Games industry braced for biggest month of all time

Cheap Xboxes, plus the launch of Mario Kart and GTA IV

The games industry could be about to enjoy its most lucrative mid-year sales period of all time. The launch of two of the most highly anticipated games in the history of the industry is expected to spark a domino effect that will lead to lots of new consoles being bought.

On 27 April the long-awaited Mario Kart Wii will finally be launched in North America for Nintendo's Wii console. The game will have already come out by then in Europe and Japan. And 29 April will see the worldwide launch of perhaps the hottest title of 2008: Grand Theft Auto IV.

GTA IV will come out for both the Xbox 360 and PS3, and that means all three consoles are getting a hot new game in time to kick off the spring.

PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii set for sales boom

This is no ordinary launch period, either. Both the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3 have been plagued by a perceived lack of quality titles over the last year. Gamers all over the world have been constantly complaining that there are not enough decent games to play on their new consoles.

So that magic week at the end of April will finally give Wii and PS3 gamers the boost they are looking for. Which means that a generous number of PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 gamers will be going out and buying one of the two games.