Gamers Evolved

Christmas shopping has officially begun and the Playstation is starting off with a bang. After the hectic rush of Black Friday Sony was able to take a step back and evaluate exactly how much they had sold.

Sales showed that the PlayStation 3 shot up to 298 percent since Sony introduced the cheaper $399 40GB and most of the sales occurred on Black Friday. The news follows a similar positive week in Japan, where the PS3 outsold Nintendo’s Wii for the very first time.

Ironically, the Nintendo Wii’s success - which has also put it past the Xbox 360 in sales - could actually help Sony during the hectic holiday season. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said he spent Black Friday scouring retail stores for Wii units, and failed to find any that were available. The company already increased its production to 1.8 million Wiis a month, but that won’t be enough to meet demand.

That means those in the market for a Wii this holiday may have to settle with the PS3 instead thanks to a the many consoles available in both 40GB and the pricier 80GB models. Microsoft is also making sure Xbox 360s remain on store shelves this holiday, and has introduced a new “Arcade” bundle to entice potential Wii buyers.

Even though Sony has made some improvements it will still be awhile before the pass Wii sales all around the world. If the Wii shortage continues the frustrated people may stay away from Nintendo for a very long time.