Sales of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console in the US reached 1.2 million over the Christmas shopping period, its Japanese owner Sony has confirmed.
The sales were recorded between 23 November and 31 December - about two thirds of the units sold in the rest of the year, research firm NPD Group said.
"The PlayStation brand ended the year in a very strong position," said Sony boss Jack Tretton.
The PS3 has been battling Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360 for sales.
Sales figures for the popular Wii console are not yet available for the Christmas period but NPD data shows that five million Wii consoles were sold in the US in the year to the end of November.
Sony has boosted its high-definition video format, known as Blu-ray, Mr Tretton said. The PS3 also works as a Blu-ray player.
Users of its handheld PlayStation console will be able to make cheap phone calls through the internet-based phone service Skype from later this month.
Sony released its figures shortly before the consumer electronics industry began its biggest trade event of the year in Las Vegas.[source:]
