Research firm: 75 million PS3s sold by 2010

While most of the globe spent the last few days popping champagne and recuperating from the subsequent headaches, business analyst firm Research and Markets, based out of Dublin, Ireland, was busy putting the final touches on its latest examination of the gaming industry.

The company is currently peddling a brief titled "The Transforming Global Video Games Market: The Emergence of Next Generation Gaming," which examines the future of the industry, concentrating largely on the race between the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

The firm believes that the PS3 will ultimately carry the largest market share, with 75 million PS3s sold worldwide by 2010. However, the company doesn't expect the PS3 to dominate the new console cycle the same way the PlayStation 2 did last generation, due largely to European "late launch issues" and the head start of the Xbox 360.

Though Research and Markets didn't divulge its long-term sales predictions for the Xbox 360 or Wii in today's press release, a quick look at the brief's table of contents reveals more of the company's opinions. Titles of topics include "Xbox 360 is close on the heels of the PS3 overall," "The US is expected to be the largest next-generation console market by 2010," and "The handheld market is no longer a one horse race."