The PS5 was the UK’s biggest-ever console launch, reports claim

The November 19 launch of the PS5 was the UK’s biggest ever console launch, a report from VGC claims.

That’s according to publishing sources speaking to VGC, who claim that the launch sales for Sony’s new console exceeded those of the PS4, which sold around 250,000 units in the first 48 hours after launch.

This would mean that the PS5 has outsold its competitor, the Xbox Series X|S, which sold a combined 155,000 units on launch day.

The more expensive, disc drive edition of the PS5 proved more popular than the digital-only version – accounting for two thirds of launch sales.

Of course, these sales figures  come with the caveat that both consoles have been unable to meet demand at launch, and have both sold out. The Playstation 5’s launch was chaotic, with multiple retailers selling out instantly. The launch of the Xbox Series X|S was no better, and retailers have warned that additional next gen consoles may be unavailable until next year.

Xbox head Phil Spencer recently addressed the hardware shortage, saying that the initial sales of the Xbox Series X|S vs the Playstation 5 will not be the true measure of their popularity.

I just disregard that,” said Spencer “Frankly, this holiday, supply is going to dictate how many consoles are sold more than demand.

“That battle is not going to be a reflection of demand — it’ll be a reflection of supply.

“But also it’s really about finding more players, and any business that’s growing to scale, whether you’re in the games business or not right now, in the consumer space is how do you go reach more and more customers? There are about 200 million console households on the planet, whether they have an Xbox or a PlayStation or some combination of those. That’s the total addressable market for console players.”