trancekr in the wonderland

If there is a correlation between the GamerMetrics data and the U.S. NPD data (and there somewhat is), I estimate that we are going to see a GTA IV sales ratio of anywhere between 2.2 to 2.7 in favor of the Xbox 360 - which is also in the same ballpark of the current Xbox 360 to PS3 lifetime-to-date hardware sales ratio of 2.4.

Given the above data and current trends, the conflict between those two consoles is surprisingly even. And the hardware battle between the PS3 and the Xbox 360 will continue long after the release of GTA IV, of course.

Consequently, this will likely lead both Sony and Microsoft back to the drawing board to rethink their current first party release schedule, hardware pricing, and promotion strategy.

For reference, The simExchange is expecting a 1.65 to 1 Xbox 360 to PS3 sales ratio for Grand Theft Auto IV, which, if true, would indicate a PS3 'victory', at least in terms of percentage of total installed base purchasing the game.