Sony’s confirmed that PlayStation 3 has now sold 56 million units worldwide, putting it within striking distance of Xbox 360.
Microsoft’s console launched a full year before PS3 and has sold 57.3 million units globally. However, despite a shaky start, Sony’s flagship machine received a significant boost following the release of the ‘Slim’ model in 2009.
Sony said that it sold 3.7 million PS3 consoles during the quarter ending September 30, resulting in a small increase over the same period in 2010, where the system sold 3.5 million. Software sales meanwhile totalled 37.4 million units.
Elsewhere, PlayStation Portable sales increased to 1.7 million, though software sales for Sony’s portable console fell by 2.9 million for the period.
The electronics giant recorded a ¥27 billion loss for the quarter, attributing the decline to poor TV sales and the strength of the Yen.