The PS3 sold 806,000 units to the XBox's 746,000, according to the NPD Group, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper credits the rise in PS3 sales to a 20 percent price decrease (it now starts at $399) and the end of the Blu-ray/HD DVD high-def disc format war.
The PS3 has a Blu-ray player inside while the XBox offered an HD DVD player attachment. (Toshiba pulled the plug on HD DVD in the first quarter.)
Despite PS3's success, the video game console still trailed Nintendo's Wii, which sold 1.4 million units in the U.S. in the first quarter. However, a year ago, Wii was outselling PS3 by a 4-1 margin while the XBox was winning by a 2-1 margin.
Thanks in part to the PS3, Sony yesterday reported a profit of $277 million in the last quarter. Perhaps not surprising then, the company also said yesterday that it won't cut PS3 prices any further this year.
"We're not looking to do that this year. It's not in our plans right now," said Kazuo Hirai, president of Sony's videogame division, according to WSJ.
While some reports this month have indicated that standalone Blu-ray players are struggling at retail, the rise in PS3 sales should help boost the Blu-ray industry. However, some analysts question whether PS3 buyers will use the console for movies as well as games.
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