14 DAY TRIAL // An analysts watching the video game industry has said that by 2012 he expects the PlayStation 3 home gaming console from Sony to have a bigger install base than the rival Xbox 360 from Microsoft, when the entire world is taken into account, with the United States remaining a stronghold for the Microsoft device.
Talking to Industry Gamers Jesse Divnich, who is an analyst working with Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, has said, “Worldwide, Sony will eventually take the lead from Microsoft, likely by the end of 2012.”
He added, “North America is a tougher challenge, and as we have seen lately, Microsoft's lead is widening. I don't know if the PS3 will ever overtake the Xbox 360 in North America. Maybe 2014? 2016? We do know the PS3 has incredible long-term value as a Blu-ray player, much like the PlayStation 2 did as a DVD player. But with strong competition coming from the digital front, one has to wonder if the PS3 will receive long retail legs like its predecessor did.”
Worldwide, at the end of September, there are 44.6 million Xbox 360 gaming consoles that have been sold compared to 41.6 million PlayStation 3 devices.
The analyst has emphasized that although the PlayStation 3 is in third place for the current console generation the platform is actually in good shape because high quality video games are being released for it and active users are buying and playing them.
The PlayStation 3 also has the disadvantage of being released later than its rival and initial reactions were far tougher, with a lot of potential customers claiming that the price of the new console was too high.
Recently both Microsoft and Sony have cut the price of their devices and relaunched them with significant redesigns, pushing sales higher.
The companies are also treating the release of Move and Kinect motion tracking systems like the launch of new consoles.