The PlayStation 3 May Be Doing Better Than People Think

201w ago - "It's in third place." "Sony messed up." "Sony is doomed!" Unless you're new to the Internet (in that case, welcome!), you've probably heard all of the anti-Sony PlayStation 3 comments before.

Ever since its launch in 2006, the PS3 has been often called a failure by some Web sites and people (and of course, fanboys).

Even in 2009, with Sony's outstanding game lineup, people are still criticizing the console and its games. The point is, people still love to hate the PS3. But is any of it true?

To quote: After doing some research, I've come to the conclusion that no, it's not even close. In fact, despite currently being outsold by the Wii and Xbox 360, Sony's latest console has been doing a very good job.

First off, there's the sales. As of March 31st, 2009, the PS3 had sold 22.91 million units worldwide, while the Xbox 360 sold 30.2 million units. That's a lead of approximately 7 million.

But when the PS3 first launched, the 360 had sold 10 million units (since it had a one year headstart). That means that since the PS3 launch, the 360's lead has shrunk by 3 million units.

Now let's look at the last-gen consoles. In their lifetimes, the Gamecube sold 21.74 million units, and the original Xbox 24 million. With the PS3 at 23 million, that means that it has sold the same amount as the Gamecube and Xbox in about half the time.

Lastly, there's the issue of cost. Sony lose money on every PS3 sold. In 2006 when the PS3 launched, Sony were losing approximately $250 on every PS3 sold. But now with Blu-Ray development costs dropping (as well as Sony taking a few features out of the console), the development costs are (as of January last year) about $450.

80 GB PS3s currently cost about $400, which means that Sony is now only losing $50 per PS3. The development costs of Blu-Ray will continue to drop, which means eventually Sony will start making money off of the PS3. Until then, though, they still have sales from the PS2, PSP, and other electronics (such as TVs and standalone Blu-Ray players) to help recover their losses.

So, with the PS3 selling the way it is, and Sony not having any real money problems, I think that the PS3 is doing pretty well, and it's only going to improve over the next few years. To everybody out there who says that the PS3 is a failure and will be discontinued, stop kidding yourselves, please.