All aboard for a new generation
We look back at the most memorable console launch in years
Well, here we are. Given the way 2020 has gone, it feels a bit surreal to think PS5 has been out in the wild for a few weeks now. But we’ve made it and next gen is now current gen (new gen?). To welcome you to our brand-spanking-new redesign, we’re going to look back on a launch that will undoubtedly remain memorable for years to come.
Japan, North America, South Korea, and New Zealand received their PS5s on 12 November, and we Brits got our mitts on the funky white box on the 19th.
To celebrate the release London Underground was taken over by a number of PlayStation icons. Bakerloo, Victoria, and Central Line platforms sported a new look, and various stop names were transformed, creating never-before-heard-of destinations such as ‘Horizon Forbidden West Ham,’ ‘Gran Turismo 7 Sisters,’ and ‘Ratchet And Clankaster Gate.’ Oxford Circus’ Tube signs were given a PlayStation makeover too, each one styled after a different face button. An immersive 3D advert played above Piccadilly Circus, showing the extra dimension offered by PS5 and its DualSense controller.
Merry old London wasn’t the only city to roll out the red carpet for PlayStation 5; others all around the world enjoyed a touch of next gen to celebrate release day. The PlayStation face button symbols took to the water and climbed the Piazza San Marco in Venice, while Paris lit up with another 3D ad. Similar stunts were seen in 25 different territories in total, including Northern Ireland, Brazil, Germany, and The Netherlands. Like so many other tourists, PlayStation posted all of its holiday snaps to its Instagram. MAKING AN ENTRANCE That definitely counts as making a splash. As for splashing out, let’s talk sales. Between November 2013 and December 2019, PS4 sold 106 million units worldwide, with 2.4 million of those flying off the shelves in its first two post-launch weeks. It’s worth remembering that that second number only really accounts for the North American release as PAL regions had to wait a fortnight and Japan didn’t get PS4 until February the following year. So, how does PS5 compare?
Famitsu reported that 118,085 units were sold in Japan over the first four days of PS5’s release. This doesn’t hold a candle to the number of sales during the same period after PS4’s launch – the earlier console shifted 309,154 during its first week. PS5 is far from struggling, though, as worldwide it blew PS4’s 2.4 million launch sales out of the water, surpassing an estimated two million units sold ondayone. There’s a reason PS5s were in short supply, and it wasn’t all due to Covid-19. PS5 is simply hot.
It wasn’t all about sales, either. Shortly after launch Time magazine listed the console among its 100 best inventions of the year, praising it for “small advancements that combine to create a revolutionary experience.” When we asked our readers it turns out you felt much the same. LAUNCH PAD Judging by those sales figures, it’s likely you already have your own PS5 looming quietly in a corner of your living room. We took to Twitter to ask you how you spent launch day and what you played first.