PS3 to outsell 360 this year, says EA

Electronic Arts believes up to four times more PS3s than Xbox 360 consoles will be sold in Europe this year, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

In a new report, the publisher has predicted a Sony surge into second place behind Nintendo and the Wii.

In Europe EA expects the PS3 to sell between 5 million and 6 million units, compared to just 1.5 million to 2.5 million for the Xbox 360.

While the company thinks the two will tie in North America on 4.5 million to 5.5 million unit sales, the two sets of numbers combined give Sony's flagship console a compelling 3.5 million lead.

However, the report points to Wii as overall winner, with a combined figure of between 12 million and 14 million for the two regions. The PS2 is expected to shift between 3.9 million and 4.9 million units.

Add all of those together and estimated sales for Europe and the US are between 31.4 million and 38.4 million units.

The report also gives estimates for the year's handheld sales. EA believes the DS will outsell the PSP by over 2 to 1.

The DS should shift between 14 million and 16 million units, while the PSP will sell around 6 million to 8 million units- giving a combined handheld total for the year of between 20 million and 24 million.

Combined console estimates for 2008 are as follows:

1. Nintendo Wii: 12 million -14 million
2. PlayStation 3: 9.5 million - 11.5 million
3. Xbox 360: 6 million - 8 million
4. PlayStation 2: 3.9 million - 4.9 million

Combined handheld estimates for 2008 are as follows:

1. Nintendo DS: 14 million - 16 million
2. PlayStation Portable: 6 million - 8 million