Ben-DutkaThe PS3 sales surge hit a new peak when the price fell $100 last fall, and one group of analysts say the hot-selling machine will eventually surpass both the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.
As reported by Gamasutra , the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices (SACHD) service has provided us with a new forecast report, and the results show the PS3 at the top of the sales heap when all is said and done. This is primarily because they anticipate a much longer lifespan; the prediction is that the PS3 will remain a "commercial platform" for five years after Nintendo has replaced the Wii. Overall, the report estimates that PS3 sales will eventually hit 127 million worldwide, compared to around 103 million Wii units. There is no expected total number for the Xbox 360, but they say both the 360 and the PS3 "will hit their highest points between 2012 and 2014." But the bottom line is that the PS3 should continue to be relevant for far longer than either the 360 or the Wii. Said SACHD principal analyst and the report's author, David Mercer:
"Nintendo has done a great job with the Wii in bringing console games to new audiences. But its sales are now falling, particularly in mature markets, and its installed base will peak in 2011. Ownership of both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 will hit their highest points between 2012 and 2014."
Furthermore, the total global installed user base for home consoles will top 220 million by the end of 2010, although they also add that manufacturers will have to "introduce new systems in order to maintain industry growth." All along, Sony has said the PS3 has a 10-year life cycle and the more we progress through this generation, the more it seems that claim is just about accurate.
LOL, Any name ending with stramus needs to be left alone…
I just find it really annoying that these 'analysts' can get so well paid (and they are well paid) for doing little more than stating the obvious.
I don't really care who win in the end, I hust hope PS3 will keep selling and we get to enjoy more great game for PS3!
I'd like to add that it only took me about 3 minutes of research to find the articles I posted. Some people are claiming that wii and 360 are selling just as well today as they always have.
That is just not true. M$ and Nintendo have even admitted as much, if they can admit it why can't you?
The 360 is doomed to 3rd place, that I fully believe. The wii however is still selling well and has a pretty large lead. Taking both of these things into account I can't possibly see the PS3 catching up. It's okay though, 1st,2nd,3rd are things fanboys are interested in. As long as Sony makes enough profit to sustain their gaming development for many years I'm a happy camper, even if that means 2nd place.
Last edited by LimitedVertigo on 3/9/2010 6:12:06 AM
@LV outside the US (and possibly the UK) the 360 has been doomed for more than a year now, we're just somewhat behind the times (or learning curve) in the US….
As far as I can tell, the 360 has officially become the console of choice for people who don't want to pay for games. A few of my tight arse friends know the PS3 is the best, but there's too many piles of copied 360 games sitting in people's houses for them to make the right decision.
I'm not sure MS can depend on this kind of fanbase in the long-run, but it IS hurting PS3 sales and the industry as a whole. Good ol'Micro$haft.
I always get a chuckle out of how the PS3's increased sales are attributed to the price cut, while people forget entirely that the 360 had an identical price cut only a few weeks later. Anyhow, the PS3 continues to outsell the Xbox worldwide every single week, so it's just a matter of time. I also think that Natal is strictly for casual games where the only thing that matters is body movement. People who are expecting first person shooters to utilize natal may be in for a gigantic disappointment.
As far as the Wii, I don't see Nintendo "replacing" it. Making a hi-def version would increase its price, killing it's entire appeal. And what other reason would they replace it for? I mean, it's the "casual" gaming console. People don't care about better graphics, more processing power, etc.
off topic, did anyone see the episode of Smallville a couple of weeks ago where a kid reads a comic and instantly gets superhero powers and then is transformed to 19 or 20 years old?
I bring it up because, in that episode, he is at a girls house playing a 360 and he is using NATAL. It was that same ol kick ball game they showed at E3 last year. Lame, Lame, Lame.
So you're saying that the drop in price of the PS3 has nothing to do with the sales increase? While I wouldn't attribute all of its increases in sales to the price drop, it would be folly to discount the drop in price as to why sales have increased. A lot of gamers who weren't able to afford a PS3 (or those who still rely on mom and dad for much of their entertainment budget) are now able to do hence those people are now out there buying a system.
I agree with the article that it'll be a matter of time until the PS3 outsells the 360. The prices for the two consoles are pretty much even now and there is no change for the PSN. Throw in BR playback and the PS3 is a better entertainment deal, cost-wise. Add the PS3 being a more powerful machine and you have the recipe for it overtaking the 360.
Whether or not it'll overtake the Wii is a question. It's benefited from having the lowest price at launch compared to the PS3 and 360 plus its more casual-friendly game library has appealed to people who might not have considered buying a video game unit before.
No I'm not saying that – I'm saying that the DIFFERENCE between PS3 and 360 sales is being attributed to the price drop, while they both had identical price drops.
I guess I didn't phrase that too well originally.
@Jack,
After the price cut, it became painfully clear (finally) that the PS3 was actually a better deal than the 360. That, the lower price of the PS3 and the huge wave of superb games all contribute to the success.
I will just be glad if the PS3 outsells the 360, whenever I speak about the console wars, I exclude the wii, sure it sells the most, but to me it's not a system that fits into the current gen, if I would include the wii, I should also include the PSP and ds, so that's a nay.
As for this, I personally don't think the PS3 will outsell the wii, sure I hope it will, but at least it won't anytime soon. I do think the PS3 will outsell the 360, in the next two years.
The PS3 will outsell the 360 but the Wii, cannot see that, not unless the PS3 is a cheap blueray player option for people when the PS4 is out and about.
hello …
oh no i already commented twice & long post too on another site. Ok i'll just add 1 thing. Like some of you said, as long as the PS3 sales is high enough to ensure good support from SONY & great games too, i'm happy with it, even if SONY is 10th with 100 millions console sold all over the world!
but i feel like the PS3 will beat the others while remaining quite long or forever behind the WII sales, even if there is a drop on this side. There will always be some new kids wanting a console & like a few said, parents would go for fun/family games rather than give a 6 year old God of War, it will be immoral & illegal!
If Super Mario comes to the PS3, even in the form of an emulator, you will get a mega rise that will put it next to the WII, but hey now i need to stop dreaming LOL.
cheers!
I don't find this hard to believe as currently both Gamestop and Amazon are completely sold out of PS3's (120 or 250) my local stores have been slim pickings for months and Final Fantasy and God of War are only helping the sales. This "year of the PS3" tag lines never really fit to me rather I feel that 2009 was the year the PS3 turned around and its only going to go up from here.
Ben Dutka said —
"All along, Sony has said the PS3 has a 10-year life cycle and the more we progress through this generation, the more it seems that claim is just about accurate."
Indeed sir. Indeed.
Wii hase more sales then the 2 comined no chance of overtakes 2nd place is probably is furtest we ps3 owners are getting at
This is only if Sony keeps the PS3 on the market as long as PS2. The Wii and the excitement that surrounded it started dwindling in 2008. Xbox 360 has been in decline since late 2008 and PS3 has just started to pick up as consumers have started to realize it's relevance. The problem Sony faces is if Micro$oft and Nintendo release new consoles sooner than expected. Theoretically the PS3 should be relevant as a current gen console until the end of 2012. However, if Micro$oft and Nintendo both release new systems that are only slightly more expensive than a PS3 before the end of 2012, Sony could be in a bind.
PS3 will be relevant as a current generation console past 2012, that's only two more years from now. I think Sony will go into 2013 with the PS3 and there's a good chance it'll go through 2014. If Sony manages to put PS2 compatibility back into the mix somehow, if 3D becomes 'big' or if Arc/Gem is 'big' I could see the PS3 being the workhorse through 2014, but by then there should be a new console ready to emerge from Sony. The slow start of the PS3 and the relaunch last September have stretched this cycle by at least a year. There was a 6 year gap between PS2 to PS3, so I anticipate at least 7 years from PS3 to PS4. It depends how relevant the PS3 remains. Remember TV resolution is very, very unlikely to change. The PS3 is already capable of movies and games at 1080p resolution, it can also handle 3D. BluRay capacity can expand without a hardware change as well. There is no specific consumer technology currently available that the PS3 doesn't already have, so the PS3 has a chance to remain relevant for longer than the PS2 did.
Like I've continuously said in past threads,
By the end of the PS3's life cycle, it "WILL" also command the top spot as "king of the mountain", and, just as it's 2 younger sibling's have also done…..
PS1
PS2
PS3
"PLAYSTATION BATTLE HISTORY WILL "3PEAT" ITSELF"
TRIPLE BOOM!
@ Bikersaint.. Well said.
Honestly everyone I know said when the PS3 first released that it would never level up to the 360 and I stood firm on my stance on Sony that they would just had to wait and be patient and they will prevail. Well look at the PS3 now barely on the shelves, amazing exclusives on any console this Generation, Blueray is hitting fast and prices are even lowering on that (just picked up Planet 51 for 20 bucks on blueray) for peeks sake the machine resurrected on it's own LOL for the launched PS3's (mine was on of them) oh and do have to say those Kevin Butler commercials F* hilarious (KB for Prez) LOL.
So with all of this said there is NO reason for people to say Sony is going no where, cause how I see it all they can do is move Forward and they sure are and fast.
I also have to say those sale figures for the 360 I never trust how many of those where rebuys due to RROD or E74 ect… cause I bet those figures would be a lot less.
@Robochic,
I wonder how much growth XBL has seen compared to the number of Xboxes sold in the last 18-24 months…?
I stayed with the ps2 for a long time until last christmas. I decided to get a wii because my brother had one and I thought that it was pretty cool. Unfortunately the wii is also very easy to get bored with and leave on the shelf. I then decided to buy a xbox 360, but did my research first after hearing about the RROD. I picked up a August 2009 JASPER model 360 and unfortunately i was not surprised when it started giving me the RROD occasionally… Then I started researching the ps3. The
*bluray
*HDD swap
*built in wifi
*PS classics on the PSN network
*rechargeable controller (such a nice yet
cheap touch)
*god of war III
*God of war Collections
*did i mention God of War III?
*easy media playback
*netflix
*internet browser
*sixaxis controller
*built in Power Supply
To be honest the one thing that would truly make the ps3 sell like crazy would be backwards compatibility even if it meant spending more on a console… If they made the new slim models backwards compatible I would go out and buy another one tomorrow and I am sure that many others would as well. Or even just expanding the online store with more PS1 and (if possible) PS2 games… Also I do not want Sony to rush, but I hope that when a new console is released they will do more to try to convince the game devs to make the games for the ps3 first or make more exclusives. If they can get the devs to actually truly develop for the ps3 instead of just porting over from the 360 the ps3 would blow the 360 out of the water on every game.
I have no respect for microsoft and the only reason that I own a 360 is to mod the crap out of it. Even if the ps3 does get hacked (doubt it) I would not outof respect for the work that they have done on this awesome system. I even bought the GoW3 100 dollar edition as a thank you SCEA as I hope that they recieve a little more cash after subtracting the box and all that.
The PS3 will win. The 360 is owned mostly by people who pirate games and people who are getting sick of them breaking. and the wii is getting way to redundant and boring as they keep releasing 20 of the same exact games over and over again. The PS3 is truly making original and awesome games and is truly a solid piece of hardware.
I guess im going to have to try final fantasy to see what all this hype is about 🙂