Sony's Stringer: PS3 a Hit In Europe

After what many would have considered a lackluster launch in the US, it appears as if the PlayStation 3 is doing much better in Europe. Sony says it has sold approximately 800,000 consoles since its launch there on March 22.

Of course, this does not take into account the supply issues Sony faced with its launch in the United States.. Whereas an estimated 1 million consoles were available for the European launch, most estimates say around 200,000 consoles were shipped for the US launch.

CEO Howard Stringer told the Financial Times in an interview that he estimated the company made some 100 million pounds in sales of the PS3 in the UK in just the first 48 hours, which he said may have been "consumer electronics sale in history."

Stringer did admit mistakes in the launches elsewhere, however he would not comment on whether it had hit its 6 million shipment target for the end of last month. Some analysts have expressed skepticism that the company met its lofty goals.

The PS3 has met surprising resistance in the market, most notably from Nintendo's Wii console. At $250, it is half the price of the 20GB version of the PS3, which is being phased out due to poor sales.

That combined with a year head start for the Xbox 360 has put Sony in the unusual position of being in last place in the video game console race. However, such strong results in Europe could signal a reversal in Sony's fortunes.

In related news, Sony confirmed Tuesday that it was indeed looking to possibly launch an 80GB version of the PS3, which had been reported earlier by BetaNews and several other news sources.