Sony sells more than a million PlayStation 4s within the first 24 hours

Last week it was revealed that Sony intends to sell three million PlayStation 4 consoles by the end of this year. With launch weekend in the history books and consoles now in the hands of eager gamers, just how many systems has Sony moved thus far?

Within 24 hours of going on sale this past Friday, consumers in North America scooped up more than one million PlayStation 4 consoles according to president of worldwide studios for Sony Computer Entertainment Shuhei Yoshida.

It would appear as though Sony’s decision to launch the PlayStation 4 a week ahead of Microsoft’s Xbox One is paying dividends early and often. In fact, the PS4 is off to the fastest start ever for a PlayStation console. That has to bode well for CEO Kazuo Hirai as he continues to orchestrate an ambitious corporate turnaround.

This coming Friday will belong to Microsoft as the Xbox One finally hits retailers. It’ll be priced $100 more than the PS4 ($499 versus $399) yet despite the higher price tag and a number of hiccups and backtracking over the past several months, most expect Redmond to sell plenty of consoles this holiday season. Both systems are likely to be in short supply through the rest of the year.

Gamers in other parts of the world won’t have to wait too much longer to get their hands on a PS4. Sony will launch their next generation console in Europe and Latin America on November 29 and in Japan on February 22 of next year.