Record-breaking PS3 pre-orders in PAL territories

Despite less-than-stellar sales over the holiday period when compared with its competitors, Sony can take solace in the fact that Play.com has received 6 times as many pre-orders for the Playstation 3 than the Xbox 360, and a whopping 15 times more than for the Nintendo Wii.

Play.com's Head of Games, Gian Luzio, said that Play.com has seen a favourable response to its £524.99 bundle, which includes first-party titles MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man and Genji, stating that the PS3 is now their "most pre-ordered console yet."

A spokesperson from Sony added to say that "retailer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Woolsworth, Amazon and Play, to name a few, are reporting record breaking pre-orders and an overwhelming demand for PS3."

PAL territories have always seemed to hold a soft spot for Sony, with the PS1 and PS2 holding comfortable leads over the competition. Amidst the flurry of negative press relating to Sony's latest addition to its hardware lineup and a less-than-friendly price tag, it'll be interesting to see if these early, promising reports translate into strong and consistent sales.