Unless the PS3 becomes the market leader or close to it then history will view it as a failure. The N64 had very respectable number of consoles sold but is still viewed as a failure for losing so badly to the Playstation. Inevitably it seems that history records one victor and everyone one competing against them was crushed horribly and should be regarded as failures. Console industry is finnicky that way I suppose.

So long as the PS3 makes money for Sony I personally don't see how it can be called a failure. The first year was definatly a train wreck and a half all things considered, but it is too early to tell how it will all end.

your right it could very well happen and then it will definitely not be called a failure.

AND ANOTHER QUESTION  WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK IT SHOULD SELL TO BE CALLED A SUCCESS

 Damn man...I don't know....can't decide which way to go on this one... 

C'mon, you should know by now what defines a console as a failure. In consumer terms it's the inability to give out SW that would make people buy the console.

The other time when you call a console a failure is when it after it stops selling it will turn out that you haven't earned a single penny out of the HW and SW sales.

You have X amount of money, you invest Y into a new console and earn Z amount of from selling your product. In the end you find that X-Y+Z

@brute

if it does PSP levels & does GOOd software UNLIKE PSP then NO it won't be called a failure

this would definitely imply for a failure

your saying it will be called a dissapointment if it outsells 360?Im not really following

N64 had peanuts in Europe and Japan. It was outsold by Sega Saturn in Japan. It was a failure in my opinion as nintendo lost huge market share in Japan. 

As far as PS3, it all depends where it ends up in the console race, compared to the xbox 360. No one will catch the wii... Snes sold less than NES but in no mans is it a failure, so ps2 should not be a measuring stick. 

A failure at what?

A gaming machine? I draw the line between consoles that succeeded and failed between the Dreamcast and the Gamecube. The PS3 looks like it's going to hit at least 30M, so it's ok in this regard. Sony first party games have improved enough, and there are so many exclusives still in production, that it'll definitely end up as a console worth owning.

As a successor to the PS2? Absolutely. Sony took their winning formula that worked well with the PS1+2, and completely tore it apart. A hundred years from now, people are going to look back at the transition from the PS2 to PS3 for hints on what not to do.

As a way to push Blu-ray? Too early to tell, but looks like it's working pretty well.

 well i guess respect and brand appeal