You dont have to mention Wii everytime someone talks about PS3 vs 360!

[Comrade Tovya]

amp316 said:

It depends on the thread. When someone is acting like the 360 is ruling the world and ignoring ignoring Wii, I'll say something. If someone starts a thread saying that this is about the race between the PS3 and 360, then I won't say anything. I personally think that fighting over second is silly. Vince Lomardi once said that coming in second makes you the number one loser or something like that. I don't mean that as a shot at those systems but I think that coming in second is nothing to be proud of. I don't go around saying that the Bears from a couple of years ago were awesome when they lost in the Super Bowl because I'm a Bears fan. I try to ignore that game.

I agree... but at the same time, selling the most console units doesn't neccesarily make a company #1.  Let's just say for arguement sake that MS decided to subsidize all of their consoles and sell them for $75.00 each.  If that were to happen, the XBOX 360 would "win" this console generation because in the end, its sales would destroy Nintendo & Sony on the sales charts.

But obviously that wouldn't constitute a victory.  It would cost MS billions and run their gaming division into the ground.

What I'm trying to say is, console sales alone only paints part of the picture.

Nintendo is a gaming company.  That's all they do.  If the Wii had failed, Nintendo would have slumped back into becoming a software company (like in the early 80s).

I think it goes without saying that MS & Sony have a much larger empire that trancends gaming.  They both can tank in this console generation and come back swinging harder the next generation.

Microsoft is a good example of this.  The original XBOX total sales were very meager.  XBOX was not a household name by any means.  But for MS, it was a victory (despite the fact they came in last in sales) because it helped establish the XBOX brand as a viable gaming system.

I think the same goes for Sony.  Even if the PS3 absolutely bombs and loses Sony tons of money, the PS3 played a large role in the catapulting of the Blu-ray standard (and defeat of HD DVD).  The revenue that Sony will make off of Blu-ray licensing will far out pace any of this generation's console profits.  So, although Sony got their butt kicked in the console war, the defeat really helped them win the storage media format war.

I think it's also a win for Microsoft this generation.  Despite the fact that the RROD completely tarnished the XBOX image, they still sell the consoles like hotcakes.  Obviously Microsofts goal of slowly erroding Sony's market share has worked, and it's actually a valid part of the console marketplace now. 

Don't get me wrong, both Sony & MS would love to trade places with Nintendo in marketshare.  But it is still by no means a defeat for either company.  Sometimes victories happen in the battles away from the frontlines.