Sony has announced a new deal which it believes will tempt UK gamers into buying a PlayStation 3 console.

UK consumers will be offered a PS3 and two first-party titles for £349.99 when the promotion becomes available on 18 January.

However, the deal offers scant savings on current selling prices.

Games available under the deal include Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Formula 1, Lair, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, SingStar PS3, Motorstorm, Resistance: Fall of Man, Folklore, Warhawk and Genji: Days of the Blade.

The addition of first-party titles, rather than the less popular titles usually included in such deals, may seem appealing on the surface, but some have pointed out that the deal may not be that attractive after all.

Amazon UK retails the PS3 on its own for £279.99 and offers games such as Ratchet & Clank and Uncharted for £35 each, coming to the same price as Sony's 'special deal'.

Other games retail for even less than £35, making the deal potentially more expensive than if the games and console were purchased separately.

Only Singstar, Warhawk and Formula 1 are priced above £35 (£39.99, £38 and £36.50 respectively), and therefore represent a small saving.

Although these prices are below the recommended retail price, and other stores may sell these titles for more separately, it brings the value of Sony's new launch into question.