Word Is That The PlayStation 3 Has Finally Toppled The 360 Worldwide.

The console war literally erupted after months of quiet acceptance from all sides. According to a report filed by data firm Strategy Analytics, the PlayStation 3 has now surpassed the XBOX 360 in "active install base", pushing the Microsoft system down into last place in the console war.

Of course, Nintendo's sitting on top laughing at everyone, but the crux of the numbers show that Sony are on top with an active install base of 43.4 million, while Microsoft languishes behind at 42.9 million. It's unclear how the numbers are being calculated, but it seems like a big chunk of the 360's perceived sales have been lopped off due to hardware errors.

Perhaps more importantly, Strategy Analytics anticipates that demand for the PlayStation 3 will continue to grow worldwide, while the XBOX 360 continues to "disappoint" outside of North America. The firm concluded that the PS3 install base will grow by around 15.7 million this year, with the XBOX 360 stuck at around 13.7 million.

This story kicked up a massive storm overnight. Never afraid to get a quote out to the media, Michael Pachter seemed concerned with the news of his precious XBOX 360 being overtaken.

“The only way PS3 passes 360 is to be priced at a lower level, and I don’t see that happening,” Pachter told Industry Gamers.

“Microsoft appears determined to ‘win’, so I don’t see them allowing Sony to gain a pricing advantage, ever.”

What's hilarious about Pachter's comment is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the news at hand. He doesn't even attempt to counter Strategy Analytics numbers. Sony will overtake the XBOX 360 — price will only accelerate that. Way to disprove the point though, Pach-attack.

EEDAR's Jesse Divinch concluded with perhaps the most reasonable conclusion: that all systems are winners this generation.

“As someone who isn’t afraid to claim winners and losers in this industry, I must say the PlayStation 3 never gets enough credit for its accomplishments. I don’t foresee being third-place this generation as the ‘loser,’” he said, suggesting that all three consoles have healthy and active install bases.

Phew. Sales, huh? Guess people like to talk about them like they are an indication of quality or something. Ever since the PS3's reached a stage where it's a viable and competitive system, we've lost interest in the "war". The PS3 is the best home system out there in our opinion. Surely that's all that matters?

[source gamasutra.com]