"Natal to outsell Arc by 10-to-1"

Microsoft’s Natal will thoroughly outpace Sony’s Motion Controller when the pair are released later this year – that’s the prediction of industry analyst Michael Pachter.

Speaking to PS3Centre.net, Pachter reckons that the Xbox 360 attachment could sell anywhere between five and ten times the number of the PS3 device.

I think that the Sony motion controller will have some problems gaining traction, since it is not an ‘in the box’ solution,” the outspoken exec explained.

That will probably limit adoption to one or two million at the outset. Natal is different. It’s only one piece, is likely to be cheaper and I think it will come in the Xbox 360 package with new consoles once launched, meaning far deeper penetration.

Sony’s internal development is top notch, so I expect the launch titles to be fun, and likely on par with Wii Sports for quality, but ultimately, I think that the motion controller will only sell to 20 per cent or less of the PS3 audience, limiting it’s appeal to third party publishers.

A year or so after launch, there will be 10 million [Project Natal units] out there, which will probably attract more third party support. Also, I think Microsoft will subsidize third party development to make it a success.”