The strength of the gaming industry in the face of dreary economic news reflects a practical reality for many young people: Gaming is relatively cheap compared to other entertainments. VGChartz's Jacob Mazel points to another industry trend that has a cost element: The sale of the Nintendo DS ($130 on Amazon) and Sony's PSP portable systems ($170 on Amazon) in the Americas is up sharply in the first week of June, mainly because they are relatively cheap, and there is a flood of new purchases as youths finish school and have more time on their hands. More than 162,000 DS units were sold in the week ended June 7, and almost 70,000 PSP units were sold, representing week-over-week growth of 24% and 16%, respectively, reports Mazel. The Wii sold just over 133,000 units, a 16% drop from the previous week.

But the most surprising data point in Mazel's charts relates to the PS2. It's still selling a respectable number of units -- 28,208 in the week ending on June 7, compared to 42,837 for the PS3, and 59,038 for the Xbox 360. The huge catalog of PS2 games is a factor, but the price may also be tempting to many buyers -- it's listed for $130 on Amazon, compared to $400 for the 40GB PS3 and $350 for the 20GB Xbox 360.

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