Nintendo's GameCube to outsell MS Xbox by 2005

Do you want to know who's going to be king of the next generation games consoles?

Well, no big surprise but Sony's PS2 will top sales in Europe, the US and Japan by 2005, but Nintendo's GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox aren't going to fair too badly.

According to a report (or spot of crystal ball gazing) by ELSPA, the European Leisure Software Publishers Association, by the end of 2004 the PS2 will grab: 47 per cent of the European next gen console business by selling 15.65 million units; 37 per cent of the US market with 18.1 million units; and 45 per cent of the Japanese market with 12.3 million units.

At present 66 per cent of all consoles installed in homes around the world are Sony Playstations - and a hell of a lot of them are going to be PS1s.

Microsoft's Xbox is forecast for a number two slot in Europe, but third place for the US and Japan. It is expected to grab 33 per cent of the European next gen market by the end of 2004, shifting 10.99 million consoles into homes; in the US it'll take 31 per cent of the market, by selling 15.16 million units; and in Japan it'll score 20 per cent with shipments of 5.47 million units.

So Nintendo's GameCube is going to take 20 per cent of Europe's next gen market by 2004, selling 6.66 million units; in the US it'll grab 32 per cent of the market with 15.65 million shipments; and in Japan it'll take 35 per cent market share with 9.57 million units sold.

Across all three regions this means Microsoft will shift 31.62 million Xbox units by the end of 2004, and Nintendo will sell 31.88 million GameCube units. Sony will have shifted 46.05 million PS2s.

Media analysts Screen Digest compiled the ELSPA figures. ®

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