A games analyst has predicted the Nintendo Wii will continue its dominance in the year ahead, shifting more consoles than the Xbox 360 and PS3 combined.

Daniel Ernst of Hudson Square Research said that, while the PS3 will be a strong contender this year as it continues to overtake the Xbox 360, the Wii will be far and away the dominant force.

"Microsoft got the jump on the industry with a one-year headstart, but nine months after its launch, the Nintendo Wii overtook the Xbox 360 on a global basis," Ernst said.

"While the PS3 has struggled out of the gate, we note that since last fall, the console has been outselling the Xbox 360 in Europe and in the first two months of this year has even outsold the Xbox 360 on its home turf, in the U.S.

"With its strong slate of software scheduled for the coming year, we expect a material acceleration for the PS3 this year, but we believe the Wii will sell more than the PS3 and Xbox 360 combined this year."

A report by GameDaily reveals that global sales for the three next-gen consoles in 2008 are expected to reach 23 million Wiis, 12.5 million PS3s and 11.2 million Xbox 360 machines.