GFK Australia will today release sales numbers to gaming console manufacturers which will indicate just how well the new Sony PS3 is going in OZ.

In the USA Sony is claiming that sales of the PlayStation 3 video game console have jumped in the weeks after a $100 price cut last month. The unit which sells for US$299 Vs $499 in Australia was up 300% from a very low base say Sony executives.

Jack Tretton, chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, said. “We are up significantly versus last year.”

The US data is for the three weeks  after Sony slashed the price of the PS3. What has not been revealed is how the PS3 stacked up Vs sales of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and  Nintendo’s Wii both consoles that significantly outperformed the old PS3 gaming console. “In a very difficult economy, I couldn’t be more optimistic about our fortunes for the rest of the year and for the future,” he said.

But he noted that higher demand for the PS3 could leave some retailers out of stock due to Sony having volume production difficulties.