PS3 global userbase overtakes Xbox 360

This has been building up for some time, but one independent report is now claiming the PlayStation 3 global install base has exceeded that of the Xbox 360. Woop-de-do, etc.
The data comes from research firm Strategy Analytics, which claims that December 2010 saw Microsoft’s console struggle against Sony’s machine, despite the fact you couldn’t move in the streets for people buying damn Kinects. Without further ado, here are the hard numbers according to SA. Remember, these are worldwide figures:
♦ Wii – 75.5 million
♦ PlayStation 3 – 43.4 million
♦ Xbox 360 – 42.9 million
According to the report, the 360 continues to do well in the States, but gets its ass kicked in Europe and Japan (especially Japan, where weekly hardware sales often struggle to reach 2,000 units). Analyst Jia Wu, the chap who authored this report, states:

“Global demand for Sony’s PS3 has exceeded that of the Xbox 360 in each of the past two years, and we expect that to continue over the coming years. [Microsoft] continue[s] to innovate around its motion sensor technology, which will become increasingly relevant in the smart home era.”

So the question everybody’s asking is: can the PS3 do what was unthinkable a few years back and catch the Wii? Well, it can’t be ruled out, says Wu’s report. While predicting that Xbox 360 would add 13.7 million to its 2011 total, and PlayStation 3 will add 15.7 million units, Wii is predicted to drop by a cool 10 million units.