Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced that the PlayStation 3 has sold in excess of three million units in the United Kingdom. GfK Chart-Track data indicated that the system sold about 2.2 million units by July 2009 in the region, meaning over 800,000 consoles were shifted between now and then.

"We'd like to offer a huge thank you to our retail partners in helping us pass the 3 million PS3 milestone," said Ray Maguire, UK MD. "The £249 price point is enabling us to reach a much broader audience and our line up of software, Heavy Rain, and God of War III -- and that's just in Q1 -- should help maintain the momentum."

At this month's CES, Sony president Kaz Hirai said that, during the holiday period, over 3.8 million consoles were sold. The breakdown of that number is unknown however. With the strong lineup of PS3 exclusives, it's no wonder the console is doing well.

SCEI CEO Kaz Hirai announced at Sony's CES press conference that the PlayStation 3 sold 1.8 million units in December in the United States, 3.8 million units worldwide. According to Hirai, 2009 was the PlayStation 3's best year yet. This news, of course, is following the announcement that the Wii sold over three million units in December. One analyst believes that the PS3 will see a 10% growth in sales in 2010 while the Wii and Xbox 360 are expected to see a decrease in sales.

Hirai also announced the extension of Sony's movie program, which will go beyond the PS3 next month. The premium video service will be available on PCs, Blu-ray players, and a number of other devices. Sony plans to expand the PSN beyond the PS3 and PSP as well. Sony will be introducing the PSN virtual wallet, which can be used universally across Sony's services.

Sony recently confirmed that its planned content distribution service for its network-connected devices will be launching sometime next year. Reuters reports that the service is expected to offer films, music, books and other content to its range of network-capable TVs, Blu-ray players, ebooks and other devices.

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Less than a couple hours ago, we reported that a new subscription-based service was coming to the PlayStation Network. Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has clarified this, and it looks like online play will remain free.  "SCE will further increase sales by offering users new entertainment through the combination of hardware, software, peripheral and PlayStation Network," said Hirai. "Especially in the online area, we are studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model, offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services."

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Back at E3, Sony showed off a playable demo of Wipeout in 3D on the PS3. Today at a Sony press briefing, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai mentioned the 3D technology, saying that Ps3 owners will be seeing the tech very soon, as in next year. The company plans make the console fully compatible with 3D TVs, which are set to debut  in 2010. Not only that, but Sony wants to have 3D games available in time for the launch of such sets. The new 3D games will be playable by current PS3s via a firmware update.

[via andriasang]