For 4 years, PS3 sales have lagged behind Xbox 360 sales – largely in part to the Xbox 360 having an entire year head start. When Sony announced a price drop and the PS3 Slim, sales started to climb and haven’t slowed down since. As of late 2010, PS3 is no longer third in the console race.
A report from data firm Strategy Analytics, has confirmed what PS3 gamers have hoped would happen for a long time. According to the company’s data, the Wii had an install base of 75.5 million active units worldwide at the end of 2010, PS3 had 43.4 million units, and Xbox 360 had 42.9 units. Senior Analyst, Jia Wu, had this to say:
While the Kinect peripheral has given a boost to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 strategy, the console’s performance outside of the US continues to disappoint.Global demand for Sony’s PS3 has exceeded that of the Xbox 360 in each of the past two years, and we expect that to continue over the coming years.
While not many people would have predicted a few years ago that PS3 would ever catch up to Wii sales, Wu said it now seems possible. Fellow analyst, David Mercer, added:
Microsoft’s second generation console has dramatically improved the company’s position in the digital home. But its relative weakness in Europe and Asia acts as a drag on its global performance. Microsoft should continue to innovate around its motion sensor technology, which will become increasingly relevant in the smart home era.
The report goes on to say that by the end of this year, PS3 will increase its active user base by 15.7 million units. The Xbox 360 is expected to increase by 13.7 million units, and the Wii is expected to decrease in active users by 10 million units. Could PlayStation once again become top seller of the generation?
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