We’ve already mentioned that Sony is expecting the PlayStation 3 to hit 11 million units sold at the end of their fiscal year, implying that sales momentum will carry over into 2008. In light of this, some analysts now believe that 2008 will indeed turn out to be the year that Sony’s next-generation console comes into its own.
Senior Games Analyst for the Screen Digest, Piers Harding-Rolls made it clear that in 2008, the focus would be shifted towards the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 rather than the Wii. Through his comments, it can be speculated that the PS3 could end 2008 as the top selling console (over the 360) because of industry and consumer thought changes.
"One of the market shifts to watch out for in 2008 will be the continued evolution of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 from games consoles to multi-media hubs," said Harding.
"Now that these multi-media services – online video, IPTV, digital terrestrial TV and PVR functionality – are now available or poised to come on line in different markets, this ‘hub’ strategy is emerging as a key console battleground for Microsoft and Sony."
Finally, he gave mention that the Blu-ray vs HD DVD battle could ultimately be the deciding factor:
"Next year we expect to see shifting alliances, and with such a delicate stalemate, it’s only going to take one major player to swap sides and the market will shift seismically. We believe this will happen over the course of 2008, with major players moving to format-agnostic or format-exclusive positions.
"Both formats must start to make an impact on the HDTV viewer next year if hi-def is to become more than just a niche market – we have seen hardware prices drop in 2007, but the battle over content in 2008 will be the year this storm breaks."
Given that Blu-ray does eventually hold the key to the PS3’s success, then, given the format’s current momentum in the industry, it’s certainly conceivable that 2008 will prove to be a crucial year for the console in every respect.
While the Xbox 360 and Wii have already released their heavy hitters like Bioshock, Halo 3, Super Mario Galaxy and many others, the PS3 still has the likes of Final Fantasy XIII and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to draw from. New Years is upon us, so until then, we can only ponder of what will happen next.