PS3 to overtake Xbox 360 in 2011?

In terms of global sales, the PS3 is catching up to the Xbox 360 slowly but surely. Could the Sony console overtake its Microsoft rival in the next couple of years?

The Xbox 360 launched a year ahead of the PS3, and managed to build up an impressive lead in that first 12 months. However, the PS3 has slowly but surely closed the gap, and the latest official sales figures (up to Sept. 30, 2010) released by both companies show there is a gap of just 2.9 million units between the two consoles in terms of worldwide sales.

In the last quarter alone the PS3 caught up by 700,000 units, shifting 3.5 million compared to the 2.8 million of the Xbox 360. If this rate were to continue then the PS3 would be close to overtaking the Xbox 360 by the end of September 2011. But that’s a very big ‘If’.

The release of Move has helped Sony post these impressive PS3 sales figures, but Kinect is launching next week and looks likely to arrive with a huge splash. It could be that this holiday season belongs to the Xbox 360 and Kinect, widening the gap once again.

I personally think it’ll be touch and go whether the PS3 catches up to the Xbox 360 by the time their successors are announced, with the two remaining close for the foreseeable future. So can we settle for an amicable draw?

NB: An earlier version of this post pegged the current gap at 5.4 million units.