Sales of PlayStation 2 More Than Double

Sony Corp.’s sales of PlayStation 2 in North America more than doubled in May, outpacing sales of video game machines made by rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co.

Sony sold more than 520,000 of the machines in the U.S. and Canada, an increase of 315,200 from April, according to a report by NPD Group Inc.

Sales of Microsoft’s Xbox rose by about 151,800, to 230,000. Nintendo sold 112,300 GameCube consoles, a gain of 30,300, according to the report, which is based on a survey of retailers. All three video game companies lowered the prices of their consoles in May, with Nintendo and Microsoft seeking to boost sales against PlayStation 2, the top-selling machine.