PlayStation 3 takes 31% global market share in Q1

PS3 increased its global market share to 31 per cent in the first quarter of 2010, up from 18 per cent in Q1 2009.

Wii’s share of home console sales during the three month period came in at 49 per cent and Xbox 360’s at 20 per cent, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics (via GamesIndustry.biz).

The report said that the September 2009 launch of the cut-price PS3 Slim was behind the console’s increased momentum. Author David Mercer expects Wii to sell 17.5 million units in 2010, PS3 to move 14 million, and Xbox 360 to shift 10.5 million.

Meanwhile, Sony has told MCV that for the first five months of 2010, PS3 software and hardware sales are up 12 per cent and 14 per cent year-on-year in the UK.

“With the hardware we’ve had the benefit of a redesign and price drop but with software what we’re seeing is, in comparison to other platforms, that the participation of our hardware base in the software market is very high,” said SCE UK sales director Mark Howsen. “Even on some multiplatform game we’re doing the same numbers as some other platforms who have reportedly got higher install bases.”

SCEE president Andrew House this week identified the launch of PS3 Slim as a major turning point in the system’s fortunes. He said that PS3 sales exploded when the system was introduced last year “and haven’t really slowed down since”.