Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) had a rather good Thanksgiving holiday this year, with sales of PlayStation 3 hardware increasing by more than 200%.

Bloomberg reports that, "The 245 percent increase in PS3 units sold in North America was reported by the top 10 retailers for Nov. 18 through Nov. 24".

SCEA has not confirmed these unofficial figures - with spokeswoman Kimberly Otzman stating that an official figure was not available.

Compared with $249 (£125) for a Wii and $280 (£140) for the least-expensive Xbox 360, the PS3 is still the most expensive console on the shelf. However, these Bloomberg-quoted figures could indicate that the new $399 (£200) 40GB and $499 (£250) 80GB SKUs and price cuts seem to be working in its favour.

^{source: Bloomberg.com}