Why it DOES matter whether there are two consoles or three

[NiKKoM]

Impulsivity said:
Blu Ray would have been in because Sony owns a large part of the rights to the tech just like DVD was obviously going to be in in 2001. Yes the gen might have started a bit later (especially given how well the PS2 continues to do) but I doubt it would have been 2008.

The PS2 had no real competition and still was a beast of a machine for the time. This idea that MS is doing everyone a favor by making Sony and Nintendo try harder is just patently untrue. Sony makes quality machines with high end capabilities both because thats the kind of company Sony is, and because high end machines sell high end hardware (Bravia HDTVs, Sony speakers, Sony receivers with HDMI support, blu rays ect). Their electronics profits have grown by leaps and bounds since the release of the PS3 and I doubt thats a coincidence.

MS is doing noone a favor by being in video games as anything more then a publisher, not even their shareholders (since it can't maintain profitability).

You're missing my point.. yes Sony makes high quality things.. but maybe they went too far with the PS3.. and made it too expensive in the beginning.. They would have probably made a less powerfull product if there wasn't a xbox360.. The xbox360 forced them to produce a even higher quality product.. which sony did not like.. because the ps3 is losing way too much money.. the xbox360 is now at it's turning point for making profit (there are some threads about this created today)

And because the 360 was the first of this generation it really pushed the development of games.. otherwise you would be playing games from 2006 on your PS3 now..