In spite of the rocky start Sony experienced with the PS3 in 2006, one market research firm believes that the next-gen console is headed for future glory–albeit a lesser one than that of its predecessor, the PS2, according to a study released by industry analyst firm Datamonitor.
Their report, entitled "The Transforming Global Video Games Market: The Emergence of Next Generation Gaming", said the PS3 would surface as the final victor in the next-gen console wars by obtaining a worldwide install base of approximately 75 million units by the year 2010.
While the Datamonitor study concludes that the PS3 will be the eventual winner in the console races, it did not offer or delve into the future of Sony’s two primary rivals. The exclusion of the biggest competitors of Sony leaves a serious amount of doubt as to the veracity of the report’s deduction that the PS3 will be top dog in market share, especially when other factors–such as current industry reports and consumer trends–indicate the very opposite.
What must be taken into account with industry studies released by various tracking-research firms is that practically anything can be concluded with statistics–other studies have indicated that either the Wii or Xbox 360 is on track for next-gen dominance over the competition. In the end, the final results will be proven by empirical data–the real sales figures that will be accumulated in the coming years, and not the contents of speculative reports.
