It had to happen sooner or later - Xbox has been newly crowned second in the next-gen console race. Serious pricecuts and dirty tactics have meant that the Xbox is now a serious contender in the console war. But for how much longer?

With the all-important festive period looming, the Xbox has overtaken the Cube in total UK sales and has surged ahead in the weekly sales. The Sega-Xbox pack is proving to be a real turn on for buyers, with a massive 10,271 units sold pushing a 42% rise on previous week sales. GameCube sales however compare rather embarassingly with 6,657 units sold - an increase of 15%.

It's worth bearing in mind that the Cube has sold 230,876 in the UK since launch in May, whereas Microsoft are slightly ahead on 233,503 from launch in March. Therefore in reality the GameCube as sold more on a shelf-life to purchase ratio, but does this really matter?

A Microsoft representative predictably marked the news with much embrace - "We are really pleased with the positive momentum we have going into the Christmas period and are delighted that more and more gamers are experiencing the superior gaming offered by Xbox."

At first glance, Super Mario Sunshine, despite massive early sales, hasn't proven the killer-app that Nintendo so urgently needed here in Britain. However, the superior bundle offered with the Xbox is probably more of an indicator of where the troubles lie.

The price of the Sega-Xbox bundle is seriously tempting, so Nintendo need to offer a similarly priced deal to shift units. Mario and Eternal Darkness would prove a deadly combination. The absent DVD capabilities of the GameCube are also proving a turn off, so Nintendo need to pricecut and make the Cube unsatiable. However, Nintendo don't have an endless supply of readies like rivals Microsoft so can they make such a deal profitable? Comments from a Nintendo Europe spokesperson are expected soon.

Other format sales are as follows: PS2 on a unstoppable 39,719 units last week, up 35%, and GBA moving 13,693 units - an increase of 26%.