Analyst Michael Pachter expects that by 2015, 7th-gen console sales will end up like this: Wii on top, the PS3 in second, and the Xbox 360 in third place. The Wii's first-place position seems like a foregone conclusion, but what about the other two?

“We think that the PS3 will capture significant market share, primarily due to Sony’s victory in the high definition DVD format war, and will end up in second place by 2015,” he explained. “Although Microsoft’s Xbox 360 enjoyed a first mover advantage, we think that its market position will fade to third place due to lack of penetration in Japan.”

Pachter also noted that by the end of 2009, he expects the Wii to have a 49 per cent share of the US and European markets, followed by the Xbox 360 at 29 per cent and the PS3 at 22 per cent. In two years' time, he expects the Wii to have slipped down to 48 per cent market share while the PS3 and Xbox 360 will be tied at 26 per cent each.

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