There are generally speaking two ways how companies compete in consumer sector:
a) Companies try to create better value offering for the consumers
b) Companies try to limit, downplay and outright force compeitition out from business
Typically it is the smaller companies and underdogs that can only try to smart out their competition with good offering. The bigger the companies are, the more eager they become for resorting to monopolism, and then telling consumers what they "need". I think MS considered that it was game over for Sony, when current gen launched and hence they were really complacent. Things went differently, and this has forced MS to underdog position and they actually are trying to create value for consumers with X1: lower price, many exclusives coming etc. However, as you said, Windows 10 and "return of PC gaming" is in my view clearly MS plan to bring gaming on monopolistic OS platform, which would make life easy for them. Eliminate consoles after which could control the entire hardcore gaming scene.I wish Sony and Nintendo good luck for not letting this happen.
Only time will tell how this turns out.
