Xbox 360 in massive sales surge.

Tuesday 30th September 2008 - 17:00


Price drop has console flying off the shelves - but Wii stays out in front, Force Unleashed stays top of the charts and Shellshock 2: Blood Trails PC screens



New figures announced today by ChartTrack saw sales of the Microsoft Xbox 360 increase by 214 per cent in the last two weeks, outselling Sony's PlayStation 3 by more than two-to-one and reaffirming its strong momentum in Europe in the wake of its recent reduction in estimated retail price.

A reduction in the Xbox 360 ERP last week has brought the entry-level price point for Xbox 360 down to (GBP)129.99. Combined with new launches to add to its already impressive line-up of games, movies and wider entertainment content, Xbox 360 is set to for an enterprising Xmas now that sales have reached over 6 million in Europe last week.

But that's nothing compared to the Wii - with figures released today stating that Nintendo's motion sensor console has sold a staggering 3.6 million units in the UK alone. During the same 12 months, the Xbox 360's installed base has grown from 1.3 to 2.3 million, the PS3's from 0.4 to 1.4 million, the DS's from 3.8 to 7.1 million, and the PSP's from 2.2 to 2.9 million. These numbers put the Wii way out in front in the 'next-gen' race for console domination with Xbox 360 and PS3 in second and third place respectively.

On the subject of competitive positioning - a quick look at this week's all-format top 40 show's that although we clearly live in uncertain times, there is an air of calm in the charts. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed retain the top spot for the second consecutive week. Wii Fit sits firmly in second place with Mario Kart Wii holding on to the bronze medal. Highest new entries included Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway blasting in at number four, with Disney's highly-acclaimed Pure leaping in to eighth place.

Finally take a look at a few new bloodthirsty screens hot off the presses from the lovely folk at Eidos. Shellshock 2: Blood Trails is a new survival horror first person shooter set around the Vietnam War. A release is scheduled in time for Xmas for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Although frankly, we couldn't imagine any game less festive!