14 DAY TRIAL // One of the big Internet feuds of the moment is that between the fans of the PlayStation 3 from Sony and those of the Xbox 360 from Microsoft. Both home gaming consoles are thoroughly beaten in sales numbers each month by the Nintendo Wii but the loyal followers of the two hardware devices are locked into a titanic battle related to who will gain the second spot of the current generation of gaming consoles.
Now, those who favor the PlayStation 3 can apparently add one new weapon to their arsenal as the site TotalVideoGame projects that the PS3 will catch up to the sales numbers of the Xbox 360 in 2011 and will then surpass the Microsoft product to reach a total sales number close to 100 million units. The consoles will have pretty much equal install bases in January 2011, then the PS3 will speed ahead.
The projections made by the site are based on the current sales trends and point out that the Xbox 360 has a year of sales advantage over the PS3 at the moment. Sony is saying that, currently, there are 24.6 million of its consoles sold and Microsoft is talking about an install base of 30.2 million for the Xbox 360. Sony was quick to underline the TotalVideoGames estimates as proof of its superiority.
The only problem with the estimates is that they practically assume that the current trends will continue unchanged for the upcoming two years.
The site admits that the launch of new technology, like the rumored PS3 Slim and Project Natal, will change the dynamics but another problem is that, as time goes by, the sales curve for all consoles tend to become flatter as early adopters are phased out and as more and more people become interested in getting games for the device they already own rather than picking up a new one.