The Globe and Mail is reporting today that the victory of Blu-ray over rival HD-DVD has not improved stand-alone player sales. Monthly sales have actually declined by nearly 40% since January. The format's prognosis is improving however, as sales of the PS3 have climbed steadily since the holiday season. According to the March NPD sales data, Sony's next-gen console achieved a year-over-year sales lift of over 98%. Analysts are expecting new titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4 to lift sales even further.ABI Research, a technology market analyst firm, estimates that PS3s will account for more than 85 per cent of Blu-ray players in use this year. So essentially, the Blu-ray market and the PS3 market are one and the same. Got it.