Yes, percentage is going down because the gap between install bases is percentually decreasing. In this sense the first graph states the obvious.
But basically that percentage is all that matters to more or less whoever studies the compared sales of a game on the two platforms, rather than the absolute volume. Important example: a developer that has to decide if it is worth to spend 20-30% more to go multiplatform.

I don't know why so many people get angry when sales numbers from the rest of the world get brought in. That's where sales are most profitable you know due to exchange rates. How is concentrating on only the market the 360 is strong in the intellectually honest approach? If anything I would think using world wide sales would give you the best picture of how things are really trending. On top of that, the real important graph would be revenue from games across both platforms. On that graph the PS3 would be doing far better (and passing the 360 far more often) given how the Sony sales are slanted towards the more profitable Japanese and European markets. Look at EA's revenue numbers, even when more copies of games move on the 360 the PS3 makes more money because of where the sales take place.

Believe!

This is bordering on bullshit. The PS3 is finally catching up to the 360 in multiplatform sales, and that's somehow a negative for the 360?

The PS3 will never catch up entirely, there isn't enough time left. It could match pace, but too much ground has been lost.

Not only that, compare the sales of the exclusive titles and you'll see that the 360 games have vastly outpaced their PS3 counterparts.

Because of Japan, hell no, the 360 version of FFXIII won't outsell the PS3 version.

However, NPD number are what MS are talking about, and if they say they will sell more copies of XIII ACCORDING TO NPD, well, they probably have a trick up their sleeve or something, and they certainly know more about that than most of you.

I can't predict how much the game will sell in North America, and what the ratio between consoles will be.

I can, however, tell you that the simple fact that we're even having this conversation is an epic fucking win for Microsoft, and this whole generation is a devastating setback for the once great Playstation brand. Am I telling the truth, is there any spin here?

PS3 wins the split over marketshare for what was once its biggest exclusive.

Sony's simple win.

The article linked in the OP was talking about NPD numbers.  Bitch to them if it'll make you feel better about it.  If you want to discuss sales trends for the whole world then start a different thread about it instead of complaining about it in this one.

something missing from this article is that the 360/ps3 ratio has been declining naturally. Ps3 and 360 have been roughly equal amounts in 2008, and this alone would decrease the "ratio gap" even if the "quantity gap" would be increasing.

Suppose that there 18 million 360s and 10 million ps3s by the end of 2007 (just estimating, not sure of the exact numbers), and if the games would sell by exact same proportion on the average, a typical 360 game would sell 80% more on 360 (18/10 = 1,80). If both consoles roughly sold 10 mil in 2008, then the ratio would roughly be 28/18 and a typical 360 game would sell only 55% more but the difference in absolute terms would roughly remain the same (which is the part that matters).

Since 360 has been selling slightly more, we would expect the the "absolute gap" to increase while the "ratio gap" to decrease.

Of course the trend would be downwards. The 360 started with 100% of the hd console market so it would have been pretty difficult for the 360 to maintain its initial lead percentage wise.

Unfortunately for the ps3 the 360 is up yoy whereas the ps3 is down. Not to mention that the 360 is doing increasingly well in places like europe. Whilst the ps3 isn't going anywhere the 360 is in an increasingly better position.

Farmland - exactly. The issue is that the number of units sold for any video game could increase in favor of the 360, and the ratio could decrease, in favor of the PS3. Both consoles are selling more software than they were, thanks to more systems available. So it's natural that the percentage gap can, and will close.