PS3 70 Million Sold

When the PlayStation 3 first hit store shelves in 2006, it struggled to take off. However, as of November fourth, Sony's box o' Blu-ray has hit a significant milestone: selling over 70 million units worldwide!

Sony made the announcement in a press release today, noting that the PS3 has crossed the 70 million mark, and that the PlayStation Move controller has moved 15 million units. When we interviewed SCEC's Matt Levitan earlier this year, he claimed that 2012 is a relaunching year for the Move. With all the software that's been released this year (Sports Champions 2, Okami HD, The Unfinished Swan), we're not surprised to see the peripheral selling so well.

The reported numbers are products that "shipped" to retailers, though that's still money Sony's pocket. The console manufacturer also announced PS3 software sales of over 595 million units across 3, 590 titles. The PS3 is seen as a successful platform by many publishers, including those in Japan. Companies such as NIS America have released plenty of PS3 exclusive titles over the system's life, which also help to secure it as the go-to HD platform for JRPGs.

As we have known for a while, the PS3 has been catching up to Microsoft's Xbox 360, which launched a year ahead of Sony's console. At CES back in January, Microsoft announced that the 360 had shipped 66 million units. Neither are likely to match the PS2, however, which sits comfortably at over 150 million units sold.

Those who have yet to pick up a PS3 may get their chance this Black Friday (November 23rd), as Sony is offering quite a tempting bundle. For $199.99, gamers can pick up the Ultimate PS3 bundle, which comes with a 250GB system, the Uncharted dual pack, the inFAMOUS Collection and a thirty day PlayStation Plus membership. Both the Uncharted and inFAMOUS franchises are two of the most polished and accessible series on the PS3, so this bundle comes highly recommended from the team at Game Rant. Check out our reviews for Uncharted 3 and inFAMOUS 2 to see why.

Of course, Sony hasn't forgotten about the Vita. The company's latest handheld will also be receiving a slew of Black Friday bundles:

PS Vita Assassin’s Creed III Liberation Bundle includes:

PS Vita Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified Bundle includes:

Lego Batman 2 Limited Edition PlayStationVita Bundle includes:

Each of these bundles will be available for $199.99, which is $50 off the Vita's current MSRP. Though these bundles are sure to be great starters for new Vita owners, a more welcome deal would have also included a price reduction on the Vita's memory cards. Those who plan to go all digital with the Vita won't get by on a 4GB card, and since the 32GB card costs $99.99 (though it can be found cheaper on sites like Amazon), many potential buyers may be turned off by the suddenly inflated price. Those memory cards are a big burden for Vita owners - one that Sony could have easily alleviated this holiday season.

Ranters, are you planning on picking up any of the PS3 or Vita bundles?

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