It would be nice if Sony was transparent with its hardware shipments so that we didn't have to rely on former execs for the numbers years later, but Shawn Layden confirming the 160.6m number on that engraved PS2 is good enough for me; particularly when it's right around what many people who have done the math believe it to be.

It seems that some people simply don't want to understand that the final official number was changed 2 times. There where PS2/PS3 and PSP/PSV lumped together. And the final number for te PS2 went higher even after discontinuation. If the PS2 was discontinued in 2012 and not 2013 how could it be "over 160 million units". Changing already confirmed numbers do not change anything. As it was mentioned. IF this number was true, the 87,4 million number of the PS3 would have to be lower baring the possibility it never passed the 360. Its only the question whats the bigger evil. Puking out fantasy numbers someone wrote on his personal system (basically anyone could do it with every system) does not change anything.
If the PS2 really reached 160 million, Sony would have anounnounced it. Why was Sony contacting serval websides telling them they are "nearing 160 million" back in december 2012? Then "over 160 million" cannot be right! Something is fishy here!

"If the PS2 was discontinued in 2012 and not 2013 how could it be "over 160 million units"

Ending production as of January 4, 2013.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jan/04/playstation-2-manufacture-ends-years

The PS2 : 155.1 million (as of March 31, 2012)

Now with the last year : FY2012 (april 1st 2012 to march 31 2013) the PS2 has reached the 160M units.

PS2+PS3 = 16.5M

I was always into the notion they should reveal the final numbers once they stop production.
It's pretty cool to know actual numbers, even as people on the internet are still able to figure out pretty close estimates.
I would love to know as final numbers for every Sega console too.

Simple. They were nearing 160M in December (possibly talking about the sales up to end of November, since December wouldn't be finished yet). So with the help of the sales in December + January PS2 did, it passed over 160M.

"Nearing 160M" could mean a lot of things, It can mean 159M it can mean 159.5M it can mean 159.8M. We don't know, either way there were 2 months of sales after that point.

When replying to a post that was in reply to someone else I keep the previous reply visible so it's easier for others to see some of the context of the conversation.

The only thing that definitely can't be true is "more than 160.0 million as of March, 2012". It must be corrected to "...as of March, 2013". If Sony insists with the former date, then they really have lost credibility. Initially, I thought that this updated number is really just because of the 30th anniversary celebration of the Playstation and has no hidden intent by Sony. But thinking over it a few days, I think that Sony really is pissed that the Switch is catching up. After Shawn Layden confirms that the number of 160,636,885 produced PS2's is true, how can I not believe it? He's not working for Sony anymore since quite some time and just lying on X about such a number wouldn't really make sense, to be honest. But still, I have a feeling Sony is somehow butthurt about the Switch. It's probably not really the sales number of the Switch but the immense financial success and good reputation it gave Nintendo that somehow hurt Sony. "How can Nintendo come out with such a product and has such an immense success - We are the Kings of consoles, We demand the console gaming market, We make the terms and conditions of the console gaming market, We...". I think they really built up a very big ego over the years with their many successes (with just one turd, the PSVita).

Leave it! Some people do not want to understand it. 

Thats what counts. They did not say 160 million by jannuary 2013 but by march 2012. And you correctly mentioned their official shippments for that timeframe. But they now said "over 160 million by march 2012" wich is false. 

@Evilm
Ah.. one more thing. Your statistics do not show 160 million! Why?