Sony still planning to ship 1m PS3 units before the end of the year

Sony has said it still intends to ship one million PlayStation 3 units by the end of the year, with manufacturing "now running smoothly" and consoles being airlifted in "on a constant basis".

In a statement, Sony said that the first batch of PS3 consoles were snapped up "within hours" - and that the 60GB version sold better than the 20GB model. Topping the PS3 software chart so far is first-person shooter Resistance: Fall of Man, followed by Madden '07.

According to Sony, the launch of PS3 had "a halo effect on other PlayStation products" such as the PSP - with week-by-week sales up nearly 30 per cent at the top five retailers. PS2 sales also rose by more than 24 per cent.

"Sony Computer Entertainment America couldnât be more pleased with the response we have seen from consumers since the launch of PlayStation 3 on Friday," said corporate communications boss David Karraker.

"This truly demonstrates the power of the PlayStation brand and further validates our belief that consumers see real value in an entertainment system that will define the next decade of digital entertainment."

Karraker said that SCEA is focused on getting as many PS3s to North America as possible in time for Christmas, and will be "airlifting systems to the territory on a constant basis".

"With PS3 manufacturing now running smoothly and product being aired in weekly, we're focused on our goal of shipping a million units to retail by the end of the calendar year."

Due to the "immediate nature" of the shipments, Karraker said, "We will not be providing weekly updates on North American supplies."

It was long expected that the PS3 would sell out at launch, but some analysts, such as Lazard Capital Markets, have questioned whether Sony would be able to meet its own targets for day one shipments. LCM also forecast US sales of 750,000 units by the end of the year.