GTA IV to boost ps3 sales

As the GTA IV is just days away, everyone is trying to guess how the new title will shift the numbers in the everlasting battle of gaming consoles.

GTA IV is set to be released for PS3 and Xbox 360 on April 29 and, according to some analysts, the game will be one of the biggest events in the entertainment industry in terms of sales.

Meanwhile, Microsoft and Sony are engaged in a marketing battle, each console maker trying to convince the customers that its platform is better for playing the iconic game.

The game is expected to gain $400 million in sales in its first day of availability. Microsoft’s main argument to lure gamers to buy Xbox 360 and GTA IV is the exclusive content that will be available later this year.

But there are analysts who think that Sony’s PS3 will be the ultimate winner. For example, speaking for Reuters, Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan, has predicted that the game will directly spur sales of 2 million additional PS3s in 2008, versus 1 million Xbox 360s.

In a comment for Tech News World, Pamela Tufegdzic, an analyst at iSuppli, said that GTA IV definitely will boost PS3 sales and she offered an explanation. The PS 2 owners will be probably eager to upgrade their consoles in order to play the new title.

In fact, GTA is one of the titles that helped Sony sell its PlayStation 2.

Putting aside the gaming consoles battle, there is one sure winner: the retailers. Some of them are already planning to extend to programs of their stores to match the buying gaming madness that will start on Tuesday.