I've said this before, but I think Microsoft is poised to take a bit of a tumble next generation. They seem to be in the same place both Nintendo and Sony have occupied in the past, where they assumed they could bull their way to the top of the food-chain. It doesn't work like that, I don't care how much money you spend. Over-confidence in gaming has been shown time and again to be a mistake. You can be ambitious as hell but you never know when the consumer is going to shrug its shoulders and move on.
I just get the impression that Microsoft is going to really gamble big time, that they're going to strut out on the high-wire without a net, completely believing that they're not just going to steal the show, but that they're going to BE the show. It wouldn't surprise me if they come in first place but it also wouldn't surprise me if their expectations took a nose dive. Sometimes ambition and confidence can get in the way of good decision making.
