PS3 Sales Surge in UK

Sony achieved a rare feat in the past week with the PS3 clearly outselling every other console in the UK, data from ChartTrack shows. In what's also the first week the slim PS3 has been available, the smaller and less expensive model helped PS3 sales jump 999 percent. The research firm wouldn't provide hard numbers to MCV but said that the DS Lite, Wii and Xbox 360 all sold in similar numbers and that the PS3 sold roughly three times as many units as these.

Those gathering the data won't make a prediction as to whether or not those results are sustainable. Aside from coming before holiday shopping, some of the surge may have come from those waiting for the expected price drop to arrive rather than average buyers suddenly attracted to the more affordable console.

A less dramatic but similar effect saw the PS3 gain in the US and outsell everything but the DS Lite. The British difference hasn't been explained, but historically they and Europeans have been friendlier to the PS3 and in many cases have chosen it as much for its Blu-ray movie viewing as for games.

Sony is counting on price cuts having this effect as the PS3 has often struggled to compete with even the PS2 for sales and has triggered threats from developers that they would drop support if prices remained high and sales fell.

By Electronista Staff