Alternate history: Microsoft never joins the console race

[Chazore]

Wman1996 said:

Sega would still have no reason to drag Dreamcast out more, or at the very least not make another console.
Rare goes multiplatform, as I'm skeptical of Sony buying them.
PlayStation Network is the torchbearer for console online multiplayer and functionality. No way is Nintendo going to do it instead of Xbox Live.
Sony is even more arrogant developing the PS3, as there is no Xbox 360 to compete with it.
Nintendo doesn't change much, at least not off the top of my head. GameCube will do better, but I'm pretty sure Xbox stole more PS2 sales than GameCube sales.

Basically things would have been sped up to where we're at now when you think about it.

It really paints a bit of a picture that MS didn't really fit with the race. Sega fit more with the race than MS did, because Sega was there, MS was already with Windows and PC gaming before Xbox came along.