Sony's PlayStation 3 console will outperform the Xbox 360 and roughly double its user base in 2008, says a new estimate by research firm iSuppli. The study predicts that Sony will sell approximately 10 million PS3s over the course of 2008, roughly doubling the game system's share to 20.3 million by the end of the year. The unusually high estimate would also have Sony near Nintendo's own sales figures with just 12.2 million total Wii sales in the same timeframe. By contrast, the Xbox 360 is estimated to move just 7.5 million systems this year.

Current predictions also call for Sony to regain its lead the console market within three years, though how this will be accomplished is unclear in the study. iSuppli believes Sony will have as many as 38.4 million users in 2011 but also says that Microsoft and Nintendo will begin nearing that figure by the end of this year, collecting 25.7 million and 30.2 million gamers each.

The research makes note that the current console generation is dictated more by price than technical superiority, pointing out that the Wii's $250 price has helped it edge past faster and more capable rivals. Sony's consoles have typically been the most expensive, though the Japanese electronics giant is widely believed to be gaining momentum by supporting the growing Blu-ray format that defines the PS3's feature list.