Ben-DutkaThe PlayStation 3 launched nearly one year after the Xbox 360, and Sony suffered from constant criticism concerning the console's price ($600 to start), the lagging Network, and a lack of must-have software.
Four years later, the worldwide sales gap between the PS3 and 360 has almost closed. According to the most recent sales data for the second fiscal quarter, and updated figures found at NeoGAF and summarized at Examiner.com , the PS3 has enjoyed a great 2010, outstripping the 360 by a current tally of 8.1 million compared to 5.8 million. The 360 certainly still has the lead in North America but in terms of worldwide numbers, the difference is almost negligible:
Worldwide Sales:
Xbox 360: 44.5 million
Sony PS3: 41.6 million
This generation, the PSN has taken gigantic strides, Blu-Ray has become the high-definition standard, the reliability of the PS3 has proven to be vastly superior to the 360 (although we have to admit, nothing holds a candle to the indestructible Wii), the price has fallen to the $300 "sweet spot," and oh yes, the games…with must-play, measuring-stick exclusives such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves , God of War III , Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots , Heavy Rain , Killzone 2 , LittleBigPlanet , Demon's Souls , and Gran Turismo 5 (whenever it may arrive), it's tough to argue against the PS3's value.
The PlayStation Move might also prove to be a hardware mover, although the impact of Sony's motion sensing technology has yet to be fully felt (despite the approximately 2 million Move units sold worldwide thus far). The last note: we just keep wondering how many of the 360 sales are second, third, and fourth purchases from the same consumer who had another system go kaput. Just a thought.