This actually isn't flamebait, so put your pitchforks down. You can keep the torches up. They give a nice atmosphere. Nothing quite like dancing shadows. Er, anyway, Engadget reports that the end-of-first-quarter sales of the PS3 trump the end-of-first-quarter sales of the XBox 360 -- we mean the first four months of release for both (so, one year ago for the 360 sales, the quarter ended for the PS3 right now). This can be attributed to a multitude of factors, some we can debunk:- PS3 is a new system, so of course it's selling better. However, this is comparing first quarter of both console's release. That means that even with no competition, the 360 is selling less than the PS3. Since the PS3 has competition from two other consoles, to say that it's topping another in terms of sales, despite the year difference, is a positive outlook for the system down the road.
- This only applies to America! However, if Japan were added into the mix (since Europe was added only at the end of the quarter, we'll leave them out this time), the gap would only widen.
What's the use in comparing this year's sales to last year's, you ask? It's simple, really. It gives a fairly accurate (read: barely) way to estimate the future sales of the PlayStation 3. That is to say, it may be on track to continue its climb to second place. It also portends a growing consumer base that may or may not explode in Europe (the launch wasn't exactly a gigantic success).
Naturally, there are no charts or anything to prove these numbers, but it's up to you to decide what the future holds. Again, this isn't flame against the 360 -- it's just a way to think about how the PS3 is performing relative to competition in a similar timeframe. Your thoughts?
[Thanks, Matt!]
[via the lovely and link-a-rific Engadget]
