PlayStation 2 sales are even higher than we were led to believe

The official PlayStation 2 sale numbers are causing quite the discourse online, as conflicting numbers leave us wondering who's telling the truth. Considering the hardware is nothing short of iconic, we demand answers.

According to Sony, the number of PlayStation 2 sold sat at 155 million units; it’s an impressive number. However, Jim Ryan, the ex-PlayStation boss, has come forward and claimed that the “official numbers” aren’t accurate.

Ryan has said that the number is closer to 160 million units – that’s quite the jump from Sony’s calculations. It calls into question who's right.

Can you brave being Alone in the Dark?

We all know that the PS2 was, and still is, the bestselling hardware of all time. Consequently, it shouldn’t be this tough to figure out the exact sales, and yet here we are. This isn’t the first time the official number has been called into question, nor will it likely be the last.

Still, if we’re to use recent analysis by Niko Partners analyst, Daniel Ahmad, we can assume the figure is between the two previously given.

“While this is as close as a final figure we'll ever get from Sony, it's also hard to say how much this has been rounded and whether Jim Ryan recalled the correct figure,” Ahmad explained. “So ultimately, we're left with a theoretical range of 158.6m - 161.8m from Sony's public data and 160m from Jim Ryan.”

Either way, the PS2 still comes out on top, thus its long reign of being the best remains unchallenged. Even if we return to these numbers once the PS6 has launched, we suspect nothing much will have changed. Sure, the leaked specs are incredibly impressive (if true), but the PS2 had something special. Its chokehold on us will never loosen.

Long live the superiority of the PS2!