PS3 'will win console war'

It is not even on sale yet but experts are predicting that Sony's PlayStation3 will beat its rivals hands down.

The Japanese electronics giant is expected to sell more than 30million of the new generation game consoles in Europe by 2010.

Microsoft's successor to the Xbox will be beaten into second place with 10million sales while Nintendo's son of GameCube will be left trailing in third with 5million, predicts the Informa Media Group.

The console market is big business, with Sony alone having sold more than 70million PlayStation2s.

'Sony is set to exploit the lead it established with the PS2 but will face a much stronger challenge from Microsoft, which is determined not to be left chasing Sony next time,' said Toby Scott, author of the report, European Games Consoles to 2010.

'Meanwhile, Nintendo seems set to play to its strengths and emphasise game quality and innovation over processor horsepower.'

The new consoles, expected by 2005, could have up to 1,000 times more processing power than current models.

The battleground could well be the Internet, with future consoles emphasising online play.

There will also be innovations to widen the appeal of the consoles, such as voice recognition and motion detection technology.

This will help attract more older people, women and first-time players to gaming, said Mr Scott.