Current-Gen Console Userbase Hits 22 Million In UK

The current console generation has a userbase of 22 million in the UK, according to detailed 2008 hardware sales statistics released by UK retailer GAME Group. Using data from GFK Chart-Track that is normally not made public, the data was revealed as part of GAME’s Christmas financial results. Covering all currently active platforms except the PlayStation 2, it found the Nintendo DS and Wii had both the largest installed userbase and highest sales in 2008. The total current-gen home console userbase for the UK is pegged at 10.0 million units, with 4.9 million units of the Wii, 3.2 million for the Xbox 360 and 1.9 million for the PlayStation 3. The total lifetime-to-date userbase for the Nintendo DS is at 8.8 million units and the PSP at 3.3 million units. In 2008 alone, the Wii sold 2.9 million units, the Xbox 360 sold 1.4 million units and the PlayStation 3 sold 1.0 million units. The Nintendo DS sold 3.4 million units, and the PSP 1.0 million units. Retail figures for the rest of continental Europe are also usually kept private, but the UK is generally regarded as the strongest market for Microsoft in Europe. Nevertheless, the Xbox 360 creator still claimed recently that it was over 1 million units ahead of the PlayStation 3 in Europe as a whole.