PlayStation 3 sales rocket over 1000% on slim release

[wraggster]

Chart-Track has told GamesIndustry.biz that sales of the PlayStation 3 have rocketed over 999 per cent in the past week, shifting eleven times the number of units sold the prior week.

Sony introduced the new, slimmer SKU last Tuesday, and although Chart-Track does not reveal actual sales numbers, Dorian Bloch, director of the firm called the growth "a huge increase".

"The uplift on week 36 on week 35 is plus 999 per cent," revealed Bloch. "We don't give out the hardware numbers, but never-the-less it's a very large increase."

The boost in sales will be a pleasing early start to the Christmas season for Sony, which told GamesIndustry.bizlast month that it expected the redesign to pull in new consumers.

"I think what I've heard anecdotally is that this is the point people were waiting for - a redesigned model and, in Euros, a significant price reduction," said Andrew House, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. "That's people's cue to jump into the business."

The PlayStation 3 has been remodelled earlier in the its lifecycle than the PlayStation 2. The PS2 slim, released in the 44th week of 2004, helped sales jump 310 per cent.

Chart-Track also said that last week the PS3 outsold the DS, Wii and Xbox 360 by approximately 3:1. It's the first time this year that Sony's home console has been the lead hardware format in the UK – it last held in the lead in the first week of 2008.

PS3 software sales have increased by 17 per cent in terms of units over week 35 to claim third place behind Xbox 360 and Wii, while in terms of value software sales have increased by 5 per cent to remain second behind 360 games.

The news follows a climb in Xbox 360 sales of 43 per cent last week, due to the price cut for the Elite model to GBP 199.

This week, sales for the Elite were still up in the region, said Chart-Track, an increase of 29 per cent over last week's growth.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...n-slim-release

[Triv1um]

Its the price drop, not the new model.

This sort of thing encourages Sony to make these remodels because they think its the revamp that makes sales.

It's not the new size/shape/weight, its the improve price.

[ICE]

I think its both. Its not like the redesign is all that great but it did make news and that drew attention to the console and the fact that it was $100 cheaper.

[lmtlmt]

The old model kicks the slims ass, no denying.