• 3Dec 08

  360 Gap Over The PS3 Now Only 300k Away From Being The Highest It Has Ever Been

  Well the end of 2008 is upon us. A year full of great games, lots of console sales and a few turkey's!.
  
  Before the year started 2008 was touted as "The Year of The PS3". Even Gamespot touted it. As did media sources and fanboy's alike.
  
  But now only 4 weeks until the end of the year we enter a interesting period for you stat lovers.
  
  After the PS3 price cut and the release of MGS4 in June the PS3 was in front and chasing back the 6.5m gap the 360 started the year with. At this point for the first 7 months of the year the PS3 had sold 1m more units then the 360. The gap was getting closer and closer. The prophecies of the year of the PS3 seemed to be true. But since July the 360 started to fight back as the PS3 price cut and MGS4 sales started to fade. Sales for the next 3 months where neck and neck. But then came the 360 price cut in September. And with that PS3 sales nosedived and 360 sales went to almost Wii like levels. The 1.4m gap the PS3 had at September had been brought down to just 250k as of today. With the numbers the 360 is posting and the low numbers the PS3 is posting would lead you to believe that as the clock striked 12 on the 1st of Jan 2009 the 360 will have sold more consoles for 2008 then the PS3. Something that looked very unlikely in July.
  
  But this isn't the only interesting stat. There is possibly a bigger stat that has gone un-noticed or not told by various media outlets such as Gamespot.
  
  If the 360 sells just 300k more units then the PS3 which looks very probable it will mean the 360 will have it's biggest gap against the PS3 in this generation. You would think that gap record would be the almost year head start the 360 had over the PS3 but you would be wrong. The biggest gap was actually 7m units worldwide just before holiday period 2007. So if these numbers happen which looks very likely will mean that with the PS3 now in it's third year it will find itself the furthest behind it has ever been.
  
  That is pretty grim reading for Sony as would mean their paid exclusives such as Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet and Resistance have had zero effect on catching the 360.
  
  The other problem is right now that gap will get bigger simply because the momentum going into 2009 is now with the 360. Sony has to not only stop the 360 outselling it but then start to bridge the gap between the two giants. Will a $50 price cut in March really be enough to stop these major high sales of the 360?
  Time will tell.
  
  But what we can say for sure is "The Year Of The PS3", failed to happen. It was the same story as the previous 2 years. The Wii selling like it was oil and the 360 many millions behind that with the PS3 bringing up the rear once again. Is this the pattern for this generation or will 2009 be the year of the PS3? With no GTA4, No MGS4, No LBP and no Resistance 2. With Gran Turismo now looking likely it won't make it in 2009 will KillZone 2 really do better then 2008's games? Think we have to say that is pretty unlikely. But if one company can rise to the challenge it is Sony!
  • Posted Dec 3, 2008 9:10 am PT
  • Category: Business
  • 4 Comments
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