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Sony boasts indexed software lead in console wars

When viewed in the context of instal base, Sony believes it has the edge over Microsoft when it comes to games sales.

"If you look at the index ratio and see that where they might have this massive lead on the hardware side, the people that are buying software, when the software growth is happening, it’s happening on the PS3," SCE America's Rob Dyer told IndustryGamers.

The senior vice president of publisher relations revealed a 1.6 index ration on hardware - meaning 1.6 Xbox 360s have been purchased for every PlayStation 3.

However, he went on to cite examples of multiplatform games selling better on the PS3 than the Xbox 360 - Mortal Kombat and Dante's Inferno in particular, with an index ratio of 0.91 and 0.93 respectively. Meanwhile, L.A. Noire, NBA 2K12 and Portal 2 boast impressive index ratios of 1.22, 1.2, and 1.6 respectively. In all cases, the games sported platform exclusive features.

Dyer was particularly pleased by the performance of Medal of Honor.

"Here Microsoft owns the shooter category - everyone talks about how that’s their genre," he said. "Medal of Honor, because we gave away a free copy of Frontline on the disc, wildly over indexed on ours. Microsoft absolutely felt that."

The executive isn't concerned about Microsoft's Call of Duty times exclusives, either.

"They’re not running any higher than what the index ratio is - they’re right at 1.6. In spite of all the millions that Microsoft has spent on that relationship with Activision, people aren’t voting to buy a 360 version of that over and above a PS3 version, given the installed base," he said.

"As much as people might associate Call of Duty and the shooting genre with 360, we don’t see that as a cause for alarm right now. What we’re hoping for, given the announcement we made at E3 with Battlefield (full Battlefield 1943 game included on disc), we believe that we are going to have a major player here with EA on our platform - and well over indexed given what we’re doing with them in order to promote that title."

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Brenna Hillier avatar

Brenna Hillier

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Based in Australia and having come from a lengthy career in the Aussie games media, Brenna worked as VG247's remote Deputy Editor for several years, covering news and events from the other side of the planet to the rest of the team. After leaving VG247, Brenna retired from games media and crossed over to development, working as a writer on several video games.

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