PlayStation 3 finally get the big Mo, edges the Wii and Xbox 360 in Sept.

Fresh off a $100 price cut and decked out in a slimmer, trimmer case, the PlayStation 3 finally does what it's never done before: beaten both the Wii and the Xbox 360 in terms of monthly console sales.

That's the word according to the NPD Group, which just releases its gaming sales figures for the month of September.

The results: the PS3 sold 491,800 units, followed closely by the Nintendo Wii (which just got its own $50 price cut, to $199) with 462,800, with the Xbox 360 bringing up the rear with 352,600 consoles sold. (The top console overall? The Nintendo DS handheld, for the sixth month in a row.)

A few gaming analysts had already predicted that the PS3 would take the month of September, but even their optimistic numbers—between 400,00 and 410,000 units—fell short of NPD's figures, which are pretty much taken as gospel in the industry.

Of course, the September figures don't fully take into account the latest (and first) price cut the for the Wii, which finally saw a $50 price drop after sales had started tapering off in the past several months. Seeing as the Wii price cut didn't hit until September 27, I'd expect to see a spike in Wii sales in October. (The Xbox 360 also got a price cut in late August.)

That said, it sure feels like the PS3 is finally on a roll. The $299 price tag for the new, slimmer 120GB PS3 seems to be the sweet spot for many gamers—and come to think of it, it's exactly half as much as the $599 price tag for the original 60GB PS3, with twice as much storage (albeit minus the original's backward compatibility with PS2 games).

Another factor: the PS3 finally has a pretty hot lineup of games. Just last week, we got the exclusive "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves," a truly great hybrid of "Tomb Raider" and "Indiana Jones" with eye-popping graphics, addictive gameplay, an actual plot (a very silly plot, mind you, but fun nonetheless), and robust multiplayer options. Also coming soon: "Tekken 6" (which will also arrive on the Xbox 360, but the PS3 served as the primary development console) and "M.A.G.," the eagerly awaited 256-person multiplayer extravaganza.

So yes, the PlayStation 3 is putting its pedal to the metal ... but it better keep it there. The newly discounted Wii is sure to get a sales surge during the holidays, while the Xbox 360 just saw the launch of its exclusive, chart-topping "Halo 3: ODST," and will soon roll out such new features as Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm support, streaming 1080p movie rentals on Xbox Live (all due in the coming weeks) and the motion-sensing Natal system (due next year).