According to figures from research group DFC Intelligence, by the time 2009 rolls around, the Xbox 360 will sink to third place in the ongoing current generation console race. This is in part due to the general growth of the gaming industry.
DFC estimated that by 2009, the gaming market will generate $47 billion, which is a 42% increase from what the gaming market made in 2006 — $33 billion. DFC also highlighted that the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 will remain top dogs while the Xbox 360 slinks away in the years to come; Wii will remain strong throughout 2008 and the PS3 will move upwards to first in 2009.
In addition, DFC estimated that total worldwide sales of all three consoles will reach between 180 million to 210 million units by 2012. Don’t forget the PC crowd though, because DFC put its estimates of the PC market will grow to $13 billion by 2012.
David Cole, DFC analyst, said, "The Xbox 360 will need to build a strong base outside North America to avoid being in a fairly distant third. We could have a situation where the Wii sells more hardware units, but by 2012 the PlayStation 3 is generating more software revenue."
[Via IGN]
