Sony recently revealed that the PS2 has sold over 160 million consoles worldwide since its release in 2000, reigniting the old question among fans of how many units have actually been made. As backed up by one PlayStation alumni, it might not be much more than what’s been sold.
An image has been doing the rounds of a special PS2 released not long after Sony stopped manufacturing the console at the end of 2012. On that very console, we see a grand total of 160,636,885 PS2 units were apparently made.
Naturally, a picture’s existence on the internet doesn’t necessarily mean it’s legit – now more than ever. One Twitter user pointed to Sony veteran Shawn Layden’s special PSP as somewhere the PS2’s text could have been lifted from as the two are fairly identical visually.
However, Layden has confirmed that likely isn’t the case. As if summoned, the former PlayStation chief has appeared to say that the PS2 picture looks legit and that the production number is definitely so.
It’s hard to say how many PS2s are still out there, but we at least know it can’t be many. With Sony announcing that over 160 million consoles were sold and Layden confirming that around 160,636,885 were made, the true number is likely somewhere in the remainder. It could be as many as 600,000, though it could be much smaller. What we do know, however, is that the Nintendo Switch has some ways to go to claim the mantle of best-selling console.