In a turn-up for the books, the PS2 has notched up stronger sales than the newer PS3 games console in Japan. For the last week in January in Japan, unit sales were 20,995 units versus 19,996, in favour of the seven-year old PS2. The results show that Sony is still having problems hitting its delivery targets.

The company aimed to sell two million by the end of 2006 but only passed the mark last month. It’s still confident of hitting six million by the end of March. Buoyed by the PS2 upsurge though, Sony has revised its PS2 shipment forecast up from 11 million to 13 million for the year.

The figures, from the research agency Media Create, show just how popular the PS2 still remains, and not just in Japan either. It might seem odd that the PS2 is doing so well now that the PS3 is here but there are compelling reasons to invest in a PS2.

First off, and most importantly, the PS2 is now cheap as chips - £75 - compared to the £425 price tag for the forthcoming PS3, due here in March. The games catalogue is also massive, with most of them now available second-hand from games shops and DVD rental clubs. As a cheap console for the home, or second one for the family, the PS2 is hard to beat especially with so many kids games on offer.

Expect the PS2 to remain the console king for some time to come.

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