Sony has announced that its PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld console has broken all previous records to become the fastest-selling console of all time in the UK.

According to Chart-Track, the official games industry record keeper, more than 185,000 units were sold in the first four days.

Compared to its rival handheld, the Nintendo DS, the PSP shipped just under 100,000 more units in the same time compared to the DS launch week in March earlier this year.

The games console / portable media player went on sale in Europe on 1 September, nine months after hit Japanese stores and six months after the US.

Of the 24 games available to new users, Ridge Racer seemed to be the most popular with one in five people buying the game along with the PSP device.

Sony expects a million PSPs to be sold in the UK before Christmas.

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