http://www.letsgomobile.org/images/news/microsoft/microsoft-xbox-360-arcade.jpg" width="119" height="128">According to GfK Chart-Track data, the PlayStation 3 is still trailing the Xbox 360 by one million units in Europe. While the console was steadily closing the gap with arch-rival Xbox 360 at the start of the year, Microsoft’s decision to slash prices in September and Sony’s unwillingness (or inability) to follow suit, widened the gap. With £99 Xbox 360 Arcade deals floating around right now, it looks highly likely that Microsoft will own this Christmas. If you ignore Nintendo, that is.
Microsoft’s ongoing hardware lead shouldn’t comes as too much of a surprise, seeing as the platform had over a year’s head start on the PS3. However, earlier in the year, Sony’s David Reeves was celebrating Sony’s new lead over the Xbox 360 in Europe. Either there has been a bit of a dramatic turnaround or someone was being a little over-optimistic with their figures.
Sony has also announced this month that it has a wider install base in PAL regions, which includes Europe, along with Australia and others.
Bear in mind though, that no-one truly knows for certain how many units of each console have sold. Microsoft and Sony aren’t going to tell each other exactly how many they’ve each shipped, and even so, shipping numbers are only a crude estimate of how many have actually sold. Third-party estimates are just that, estimates, and shouldn’t be taken as gospel truth.
However, one thing’s clear: Microsoft’s decision to drop Xbox 360 prices ahead of the Xmas rush has had a significant effect on its performance in Europe and will probably give it a healthy lead going into 2009. Sony does have a pretty decent looking games line-up for next year though and a rumoured price cut, while Xbox’s is looking somewhat lacking right now.
