• The New York Times, Friday, May 18, 2007 11:30 AM

Things are getting worse for Sony's beleaguered PlayStation 3, as its sales gap versus the red hot Nintendo Wii widened in April, according to the latest video game sales figures from NPD Group. American consumers snapped up 360,000 Wii consoles during the month, compared to a paltry-by-comparison 82,000 for the PS3. For Nintendo, that's a nearly 4:1 sales ratio-far bigger than the 2:1 ratio by which Nintendo outsold Sony in the first three months of the year. Microsoft's Xbox 360, meanwhile, sold 174,000 units in April.

The high cost and difficulty of producing the PS3 held back initial sales, but now, a lack of quality software coupled with a price tag that's twice as high continues to fuel the Wii's dominance. Sony's bigger-is-better strategy has completely backfired, as Nintendo's less powerful, cheap to produce, but more innovative system flies off shelves.

"I doubt you'll see an acceleration of sales until you see a price cut or better software lineup," Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson said of the PS3. "The question is how big of a hole has Sony dug itself into." The Wii retails at $250, compared to the PS3, which is $500 or $600, depending on the model. The Xbox 360 costs $300 or $400, depending on the model.

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