Seems the business analysts are again looking at what MS should do going forward with its Entertainment division.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9189322/Call_to_carve_up_Microsoft_silly_says_analyst

I certainly feel MS would be plan silly to about face on all the effort they've made and exit the console/entertainment business, but the idea of a totally seperate division is interesting.

Should MS make a clearer division between it's corporate and entertainment operations?  Clearly some of the business analysts would prefer this, but would it really raise MS share price to do so?  And is the Entertainment division big enough now to potentially operate alone without such obvious backing from MS corporate operations?

What do others think?  

I thought this was just a moot point, because i thought that the gaming division would still have the same financial backing from MS, which is the key thing right?? and it will still have the same people doing the same jobs. but i dont know if its a good idea or not...

Same here. IMO this are just analysts bitching that they cant get a 100% clear picture of how some MS products are doing. But who cares? they are making astronomical profits every quarter

isn't sony computer entertainment an off shoot of Sony Group like sony pictures and music etc.

well Microsoft hasn't yet had the big success in the gaming industry unlike Sony with there PS1 and PS2, Nintendo with there NES, SNES and there Handholds. the Xbox failed, and the Xbox360 yet to reach good sales numbers of 75 million now which it would if MS dont release an new console anytime soon. 

It was until the division got merged into the network and something division.  Now walkman and vaio's are part of the playstation brand (For better or for worse.)