Sony sells over 1 million PlayStation 4s

Sony's PlayStation 4 is off to a hot start. Consumers in North America bought more than 1 million PS4s within the first 24 hours of the new $399 home video game console going on sale Friday. That's the fastest start for a PlayStation system so far.

Shuhei Yoshida, president of Worldwide studios for Sony Computer Entertainment, posted the news on Twitter Sunday.

PS4 has sold through over 1 million units within 24 hours of the launch in North America!!! :D

— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) November 17, 2013

As often happens when a mass release of a high-tech product occurs, a few consumers get a lemon. Some PS4 owners reported that their new console would not output video and had a flashing light, entertainment news site IGN.com reported.

"A handful of people have reported issues with their PlayStation 4 systems," Sony said in a statement to IGN. "This is within our expectations for a new product introduction, and the vast majority of PS4 feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We are closely monitoring for additional reports, but we think these are isolated incidents and are on track for a great launch."

And the highly publicized release of PS4 attracted the attention of some thieves. Two men were arrested in Bakersfield, Calif., after robbing a customer of a PS4 outside a store, Yahoo News reported. And in Hutchinson, Kan., thieves broke into a home and took a PS4 in the early morning hours Saturday.

Sony will release the PlayStation 4 in Europe and Latin America on Nov. 29 and in Japan on Feb. 22, 2014. For more information, see Sony's PlayStation 4 Ultimate FAQ.

For more on the PlayStation 4, go to USA TODAY Tech's Gaming coverage.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider