Over half a million PS3 slims sold last week according to VGChartz.com

In what is probably the most successful console re-launch in history, over half a million PS3 “slims” were sold last week worldwide according to VGchartz.com’s preliminary data – this represents over a 400% increase week on week (and a number of retailers in the US had already started selling the new model PS3 last week).

In Europe, some regions saw as much as a tenfold increase in PS3 sales (admittedly, sales had been low the previous week as consumers anticipated the new model launch) – around 250,000 units were sold in “other regions” (Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia etc) according to their preliminary data. In Japan, reports have already been independently confirmed from Famitsu magazine of over 150,000 units sold – twice as much as the previous best week for PS3. Sales in Americas also saw a large increase, over 125,000 units according to preliminary data (although this could be higher as more info comes in).

PS3 software also saw significant increases – many PS3 versions of multi-platform titles comfortably outselling their 360 counterparts this week. The big question will be how long can this bump be sustained for – VGChartz.com expect a fair dropoff next week, but PS3 should remain ahead of 360 and Wii for most of September if not longer than that.