A report released today shows that UK gamers account for the lion’s share of consoles sold across Europe. Does that make us cooler than our Euro gaming chums. Er, yeah, probably...

As of January 31 2009 the combined sales of PS2, PS3, PSP, DS, Wii and Xbox 360 stood at 32 million units for the UK, that’s according to a new financial statement from UK retail giants GAME and Gfk Chart Track. Against that, hardware sales across the other non-UK markets in which the GAME group operates totalled 42.7 million.

So let’s break that down a bit. Sony consoles first, and since launch way back in 2000 the Playstation 2 has shifted a cool 10 million units in the UK. Meanwhile the Playstation 3 has done 1.9 million since March 07 and the PSP a healthy 3.2 million units thus far.

The latter, as you might expect, is dramatically overshadowed by the DS in all its many forms has sold 8.8 million since making its debut in spring 05. Add to that the 4.9 million boxes the Wii has sold over the last couple of years and you’ll see that Nintendo has plenty to feel smug about.

Lastly, the Xbox 360 matches the PSP’s performance with 3.2 million sold. Sony surely won’t be enjoying the taste of those apples, although their wondermachine has fared a rather better, beating the 360 across Europe.

All told, a quick dabble on the office Pikachu calculator shows that UK gamers account for 43% of all consoles sold throughout Europe. Nintendo seems to be ruling the roost with the leading current-generation home console and handheld in all territories, but it’s interesting to note European gamers’ preference for the Playstation 3 versus our own fondness for the Xbox 360.

Anyway, here’s how it all breaks down. UK sales (in millions) first, European figures after the slash:

PS2 – 10 / 14.9
DS – 8.8 / 12.6
PSP – 3.2 / 4.8
Xbox 360 – 3.2 / 2.3
Wii – 4.9 / 5.4
PS3 – 1.9 / 2.6