Sega says Dreamcast sales top 1 million units
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Sega of America Inc., the North American sales arm of Japan's Sega Enterprises Ltd. (7964.T), said on Tuesday that sales of its new Dreamcast video gaming console have topped 1 million units in North America since its launch Sept. 9, beating the company's forecasts.
The 1 million sales mark reached in about 2-1/2 months outpaced the sales performance of the Sony PlayStation, which was launched in September 1995 and sold 1 million units in nine months, Sega said, citing statistics from NPD Group of Port Washington, N.Y.
Sony Corp.'s (6758.T) PlayStation is the dominant video gaming console with about 60 percent of the market.
Sega said Dreamcast, which provides faster and more realistic graphics in a 128-bit system, reached the 1 million sales mark six weeks ahead of its predictions and before the key holiday shopping season that kicks off on Friday after Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.
Sega Dreamcast, the first Internet-ready video gaming console with a built-in modem, also is seeing record-breaking sales in Europe. Since it was launched Oct. 14, Sega Dreamcast has sold more than 400,000 units in Europe, easily surpassing previous company estimates.
Sega Dreamcast, which retails for $199, was launched a little over two months ago with 19 games, and will have more than 40 games available for the holiday sales season. Sega is betting on titles such as ''Sega Sports NFL 2K,'' ''Sonic Adventure,'' ''Sega Bass Fishing,'' and ''Toy Commander'' for a strong holiday sales performances.
''Sega Dreamcast's milestone is the interactive entertainment industry's equivalent to having a record go platinum or having a movie reach the $100 million mark,'' said Chris Gilbert, senior vice president of sales, Sega of America. ''By hitting the one million units sold landmark, it is clear that the Sega Dreamcast consumer has moved beyond the hard-core
gamer and into the mass market.''
The successful launch of the Dreamcast in the United States has been seen as essential to Sega's comeback attempt in the video gaming industry, analysts have said. Sega's launch of the Dreamcast in Japan last year was hampered by lack of software and the firm missed its sales targets.
Sega said that in addition to the console, game software sales also were brisk, with the typical consumer buying games, along with the console, increasing the average sale transaction to about $325.
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