What place will the ps3 end up in at the end of this Gen?

[binary solo]

I say 2nd equal. So there isn't a voting option that is suitable for me. You've also gotta define the end of the generation, which isn't easy when the consoles started the race at different times. I say second equal because...

360 will still have a lead when it effectively discontinues with the release of the Nextbox, but I think at that time PS3 will have better WW sales momentum. Sony will be looking to give PS3 at least another 1-2 years of sales (not the full 10-year plan) past the 360's end and so PS3 will eventually surpass 360 sales, but few will give such an achievement much notice).

PS3 will also be the 2nd placed console in all the significant markets except USA, Aussie, UK, and maybe the Vikings. So the 2 consoles will basically share the spoils on a country by country basis. PS3 could also be the number 1 console in the collective minor markets of Europe at the end of the gen, but's it's a tough battle with Wii there. It seems 360 is unlikely to be the number 1 console in any market/region as delineated by VGC. PS3 is already the #2 console in "Others" but that's such a nebulous set of markets I don't really think there is much validity in using it for the purposes of this discussion. But it is overall number 2 in all of Europe (including the UK) which is a slightly better market definition than "the whole world other then Japan and the Americas", as if that was a single relatively uniform market. And, well, we know how things are in Japan.

In the overall scheme of things brand Xbox has gained immensely and brand Playstation has diminished greatly. However while brand Xbox is almost guaranteed to keep its gains for the launch of the next gen machine, it would seem brand Playstation is well on the road to redemption so that its position is much better at the end than it was in the beginning of gen 7.

Looking towards the next generation: Nintendo certainly has it all going in its favour, so I vote Nintendo the console maker most likely to win Gen 8. However, I vote Sony the most likely console maker to spoil Nintendo's party in Gen 8 (though I don't particularly fancy its odds).

Finally the fact that someone can ask this question without appearing to have lost about 30 IQ points in doing so says a lot about the current position of PS3 in the market.

For all the above reasons, and others I can't be bothered writing about I say 360 and PS3 will end in an effective tie.

Oh and the fact that the red line and the green line have not crossed in this graph: http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunch.php?cons1=Wii&reg1=All&cons2=PS3&reg2=All&cons3=X360&reg3=All&weeks=170