X

PlayStation 3 sells 70 million consoles, equalling Xbox 360

Sony's PS3 has caught up with Microsoft's console, which went on sale a year earlier.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
See full bio
Joe Svetlik
2 min read

The PlayStation 3 has sold 70 million consoles worldwide, equalling the Xbox 360's total, CVG reports.

On top of that, the PlayStation Move -- the PS3's motion-gaming controller -- has sold more than 15 million units worldwide, compared to 18 million Kinects. Not bad going at all, but hardly the market domination Sony enjoyed with the PS2. 

Less than a month ago, Microsoft announced it had sold 70 million Xbox 360s. The two consoles launched a year apart, with the Xbox 360 hitting the shelves in the UK in December 2005, and the PS3 in November 2006.

At the end of March this year, the PS3 had sold 63.9 million units, so there's still life in the old dog yet. Six years is ancient for a console, so it's good to see the old blighter still shifting. There are some pretty exciting games on the horizon too, such as GTA 5. It's got some way to go before it eclipses its mighty predecessor -- the PS2 sold more than 150 million units in over 10 years on sale.

Sony updated the PS3 recently, making it even thinner than the Slim version already available, and 25 per cent lighter. It's also half the size of the original PS3. It loses the slot-loading disc mechanism in favour of a sliding disc panel on the top. There's a £150 version that comes with just 12GB of flash memory too, if you're on a budget. Or you can opt for the full-fat 500GB or model for around £230.

Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 are lagging way behind Nintendo's Wii though. As of 30 June this year, the Wii had sold 96.6 million consoles around the world in the six years it's been on sale. Its successor, the Wii U, went on sale on Sunday in the US, but us Brits have to wait until 30 November -- next Friday -- to get our hands on one.

But when will the PlayStation 4 be out? All rumours point to a launch next summer, with it going on sale by next Christmas. 

Did the slimmer PS3 win you over? Will you be getting a Wii U for Christmas, or waiting for next year's next-gen consoles? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.