Sony PlayStation 4 Sells 1m On Day One

Sony sold more than one million PlayStation 4 units in North America in the first 24 hours, the company has confirmed today. The console hit shelves along with the doorsteps of preorder customers from Friday, November 15th, and are described as still being "very strong" ahead of broader availability in Europe and Latin America in two weeks time.

"We are thrilled that consumer reaction has been so phenomenal," Andrew House, President and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. said of the swiftly-met milestone. "We are extremely grateful for the passion of PlayStation fans and thank them for their continued support."

However, the launch did not go entirely smoothly. A surge in PlayStation Network activity caused the cloud service to crumble for many, exacerbated by the fact that the PS4 requires a launch-day update in order to enable all of its features.

For instance, without that so-called "zero day" software update, the new PlayStation cannot do Remote Play, play music in the background, or other media tasks.

More frustrating than a delay in software, however, is a number of bricked or broken consoles that some gamers have been unfortunate enough to receive. Complaints across various forums and stores have pointed to a spate of flashing blue lights on some consoles, and an inability to get a picture on whatever TV or display is attached.

Sony, in a statement, dismissed concerns of more serious flaws, arguing instead that problems had only been encountered with "a handful" of consoles. "The number of affected systems represents less than .4% of shipped units to date," the firm said, "which is within our expectations for a new product introduction."

With stock of the PS4 low across the US and Canada, however, it's unclear when those with broken consoles – or those still waiting to get their hands on one in the first place – will be able to pick up a working unit.