After years of trailing the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 on the sales charts, the Sony PlayStation 3 continues to close the gap on the Xbox 360.
From April 2009 to December 2009, Sony reportedly sold 10.8 million PS3 units, with 6.5 million sold from October to December. The PS3 price cut helped boost sales, and Sony plans to carry that momentum through 2010.
Since its launch in November 2006, Sony has sold 33.71 million units worldwide.
Despite the increase in sales, Sony may still be losing $18 per PS3 sold -- a drastic decline from the first iSuppli report that claimed Sony lost hundreds per unit.
The additional PS3 customers, who are now buying profitable games and accessories from Sony, led Q3 profit to increase 44% for the company. PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable (PSP) sales, however, are now down. PS2 sales are now 3.5 million units down compared to the same period last year.
The Wii has sold 67.5 million units worldwide, while the Xbox 360 has sold 39 million total units. From October to December 2009, Microsoft sold 6 million units -- similar to the PS3. An Xbox 360 price cut helped increase sales.
Expect both Microsoft and Sony to continue promoting their online services, as both the Xbox 360 and PS3 continue to expand their offerings. I look forward to seeing if the PS3 can further close the sales gap of the Xbox 360, but that will depend on which console has the more anticipated video game releases throughout the rest of the year.
