Analyst report projects PS3 will beat Wii

Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices has projected that Sony PlayStation 3 will catch up in sales to win this game console cycle, eventually beating current leader Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360.  Industry Gamers reports on data released by the firm from its report “Taming the Waves: Games Console Life Cycles and Platform Competition.”  The report says PS3 will benefit from being a viable console five years after Nintendo has released a successor to Wii.  It forecasts lifetime global sales for PS3 will ultimately reach 127 million units, with the system along with rival HD console Xbox 360 both maintaining growth until sometime between 2012 and 2014.  In comparison, the report expects Wii sales to peak next year, and for the system to ultimately sell 103 million units worldwide over its lifetime.  For this year, Strategy Analytics has projected console sales will dip by nine percent to 47 million units.  It projects sales between the three current generation consoles to break down as 17.5 million units for Wii, 14 million for PS3 and 10.5 million for Xbox 360, with legacy system PlayStation 2 adding 5.5 million units.  Strategy Analytics principal analyst David Mercer, who authored the report, said 2011 will be the year when new systems will need to be introduced to maintain category growth.  But he added that traditional volatility in the cyclic console market “may be moderating as platforms add home entertainment and social networking services.”  Read more at Industry Gamers.