfamiliar ultra casual gamers because everybody's heard of the PlayStation 2 and it has a pretty reliable image for mainstream gaming (versus the still-cheaper GameCube's unshakable childhish image).

You've got to wonder if in 7 years, people will be choosing the PlayStation 3 or something called Wii.

But seriously, who are these people only now buying a PS2? Get with it, people!

Oh, and welcome to videogaming.

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