Though it launched at the tail end of the year, PlayStation 5 managed to become the UK's second best-selling console, behind the Nintendo Switch. Sony's latest piece of PlayStation hardware hit store shelves in mid-November, but proved difficult to actually get ahold of. Even with the new year underway, securing a next-gen console still seems to be a matter of pure luck for many.
On launch day, only those who'd previously secured preorders were guaranteed to pick up a PS5. And that was only the case for some players, since countless also had to wrestle with late shipments and stolen orders. Scalpers who were able to take advantage of online shopping made matters far worse. In fact, one scalper group based in the UK managed to accumulate a stock of upwards of 3,500 consoles, which, at the time, was more than most retailers. Though it's safe to say Sony would've moved units at record-breaking numbers regardless, there's no denying that scalpers played at least a small part in the PS5's early successes on the market.
Now said success is being reflected on the sales charts. In analyzing Game Sales Data (GSD) for the UK, which tracks retail and digital sales, GamesIndustry.biz determined that PlayStation 5 counted as the second best-selling console of 2020. Sony's newest hardware trailed behind the Nintendo Switch, a device that once again managed to take the crown as the year's top-selling console. According to the report from GamesIndustry.biz, 3.16 million consoles were sold in the UK during 2020 - that figure even takes into account handheld machines. Presently, there's no official word on how many Switch and PS5 units were sold in the region exactly.
Interestingly, apart from noting that PlayStation 5 is the brand's biggest console launch, Sony has yet to unveil the new console's sales numbers. It's a move unlike the Sony of old. The company never shies away from boasting about its game and hardware sales data when things are going well. But perhaps the hardware manufacturer wants to keep the specifics under wraps until its supply becomes more readily capable of meeting unprecedented high demand.
How well Microsoft's Xbox Series X|S is performing on the UK market compared to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch also remains a mystery. The Xbox console should be selling pretty well overall, however. According to Microsoft, the new device is already Xbox's fastest-selling system to date. On launch day alone, Xbox Series X|S moved over one million units worldwide.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
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