If it wasn’t obvious enough after the PlayStation 3 passed the 70 million mark, it should become obvious now that the PlayStation 3 is officially the worldwide leader this generation (note that I don’t take the Wii into consideration), beating the Xbox 360. Games Industry International cites a “market analysis” document by Lewis Ward of IDC that by the end of 2012, Sony managed to ship a total of 77 million PS3 units, versus 76 million Xbox 360 devices. While quite a win for Sony and the PS3, the milestone becomes that much more impressive when you consider that the 360 has always held a much lower price point than the PS3. The Xbox 360 has also been on sale for a year longer, launching in November 2005 versus the PS3’s November 2006 launch.

Some naysayers will point to reports listing “units shipped” and not sold but it’s hard to imagine either company producing such excessive stock that there would be millions of units sitting in warehouses. Take that into consideration with the fact that the 360 has been selling for an additional year and it’s easy to see how the report holds up.

While Sony initially felt a lot of pressure from game developers and consumers as to the high price of the PS3, in the end their strategy of offering a powerful console has paid off. Unlike Xbox 360 development, which has slowed to a halt in recent years, the PS3 has continued to expand and offer new features like 3D movies/games, 4K content, and continued graphical improvements from major titles like Uncharted, God of War, and The Last of Us.

Discuss:

Do you think the PS Vita might find itself in a similar situation in years to come?

[Via GI]