PS3 to outsell 360 in Europe by summertime

Sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 are on course to overtake Microsoft's Xbox 360 in Europe by the summer of this year, according to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's president and CEO David Reeves.

According to Reeves the console is already outselling its rival in France, Spain, Germany and Italy, and over 1 million units were sold across the continent in the December build-up to Christmas last year.

On top of that, the latest numbers show Sony with a three-to-one advantage over the 360 in sales last week.

Reeves, talking to MCV, also explained that around a fifth of that number was down to the UK alone: "We're very happy with the performance of PS3 in the UK," he said.

He added that his company's console now had a higher cumulative installed base in some regions.

"It has not yet reached that in the UK. But the team here expect to overtake the installed base of Xbox 360 across all PAL territories in late summer.

"It's also worth mentioning that last week we outsold Xbox 360 in PAL territories by a ratio of three-to-one."

Momentum seems to be building for Sony's flagship console following a torrid time last year, as the effects of the price cut and increasing popularity of Blu-ray continue to kick in.