In light of the overwhelming success of the Wii, the PS3 and Xbox 360 have been held by fans as the last bastions of hardcore gaming.  It's with some irony, then, that the battle for second place may just be decided by the platforms' respective motion controllers.

Sony and Microsoft first showed off their respective motion controllers at last year's E3 expo.  Sony announced their still unnamed motion wands and Microsoft unveiled Project Natal, with both motion controllers representing two radically different approaches to gesture-based gaming.  Sony's motion wands took a more familiar route, offering up a very familiar Wii-like experience, using two handheld devices that are tracked by an external camera.  Microsoft's Project Natal, on the other hand, forwent traditional handheld controllers altogether, with the player's body acting as the controller.  With both motion controllers due in time for a holiday release, analysts agree that the motion controllers may just decide on which platform takes the crown for second place in the console war. 

Until the the platform holders release their corresponding motion controllers, analysts anticipate that the two HD platforms will perform similarly at retail.  Sony's diverse catalog of  first party exclusive titles and robust features are expected to help the console stay on par with the established Xbox brand.

“I think that sales will be similar, as long as price is similar,” says Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter. “PS3 has Blu-ray going for it, and Xbox 360 has a well-developed Xbox Live experience. First party exclusives are similar.“

“The PS3 and Xbox 360 will run neck-and-neck for the next 6 months.  Exclusive releases such as God of War III, Heavy Rain, MAG, and Gran Turismo 5 will help keep momentum in Sony’s favor through the summer months,” agrees Jesse Divnich, Vice President of Analyst Services at EEDAR. “Once the Natal is released, however, we do project that the Xbox 360 could regain the lead for a short period of time.”