The phenomenal success of Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) was enough to award it two Guinness Awards, and if that weren't enough, the Wall Street Journal also reported that game sales actually aided the UK's economy for the month of April.

As successful as it is though, it seems it wasn't enough to help either Sony or Microsoft. At least, this is according to analyst Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets. He notes that there is a significant rise in software sales, but not hardware sales:

Solid videogame software sales continued in May, and we expect roughly 30 percent growth in console and handheld software for the month. We do not believe the recent release of GTA IV has generated meaningful incremental demand for the Xbox 360 or PS3 platforms.

His statement echoes the sentiments expressed by the simExchange last month. These opinions strike as a bit off though, as Microsoft claimed last month that 40% of those who got the game bought an Xbox 360 as well.

The only interpretation to accommodate both sentiments is that those who were intending to buy an Xbox 360 incidentally bought the game as well, instead of the game influencing consumers to buy a console.

Buy: [Grand Theft Auto 4 (PS3)
Buy: [Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360)]