The Triforce of gaming.

[S.T.A.G.E.]

Pemalite said:

I think people aren't giving Microsoft enough credit.

Direct X has helped guide graphics as we know it today. It worked with all the graphics chip companies (Even mobile!) to build the API and set standards which has flowed and guided various graphics architectures that has ended up in pretty much every device we use today from Console to Mobile to High-end PC.
Game engines are also built directly for those technologies as well.

In terms of graphics technology it could be argued that no other company has been as influential overall... And thus it's partly thanks to Microsoft that Sony and Nintendo has the graphics technology that it has in their respective consoles today.

Yeah, but you're explaining graphics to primarily console gamers. Nintendo and Sony are delivering the bulk of the console identifiable exclusives and will continue to do so. As much as console gamers boast about graphics is truthfully a elementary argument vs what Microsoft might do for PC. Microsoft has set standards with online for consoles, but has done very little for consoles in terms of paving the way with game development. As much as what you say makes sense it will always be simply about games to console gamers. They will argue among themselves about graphics but it wont really hold any water when the real platform to talk about that on is PC.