Some consoles have sold hundreds of millions of units globally since the age of home video gaming began roughly 50 years ago.
The gaming business has evolved and flourished since the Magnavox Odyssey became the first commercially available home game console in 1972. Despite a break in the 1980s with the now-famous “Video Game Market Crash,” the industry has grown enormously, and the world is now witnessing the arrival of the Ninth Generation of consoles with the introduction of the PS5 and Xbox X/S.
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Some businesses have succeeded and others have collapsed over the years. While Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft currently dominate the console business, several companies, like SEGA, Atari, Phillips, Coleco, and others, have fallen by the wayside. If you are looking to Sell used game console you can check this site sellup.com
10 Xbox One – 41 Million Units (And Counting)
Microsoft ceased disclosing sales figures earlier this decade, but numerous insiders have been able to come up with fairly accurate estimations of 41 million Xbox One devices sold. However, because the Xbox One is still on the market, the figure may progressively rise until the new generation – the Xbox X/S – truly takes hold of the market.
Despite being the tenth best-selling system of all time, the Xbox One fell short of competing with SONY’s PS4. This is due in part to the console’s underwhelming game catalogue. In reality, nearly every best-selling game was not an Xbox exclusive. However, titles such as Halo 5, Titanfall, and Sunset Overdrive received positive feedback for the system.
9 Super Nintendo – 49.1 Million Units (And Counting)
With the Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo practically single-handedly revitalised the American game market in the 1980s. Naturally, after reviving the business, Nintendo faced competition from competitors such as SEGA. Nintendo’s approach was to create a more powerful machine that would keep them on top. As a result, the SNES was born.
It was a critical and economic triumph, establishing beloved brands, including Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox, Mario Kart, and others, some of which are now available on the Nintendo Switch. The console also had a long existence, lasting over a decade and selling 49.1 million copies.
8 Nintendo Entertainment System – 61.91 million units sold (And Counting)
While the SNES was a huge success, competition from the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive resulted in lower sales statistics than its predecessor, the Nintendo Entertainment System (often referred to as the NES, or the Famicom in Japan).
The NES was responsible for ushering in a new era of gaming, with blockbuster hits and some of the top NES games of all time, such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Contra, and others. Many players may be shocked to hear that the console actually had a long production run, lasting until 2003 in Japan. During its 20-year lifespan, the NES sold nearly 62 million copies worldwide.
7 Nintendo Switch – 84.59 million units sold (And Counting)
Despite now ranking seventh on this list, the Nintendo Switch might easily break into the top five by the conclusion of its lifecycle. The console was only released in 2017, so it still has a few years ahead of it. In fact, Nintendo’s E3 line-up this year demonstrates that the firm isn’t ready to let go of its dockable/handheld console and is continuing to invest in it. They even stated that they intend to release a new Zelda game, a new Metroid game, a new WarioWare game, and more titles.
Aside from its adaptability, the Switch has acquired a popularity for focusing on co-op gameplay, allowing friends and families to play together. To date, the Switch has sold 84.59 million devices, but with the release of the new OLED Switch later this year, that number is sure to rise.
6 Xbox 360 – 85.5 Million Units sold (And Counting)
Microsoft’s bestselling game console to date, the Xbox 360, has sold 85.5 million units. Microsoft recognised Halo’s importance in the success of the first Xbox and commissioned Bungie to create a slew of Halo titles for their new platform, including Halo 3, 4, Reach, and ODST, all of which sold millions of copies and helped propel the 360 to success.
However, the release of the Kinect motion sensor midway through the console’s decade-long life was one of the most significant factors that aided the 360. Not only did Kinect Adventures! become the console’s best-selling title, but the Kinect briefly became a cultural sensation, even appearing in Paranormal Activity 4.
5 PlayStation 3 – 86.90 Million Units sold (And Counting)
The PS3 was SONY’s “worst-selling” console to date, assuming being the #5 bestselling console of all time counts as “worst.” And the lower sales are understandable given that it faced fierce competition in the Seventh Generation of consoles. In reality, all three major seventh-generation consoles are among the top ten bestselling consoles of all time, with the PS3 competing against juggernaut systems like the 360 and Wii.
Fortunately, PS-exclusives such as LittleBigPlanet, Gran Turismo 5, and the Uncharted series helped keep the console competitive. It also enjoyed enormous late-life success, with top-selling titles like Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us published in 2013, the same year the PS4 debuted. The PS3 sold about 87 million copies in total.
4 Nintendo Wii – 101.53 million units sold (And Counting)
Some players scoffed at the idea of a game system that used motion controls when it was initially introduced. Some thought it was a cheap gimmick, or that Nintendo was merely desperate after the GameCube’s poor performance (which only sold 21.7 million units). Critics were quickly proven wrong, however, as the console was released to excellent acclaim and went on to sell 101.53 million units.
Motion-based games such as Wii Fit, Wii Sports, and Just Dance dominated the sales charts, each selling tens of millions of copies. Aside from motion games, the Wii has various underappreciated games and unsung hits, such as Donkey Kong Country Returns, WarioWare Smooth Moves, and others.
3 PlayStation – 104.25 million units sold (And Counting)
SONY’s first entrance into the console market changed the game forever. In comparison to other systems at the time, such as the SEGA Saturn and N64, the PlayStation was a powerful machine that seemed to unleash hit game after hit game.
The console was utterly unstoppable, from Resident Evil to Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, Tekken, and Metal Gear Solid. The PlayStation propelled gaming into the 3D era, pushing competitors to play catch-up. The PS1 went on to sell over 104 million copies in total.
2 PlayStation 4 – 115.4 Million Units (And Counting)
The PlayStation 4 is the second best-selling game system of all time, outselling both the Xbox One and the Wii U. In fact, the system may likely thank the Wii U’s failure for pushing sales, as buyers were essentially left with only PlayStation and Xbox to select from.
The platform also had a regular stream of critically acclaimed exclusive titles, such as Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and the continuation of the Uncharted franchise, which contributed to PlayStation’s reputation as the ultimate gamer machine. So far, the PS4 has sold more than 115 million units, and it is still on the market, so that figure will continue to rise.
1 PlayStation 2 – 157.68 Million Units (And Counting)
The PlayStation devastated the SEGA Saturn, and its successor, the PS2, absolutely annihilated SEGA’s effort at rebirth with the Dreamcast, forcing the company to abandon the console market for good. It outperformed any previous system in terms of graphics and even contained a built-in DVD player.
In addition, the PS2 received a never-ending stream of hit exclusive titles. With Final Fantasy X and XII, the console revitalised the Final Fantasy series. They even got Disney to participate in the crossover games Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2. 157.68 million PS2 consoles were sold in total during the system’s lifespan.