BBC

"PlayStation 3 will help Sony reclaim its position as the leading games console maker, the head of the firm's console division has said. Speaking to BBC News, Kaz Hirai said the machine would overhaul rivals Nintendo and Microsoft within its 10-year lifecycle.

PlayStation 3 sales have outstripped those of Microsoft Xbox 360 in Europe but it lags behind in North America. Nintendo's Wii console is the number one next-generation machine globally.

Mr Hirai said Sony was engaged in a "marathon" race with Nintendo and Microsoft. More than 10.5 million PlayStation 3s were sold worldwide by the end of 2007. To date, in Europe more than five million PS3s have been sold.

Nintendo had shipped more than 25 million Wiis worldwide by April this year, while Microsoft reported 19 million 360s shipped by the same period. Both firms have reported production supply problems in the past year." 

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