PS4 may struggle to match PS2 lifetime sales, but Sony will try, says Kawano

PlayStation 4 launched in Japan over the weekend, and Sony Computer Entertainmnet Japan and Asia President Hiroshi Kawano concedes that while home consoles may struggle to match the lifetime sales of the staggeringly popular PS2 in today's market, the company's going to give it a college try.

Rob Fahey was in Japan for us to watch the PS4 launch unfold. He hit the streets to ask Japanese gamers what they thought of the big day, and even hit some game shops to see how the console was selling. It's a great insight into how Sony is perceived over there, and to get a feel for the local hype. Check out his report through here.

It's worth noting that as of March, 2012; lifetime PS2 sales hit 155 million. We reported last week that PS4 sales had just passed 5 million ahead of its Japanese launch. It's early days yet, but Kawano is being realistic in his outlook.

Speaking with Inside Games he said, "As we all know, unfortunately the sales of the PS3 didn’t even get near the sales of the PS2. It mat be difficult for a home console now, but I think we shouldn’t say it’s impossible unconditionally.

"However, I believe it’s possible to expand the popularity of the PS4 by providing a rich gaming experience and making use of the fusion of network service and high performance that is possible only on home consoles."

Conservatively, he added, "When we talk on whether it’ll match the sales of the PS2 numerically, we’ll have to do our best in the future."

Do you think PS4 will match PS2 sales? Let us know below.

Via DualShockers.