Going for the Big One

If you thought Sony would have trouble hitting 500,000 PlayStation 2s for each launch territory, you were not on your own. If you suspect their latest announcement is about as likely to bare fruit as a lump of coal, you are certainly not on your own. According to an unnamed Sony spokesperson (we reckon it was Chris Deering), the company has produced nearly 5m units since its launch in Japan in March, (we put the number at closer to 2.5m, but we shall let them have their fun) and they intend to reach an annual mark of 10m units this year, i.e. on the first of April. Speaking to MCV, the spokesperson said that Sony needs to "boost to its output equivalent almost to two million units a month to meet the target." That's roughly 66,667 per day, a startling figure. "The key to raising output," according to Sony, is "boosting production of components." Well we would never have guessed. Apparently the firm is slightly below its targets at the moment - thanks to shortages in its graphics synthesizer part. They now claim this is the only thing holding the console back. And if you believe that... Related Feature - PlayStation 2 Launch Coverage