PS5 launch was the biggest for any console in US history

A new report from analyst firm NPD shows that PS5 sales broke records for new consoles as well as new controllers. 

According to NPD industry advisor Mat Piscatella, "PS5 achieved the highest launch month unit and dollar sales for a video game hardware platform in US history. The records were previously held by the PlayStation 4, which debuted in November 2013." 

Piscatella also noted that, "PS5 was November's best-selling hardware platform in consumer spending, while Nintendo Switch led the market in units sold." This is a function of a few things: the limited number of PS5 systems available, the price of the PS5 compared to the Switch, and of course the enduring popularity of the Switch itself. It also raises the question of how well PS5 would have performed had there been a functionally infinite supply of consoles. 

Speaking with GameDaily, Piscatella clarified that "launch month sales of a new console have no correlation to long-term performance, so I don't think the strong launch performance says much more than Sony was confident enough to make the units available for sale that would reach the record," and that he expects PS5 and Xbox Series X to do well considering that they've both consistently sold out since release. Once the launch rush and holiday season die down and more consoles are in stock, we'll get a more holistic picture of how the demand for the two machines compares.

In other goods new for Sony, the new DualSense controller "achieved the highest launch month unit and dollar sales for a gamepad in US history" according to NPD's data. This is presumably the result of every PS5 coming with a controller – after all, if the car sells well, so will the sidecar – but the DualSense is an incredible little piece of hardware in its own right, so there's likely more than a pack-in effect at play.

Still struggling with where to buy a PS5? Here are the best places and times to check.