Sony of Europe held its press conference at the E-werk in Cologne, Germany earlier this evening. The evening was marked by exciting demos, all important exclusive hands-on time and even a few reveals thrown in for good measure.

For those who enjoy reading about the industry numbers Sony disclosed a few interesting figures, which you can ponder over below.

According to President and CEO of SCEE Andrew House, the momentum in the games industry has shifted over the past year and the rate of sales for the PS3 has changed since the release of the PS3 Slim. Despite healthy competition from new products and price drops from competitors, PS3 sales remained strong. The new $299 price tag for the PS3 also helped to make the PS3 more accessible, creating a new audience for Sony’s console.

It’s interesting to note that the PS3 has sold 38 million units globally, with 16 million of those coming from the SCEE region. This shows a 57% growth year-on-year, quite impressive given the fact that the market has been struggling due to the global crisis.

PS3 software sales have increased by 38% while Metacritic scores reveal that the PS3 boasts the highest rating score of 80%, followed by the Wii with 77% and the Xbox 360 with 76%.