I haven't seen it suggested here yet, but I'm wondering if all the Sony LCD TV PS3 promotions could account for some slight miss representation of unit sales? I don't know how well the usual trackers adjust their sources for such cross-promotional deals with different retailers, it must be a nightmare to factor.

I've also seen it suggested that as these reported quarters end June 30, that there's a possibility that the 360S shipments for European markets may not be included.  This could also explain the difference.

The site owner always had problems including the various Australian Bravia promotions. I think we are past the fourth promotion down under and I think the first 40'000 PS3 went into the statistics eventually. There are probably around 60-80'000 Aussie freebies not counted  in the statistics.

As for the "overshipping" argument that seems to be the favourite explanation by certain members to the 1mio gap, there is a very simple number disproving this. 1mio PS3 in Sony warehouses must show up in the fy report in the "inventory" row. It doesn't. Inventory increased marginally - very likely some of it due to around 500'000(?) Move gadgets ready for distribution in the near future. In the end I think the PS3 cousl be undertracked by a few 100'000 units. As Mike B already has shown, software numbers are roughly equal between XBox and PS3 and this is what Software companies are interested in, and not whether a perceived gap is 5 or 4 or 3 mio units.

If you look at the back of a 360s, you can deocde when it was manufactured, on the silver label stuck to the bottom somewhere. It usually takes 6-8 weeks from manufacturing date to the shop. Anything sold in early July was manufactured long before June 30.

That was for the second quarter which ended in June just so you know. 

Obviously that's the only answer. Lol.  Sony is just channel stuffing! Your personal experience is in no way relevant to this discussion.  I haven't been able to touch a PS3 for months now up until about 1 month ago.  Since then the PS3 has been well stocked and meanwhile this entire time the 360 has had tons sitting on shelves.  So much for personal experience eh?

Shipped consoles do not count as sold consoles because they have not been sold to consumers. A retailer may overstock on one console in order to have units consistantly in stock, but at the same time not be able to make demands on another console.

In this case, the PS3 is overstocked. Retailers have enough PS3's to sell for an extended period of time (no clue how long). However Microsoft isn't even meeting retailers demands for consoles. Retailers keep selling out their 360S models.

Now does this mean because PS3 has shipped over 2 million extra units then it has sold, that the console is only 2 million sales closer to 360 sales? Absolutly not! If Microsoft could produce enough 360's to meet retilers demands, the difference would be well over 6 million consoles, and if that were the case, would the consolesales difference be over 6 million? Not until microsoft has sold another 700,000 more units then Sony in the next few weeks.

Thats probably going to happen though, lol.

I'm really curious about which console this holiday will lean towards. Both consoles have a big blockbuster title, however Microsoft has recently released a Slim model, and the Kinect is looking to be a bigger system seller then the PS3 Move controller. I think Microsoft will be the better selling system this holiday, and for the entire year, but if Sony pushes hard the next 2 years it still has a chance to become second overall. I say this because after Gears of War 3, I don't see too much content being released on the 360. That is unless Kinect takes off, then the 360 is basically garenteed second.

And what games do Sony have in 2011 and forward other than UC3 (which isn't even announced yet) and The Last Guardian? I am pretty sure both companies have great games coming, but if you look at announced games i wouldn't say either console was better.

On to your bullet points:

"A ton more assets (which are sellable if needed)"

Assets are either liquid (sell fast) or illiquid (sit in warehouses for months on end). PS3s are definitely more liquid than a 3D Sony TV selling for $3000. Likewise, Apple iPods are light years more liquid than the Sony Walkman.

Assets are both a asset and a liability. Much more a liability if you cannot move them in a month.

Not a real valid point without statistics to show how liquid each and every asset Sony creates is.

"A bigger workforce"

This is not an asset at all especially in Japan where they have the 2nd highest life expectancy after one of the Nordic countries (Iceland, Sweden, Finland or Denmark I cannot remember at the moment). With a larger workforce, you have a larger liability in wages and benefits, especially when they hit the 40 plus age range when they start to develop chronic medical conditions.

Not a valid point because a bigger workforce is not only a liability in terms of dollars, but bigger workforces have been shown throughout the history of business to paralyze companies in dynamically changing markets where if you don't restructure and fundamentally change your way of business today, then you will be extinct tomorrow.

The consumer electronics industry is a dynamically changing market. Just consider the iPod versus the Walkman.

"More annual customers"

This is an asset due to Sony being a consumer electronic conglomerate with everything from PS3s, television sets, record labels and what not.

Very valid point, but it is not a valid point when you are solely comparing Microsoft's Gaming Division to Sony's Gaming Division because it is unfair to compare apples to pomegranates.

"A much more diversified product range and mix"

See the above.

"More revenue"

Revenue is not profit. Profit is remaining revenue after a company pays off it's liabilities and taxes. Throwing the "more revenue" argument around is equivalent to arguing invididual citizens in one country are better off than those in another because their country has a higher gross GDP when it is GDP per capita that matters.

In this case it is the company with the highest profit who is in the best position to lead and respond to the market. Microsoft may be smaller as a whole, but they are more agile and able to put out new products faster because they are not depending, like Sony, on one of 5 plus different consumer electronic divisions to post a profit so it can subsidize other unprofitable divisions (as they did for the PS3 from 2006-2009).

360 exclusives for 2011 and beyond:

Gears of War 3, Kingdoms, Forza Kinect, and eventually Mass Effect 3

PS3 exclusives for 2011 and boyond:

InFAMOUS 2, Killzone 3, Twisted Metal, The Agent, Final Fantasy XIII Versus (Rumoured to be multiplatform), The Last Guardian, and eventually Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3

In my opinion both the PS3 and 360 have already gone over their peak console sales, both recently with the Slim models being announced. However with Blu-Ray, and more IP's I think Sony is more capable to stay afloat sales-wise. I mean PS2 is still selling 30k a week. Microsoft has less exclusive franchises (and I am not in any way refering to quality, I love both 360 and PS3 exclusive franchises), and many of the trilogies are seeing an end. Halo Reach is the last Halo by Bungie, Gears 3 is suppose to be the end of a trilogy, but I bet the storyline will continue, and how many Forza, and Fables can they make?

It's just after Gears of War 3, Microsoft does not have any big name 360 exclusives announced. So this could turn consoles sales slightly in PS3's favour. Will it be enough to overtake 360 sales in the end? I seriously doubt it, but it is possible, especially if Kinect fails to attract gamers. however Microsoft is a massive corporation, they will make the 360 cost $1.99 if they have to to keep 360 sales superior.

^ Whats your point? You talk like "omg Sony is a big company they have bigger revenue yada yada" the gaming division in Sony is bigger than Microsofts, thats the only 2 companies that compete, if we look at the whole picture then yes M$ is bigger, but not the gaming division, in the gaming division Microsoft is the smallest, Nintendo is the giant and Sony is in the middle. As for money made/lost, both Sony and Microsoft has lost money ,the difference is that Microsoft will be in the green in 2 more years if everything continue like it does, Sony wont be this generation. Remember that before the PS3, Sony Computer Entertainment made money.

And i don't see how this is relevant to this thread, its about Sony having shipped more consoles since PS3 launch than Microsoft have, but i think Microsoft will close that gap soon enough, currently it gets sold out every week and actual units sold Microsoft is above since the PS3 launch.

Damn, gone for a week and the gap is less then 3 Million ?!?!?