Mike Wallace, lead game analyst at the Wall Street investment firm UBS, expects US software sales to grow 3 percent in 2006 and predicts Microsoft and Sony will win the next-gen console and handheld wars:
"The launch of Sony’s PlayStation 3 console later this year, along with the launch of Nintendo’s Revolution console, should represent the official start of the new cycle," he said.
As for which console will win the first round of the next-gen war, Wallace thinks that Microsoft’s decision to launch first will pay off. "We are projecting meaningful sales of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (4 million units) in the U.S. this year," he said, going on to forecast that the PS3 and Revolution will sell around 1 million units each by the end of the year.. ..As for other platforms, Wallace believes Sony will also cut the price of the PSP–a move that will lead it to pull ahead of the DS in overall sales.
GameSpot – Analyst: 360 to maintain lead, PSP to pull ahead
