Yeah I don't see Microsoft being able to compete for the crown with them failing to gain a significant share in Japan and most non-English speaking territories.
One thing that just came to mind is that if Nintendo are "promoting that 360 games can be easily ported to their next console" - could possibly signal that the PC, Xbox and Nintendo will be easy to cross-platform develop games for, leaving Sony in a precarious position with their different cell architecture, which they won't want to drop and lose all PS3 backwards compatibility. With development budgets set to skyrocket again, will they want to position themselves as the 'extra expense'?
Maybe I'm the weird one - but I don't think the mass consumer knows or cares about 'first party studios', when Microsoft still gets plenty of PC game crossovers and buys exclusives/timed exclusivity. I think the forum dwellers harp on this point, most equipped with a gaming PC and are a very vocal minority.
