ChartTrack statistics have pegged last week as the worst sales period for Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld video game system in Europe. The dip in sales (32.1% to be exact) was attributed by Sony to growing anticipation for the PSP Slim's launch. This is according to a report from MCV UK.

"There are probably a lot of consumers who are now waiting for Slim & Lite to arrive," said ChartTrack director Dorian Bloch. "The fact that kids are returning to school is also sure to have had a marked effect. There are always bad words to say about a dip like this, but there may well be a sales spike in week 37 after the new console is launched."

The redesign for the company's popular handheld will be launching in the UK on September 14. ChartTrack also noted that retailers were thinning out stock of the original PSP to make sure that there will be enough PSP Slims at launch.