Official: PS3 has more fanboys than the Xbox 360 does

There are now more Playstation 3s out there than Xbox 360s, it has been claimed.

Market watcher Strategy Analytics said the Sony console's installed base hit 43.4m units worldwide at the end of 2010, just ahead of the 360's total, 42.9m.

That puts Sony a little over one percentage point ahead, and it's still well behind the Wii's massive 75.5m-strong installed base.

SA puts the 360's slip down to Microsoft's failure to build a huge fanbase outside of the US and, to a lesser extent, the UK.

In Japan, for instance, the PS3 outsells the 360 by a huge margin. Last week alone, some 1963 Xboxes were sold in the country, compared to 28,973 PS3s, according to local number cruncher Media Create. In some weeks, the 360 is outsold by the PS2, even.

At least 11,808 Wiis were sold in Japan last, but Nintendo will be happier with the 50,710 3DS handhelds that were purchased.

Worldwide, annual PS3 sales have eclipsed those of the 360 for the past two years, and SA said it sees that trend continuing. It expects some 15.7m PS3s to be sold this year, alongside 13.7m 360s and 10m Wiis. It said 2011 will be the first year the Wii has not topped the chart. ®