The whole PS3 launch didn't help matters here regarding this confusion. Sony's change in the method of tracking shipments meant that after March 2007 there were at least 3 different figures floating around about how much it had "sold"... there was the 2.7/2.8 million VGC reported as sold (American and Japan figures were consistent with NPD/Fam/MC and as the PAL launch had some figures released by GfK the VGC figure should have been understood as a close estimate) then the 3.75 million figure (I can't be bothered researching to get it exactly but it was around there) that was what we normally understand to be shipped, ie out of Sony's hands but not yet into consumers as well as Sony's older method of reporting their internal shipments which totaled 5.5 million. The internet media as usual didn't help matters with many "news" articles claiming one or the other type of shipment figure as definitive sales. (Also not helped when one Sony spokesman mistakenly mentioned another number of 6 million)
I think by now, particularly after the whole UDraw fiasco, the general population of VGChartz at least understands the difference. The problem still remains on a wider scale because an article on the internet is often deemed as proof because people can't be bothered, or are unable to research the facts behind it.
