Companies are not petty, they are competitive. Competition is always good for the consumer.
Sony and Microsoft are both trying to pitch their consoles to the same market segment which is why things appear to be very tense between the two.
In my honest opinion, Sony just needs a better PR/competitive strategy. While their "perceptual" pricing grid may have seemed smart whenever the suits thought it up, it's not practical and educated consumers can see how illogical it is.
I think Sony has a hard time communicating its message to the masses. Microsoft (despite it's reputation for being an evil monopolistic powerhouse) just has a certain public tact and clear strategy that kind of gives it a certain edge when it comes to public relations and the media.
This response to Sony's attack is very clever.
I'm not a fanboy, I just try to tip the balance in favor of logic and common sense.
