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Sony's Play Station to Lead in Market Share by 44% in 2011

Uncertainty reigns around the price of the Playstation 3 (PS3) and the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats, the market research firm Yankee Group believes that Sony will once again dominate the console market.

Sony is estimated to have sold 30 million PS3s by 2011 when third-generation consoles are believed to have reached market maturity and hold a market share of 44%. Microsoft will have sold only 27 million Xbox 360s by then (40% market share) and Nintendo only 11 million (16% market share).

PlayStation 3 is due on retail shelves later this year after a delay disappointed many customers who expected it in stores in the spring. Microsoft, whose current Xbox lags the PlayStation 2 in sales by a wide margin, put the Xbox360 on sale last November, giving it a year's head start on sales.

Will the PS3's expensive price point price the company out of the race with Microsoft? Michael Goodman, Yankee Group Media and Entertainment Strategies Senior Analyst doesn't think so; Sony has a trump card, "Brand loyalty. You've got 100 million PlayStation loyalists. Microsoft will do well, but it's difficult to go from 22 million sold [Xbox] to 100 million sold. It's an auspicious goal," says Goodman.


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