Just because Microsoft hasn't cracked the console market yet is no reason to give them an inch so they can take a mile. To put it simply, I do not trust Microsoft.

If the 360 was from any other American company, I would probably have a 360 instead of a wii...

I said consolegaming so Mac is irrelevant.  And how exactly did MS destory the GC's chances?  GC made exactly what was expected given Nintendo's decline.

For the record, Sony are buying out FAR more studios than MS.  But here is the key point.  MS shareholders have laid down the gauntlet and said to the executive board "you can only stay in the console game if you are profitable."  That is why Microsoft will never be able to spend the kind of money they have been on consoles again, because unlike PC OS's, there isn't enough money in consoles to make it all back.  

Yes, I understand, but the money they used to do it was illegally and immorally gained. That's my point. The Xbox 360 and studio acquisitions are just consequences of that. Just because they will do "whatever it takes" doesn't mean we should buy their products. I like the look of Halo but I'll never buy a Microsoft product ever again.

Why don't you go and play Mario or something.

OK, I agree they are currently a positive competitive force in the console gaming industry. This doesn't mean their previous actions are morally or legally justified. Personally, I am choosing not to buy Microsoft products. You don't have to do that, as long as you understand the reasons why some people choose not to buy an Xbox 360.

Bill Gates has more money than the U. S. government. Haha. Besides for wanting to swallow the world up whole he's a good man. The only thing good about Microsoft getting into the video game industry is that it's messing up Sony. By the way Gates bought Windows off someone else for real cheap got and got rich off it and he's not helping that guy out. A fantastic humanitarian that guy is.

When they fix RRoD, I'll buy a 360. I sold my old one. Not one second before, and if the PS3/PC has NG2 and Alan Wake, at that point, then screw a 360 alltogether. "High failure rate" and "console" make me too worried when owning a 360 to enjoy playing it.

"(for example, Dell sells Linux PCs at higher prices than Windows ones even though Linux is free)."

This is due to the fact that the Windows install gets bundled with all the 3rd party crapware which companies pay to have installed on Dell machine. Once companies start paying to have their crapware bundled with Linux, then the prices will come down.

"The result is that Microsoft gets guaranteed revenue from a product few would freely choose if software and hardware was compatible with all OSs and these OSs were choices given to the market."

Average Joe doesn't care about the OS, he just wants a computer that does what he wants. The 2nd half of your sentence wouldn't even be true if Windows didn't exist anyway. There are plenty of non-Windows specific applications and hardware which don't work on both Linux and OSX (and all the other minor OSes out there).

"Microsoft also uses effectively government bribes in developing countries to get their software installed"

Doing business in most devloping countries requires this because their governments are corrupt. This isn't unique to Mircosoft by a long shot. 

"The Xbox 360 represents the end result of this: you can dominate a market with cash alone."

 360 represents capitalism.

"The studios, by the way, were bought with the aim of damaging competitors"

There is currently an article on /. that suggest that Sony paid Warner $400 million to go Blu-ray exclusive. Are you boycotting Sony too? What about numerous other companies? This is just another part of big business. 

"Mac gaming would have been common"

Halo was to be a simultaneous release on both Mac and Windows. No other dual releases have dramatically changed the Mac gaming landscape, so why would Halo? Even assuming Halo was to be Mac only, look back to Marthon. It was groundbreaking on Mac yet gamers didn't jump over in droves, why would another Bungie game have done this? 

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I'm not saying that MS doesn't have blood on their hands, they do, but so do many other companies. Your perfectly welcome to not purchase their products as well, but you single MS out for reasons which numerous companies have also done. If you want to take a moral high ground then why not refuse to purchase products made in China as well? They have a horrendous human rights record and I'd consider this far worse than an absusive monopoly.

What a week seeing the announcement of Gears of War2 and now having seen this amazing game, Ninja Gaiden 2. This game looks so much better than DMC4, love the multi-hit combos, fast combat, lots of blood.
Check out NG2 video on IGN
http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/853/853516c.html

My Startling revelation of Microsoft’s true ambition.

For many it has been a mystery why Microsoft chose to delve into the video game console market, first with the Sega Dreamcast then with their own console. What was to gain? Why lose money forcing their way into an extraneous market when they were already kings of their own respective markets? As many have already surmised, Microsoft’s prime ambition in entering the Video Game Console market was to impede Sony’s expansion into other markets which threatened Microsoft’s own ambitions for expansion and pre-existing monopolies. This is no surprise of course.

The Xbox was never meant to turn a profit or be a resounding success, it was merely but the foot in the door as was even said by Microsoft themselves. The real contender came with the Xbox 360 which with its pre-emptive early launch baited Sony into playing Microsoft’s game of "build the biggest box" resulting in the disaster which was the PlayStation 3. The 360 didn’t fell the PS3, the PS3 felled itself tricked into a contest of disruption market tactics and trying to win over niche demographics instead of the market as a whole… the 360 simply just had to lap up the wounded PS3’s blood steeling its franchises and titles.

But many of you are probably wondering, if Sony is out of the Video Game Console picture, what will Microsoft do then? Nintendo is no threat and no concern. There is no money in Video Game Consoles for Microsoft, both the Xbox and 360 have cost them significantly and its unlikely they’ll ever produce a console that will reward them with the same profits and market control they have in their other fields. Quite honestly, do I really need to spell it out for you? The Answer is, take everything they’ve invested in developers, infrastructure and technology for the Xbox line and simply move it over to where their real money is, the PC.

 Imagine it, Microsoft saying the next step forward in the Xbox line being a new take on PC gaming, perhaps an Xbox service exclusive to their latest version of Windows, what about an disc external drive to play the next generation of Xbox games and even old 360 and regular Xbox games, imagine instead of buying a bulking failure rate ridden console you simply buy a few peripherals for your PC, the possibilities and combination of potential ideas are nearly limitless. They’re already pushing Console Gaming in the direction of PC gaming, the step would be fairly obvious and with a ready and willing consumer base created with the Xbox line and developers at their calling, Microsoft could easily make this happen

Not only was the Xbox intended to cock block Sony’s ambitions, but it could easily someday transfer the dynasty it has created to the PC and Windows breathing new life into the once stagnant PC gaming market.