I don't see any switch in postions so yes, yes it is.

Maybe,7m is actually a very big gap,
but it also depends on when are they(Nintendo,SCE,MS) going to release the next Gen system.

I say the 360 will be 2nd in North America. But the more important question is how the hell did the PS3 get into this position in the first place?

Before both system were released, if you had asked me who would have more JRPG, I would have said the PS3.

If you told me that Devil May Cry 4, GTA4, FFVIII and Resident Evil 5 would be released on the 360, I would have laughed in your face.

If you told me that 2 years into the next generation PS3 would be 5.5 millions behind the 360, I would have called you nuts.

It has been a crazy ride for Xbox 360 owners for last 3 years.

Considering that its' lead in America is currently bigger than its' WW lead was when the PS3 launched, definitely.

Correction,Resident Evil 5 were announced as a multiplatform title long before both PS360 release.

relatively safe, yes.

ya 360 owns america except for ninty and with all the sweet games coming gears 2 and better online its over.

Yah gears 2, because that's whats going to expand the 360 base another FPS game based on a FPS game that already came out for the 360.

The 360 has a built in fanbase, mainly people who bought the first Xbox plus a few million since a lot of kids who were 12 last generation are 16 now and in the 360 demo. Beyond 30 million WW there really isn't a lot of growth room since the 360 is the same console with the same rep as the Xbox. It won't be the everyone has one console, not a chance no matter how cheap it gets.

Also when some of you are talking about how OMG the 360 is taking off...it costs 199 now, barely more then the PS2. How much more can it drop? To a 99 dollar Gamecube price? I mean really they played their big hand early (the 199 drop) and this will be the sales peak. If the sales peak is 2-300k a month for a few months then its hardly like the 360 is breaking away with this one. In the short term it will extend how long the 360 can stay in 2nd (though not 2nd worldwide, that ship has more or less sailed, they'll be third by this time next year given the trouncing they receive weekly in Europe, just wait till PES09, GT5 and other games come out).

As to North America the 360 can hold on there (and only there) until maybe 2010 or 2011 (more likely 2010) but they're getting pretty close to the 360 saturation point of 30 million at which point sales will slow way down especially as computers that meet or beat 360 performance are more and more prevalent (the 360 is already a joke compared to sub 1000 dollar computers in terms of performance. By this time next year 300 dollar computers will beat the 360 on performance on the 360s best games).

PS3 number 2 worldwide in 09, PS3 number 2 in North America by 2010.

@Bonkers: You shouldn't have found GTA surprising, as the original Xbox got all of them, last-gen...

It's really dependent on a number of issues -- MS's continued pressure to keep 360 sales strong (360 == 2nd), BluRay's acceptance actually meeting analyst predictions (360 == 3rd). WW sales will eventually start to affect available NA software in a big way, so unless the 360 can really keep up in Europe as well, they may fall back in NA much faster than they have been, over time.

I think there's a good chance the 360 could finish 2nd, this gen. I wouldn't say its "safe to assume" by a longshot though. It's not.