We already had this kinds of treads. I don't see necessary to make a new one. But to answer the question, 360 is a big success and PS3 is not a failure.

As a 360 fan, I do expect MS can push more in Europe and try to convince more European gamers to accept 360.

Given it's impossible to actually gauge exactly how Microsoft faired given the masking they do in the division they put the 360 in it's hard to say for certain if they've made money on the 360 or not. My gut feeling is they have so with that in mind I'd say the 360 has been a success just not as big as it could have been. Without the RROD fiasco the 360 would have probably made the PS3 stillborn and that was a missed opportunity. In summary it was a success but only just.

The PS3 had huge expectations (we were all there for the bluster hype and arrogance by Sony) which it frankly has never fully lived up to. When you consider how much more expensive the PS3 was for the first couple of years, you have to question why the console wasn't significantly ahead of the 360 in terms of the graphics on titles released. Sony messed up the technical architecture, messed up the costing, messed up the marketing and ultimately paid a huge price in profits having to drive sales with a huge early cost cutting exercise. All in all it is surprising the PS3 has done so well sales wise but that's what brand loyalty and strength will do for you. Given the PS3 has lost significant market share, lost billions in profit I can't consider it a success. I will add that the hard work Sony did in cost reduction and hence price reduction combined with driving first party exclusives to make the PS3 the number one choice for some gamers means this generation hasn't been a disaster of epic proportions it could have been and the customers will go into next generation thinking about the new IP's they've played in the last few years rather than the overpriced barren console they started with 6 years ago. In summary it's not a success but a good recovery means it has laid a strong ground for the next generation and there is a chance of the next 4-5 years they can reduce some of the losses (they'll never recoup everything back).

It is important to note that this generation may have ended up completely differently had it not been for the Global economic downturn which certainly has a huge effect on Sony and their exports in the last couple of years.

Sony lost 70-80 million customers with the PS3, and the company is in financial ruins. The PS3 was most certainly a failure. Sony's once dominant electronics empire now lies in shambles, Sony is failing as a whole.

All big 3 are now in trouble situation. MS was overtaken by Apple and Google and Sony was overtaken by SS. Nintendo? It is in red.

Lol, what?

its doing good in Europe. 23m sales is pretty damn good.

Next Gen it will be even stronger with Kinect for Casuals and strong 1st party line up along with great price and more apps for europe!

Since they were created to make a profit, I will only consider how they are doing financially for their owners.

Xbox made huge losses in the beginning but now is quite successful, and is making profits largely due to Xbox Live. Overall, it should make up for its huge loses from previous years around next year, so that is why I think its neither a success or a failure.

PS3 was a failure financially. Its made huge loses, and will probably never be able to make up for them.

I'd say excellent post.  I do think you're embellishing the Xbox 360 numbers a bit.  I'm sure they'll grow but I think the current numbers are significant enough.

The only thing I would add, I think for Sony the investment in the architecture and design of the PS3 was a serious failure.  While hindsight is 20/20, the investment in the Cell proved too costly not only for Sony, but for the developers they had lining up to code for the console.  Had some of that gone to a more advanced symmetrical processor, Sony likely would have hit the market sooner with a less expensive console.

Anyone who believes the PS3 was ever going to do PS2 numbers is either fooling themselves or they're inflating probabilities to create a bigger drop. Microsoft killed the Xbox so they could launch the 360 early and they were willing to spend billions of dollars on marketing and exclusives. That Sony was going to lose some market share was a foregone conclusion, never mind the Wii being an unexpected hit. I just hope all these people who believe that total units sold in one generation have to be surpassed in the the next or the console is a failure remember their positions down the line so they don't end up looking like hypocrites.

Something to remember about the PS3 is that it bears the financial burden of Blu-Ray for the sake of other divisions. By rights, the cost should have been differed to the company at large, or perhaps the film division, and it's quite likely that it's viewed that way internally, which is why Sony considers gaming to be a primary focus. I think they understand that if you take away that factor then the PS3 was a successful product. Because of Blu-Ray, the gaming division can't be considered in a vacuum, not in a realistic, real-world sense.

360 huge success for Microsoft. Live unbeatable for content and ease of use. You get what you pay for. And it makes Microsoft big money. Also more than tripled their userbase.

PS3 big big failiure. More than halved their userbase. HUGE mistake financially making PSN free. Talk about bleeding money. Then Bluray. Although great in my mind. Seriously 6 years on and its still dominated by DVD.

Basically I expect Sony to kill off another 2 studios before Xmas 2013.

Whereas Microsoft have made 6 new studios in the last 3 years. All making games for next gen.