Sony: 3 Million PlayStation 3 Units Sold In UK

Three million PlayStation 3 consoles have been sold in the United Kingdom since its debut back in 2007, Sony Computer Entertainment said today. Despite the system still lagging behind competitors Wii and Xbox 360 in total unit sales in the UK, Sony considers the milestone cause for celebration: it is holding a party in London to commemorate the occasion. And there are signs that the system is significantly improving its pickup rate in the region. According to figures released by UK retailer GAME last April, PlayStation 3 had sold 1.9 million units in the UK, which makes for an average monthly sales rate of 76,000 since the system's March 2007 launch. Since that time, however, the system has sold another 1.1 million units, giving it an average monthly sales rate of 120,000 between April 2009 and this month. In 2009, the PlayStation 3 format also saw a 14 percent increase in software unit sales over 2008, leading the UK-based Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association to dub it the year's "star console."