Sony sells half a million consoles last week in US alongside more than 160,000 PS Vita units; PS Plus subscriptions rise 259 percent.

Sony sold 525,000 PlayStation 3 consoles and more than 160,000 PlayStation Vita units in the United States during the Black Friday week (November 18-24), the company announced today. Total PS3 sales (hardware, software, and peripherals) jumped 9 percent year-over-year. Sony saw particular success in Latin America, where year-on-year sales rose 200 percent.

Concerning the PS Vita, this is the first holiday period the device has been on the market, meaning year-over-year sales information is not available. Sony said its $200 Assassin's Creed III: Liberation bundle was especially popular, with major e-retailer Amazon selling through its entire stock in under five hours.

Other popular PS Vita bundles included the Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes offerings, which sold out at retail during the week, Sony said.

In addition to increased hardware sales, Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription service also saw a jump in membership. PS Plus subscription sales through the PlayStation Network rose 259 percent compared to last year.

Sony is the last of the Big Three (Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony) to announce Black Friday sales. Nintendo sold 400,000 Wii U consoles, 300,000 Wii units, 250,000 3DS systems, and 275,000 DS portables during the week. Microsoft sold 750,000 Xbox 360 consoles and saw Xbox Live subscriptions rise 50 percent year-over-year.

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