They are trying to dominate the RPG market like they dominated the shooter market

They will reach xbox number in 3 years, instead of 4. Good.
They probably expanded their userbase.
Made x360 brand very popular in usa.
Released more Japanese oriented games.
Maybe even first time made a profit(hard to say, since they don`t have x360 only devision).
Were able to make some good exclusive deals with Capcom, Namco, Epic and other developers.

They will be fine, they won`t win, But they improved a lot.
It`s like during ps2 time, there were xbox and GC owners, BUT this time it`s more pleasant to be an x360 owner, then it was to be an xbox owner(except RROD of`course).

x360 will continue selling, just like PSP was selling during DS owning.
But x360 won`t be as popular, as PS2 or PS one were.
While, PS3 since this autumm has good chance to have a BIG boost and start selling alot.

2007 - 9 mln.
2008 - 24-25 mln.
2009 - 44-45 mln.
2010 - 60-62 mln.
2011 - 76-80 mln.
2012 - 90-95 mln.
2013 - 102-108 mln.
2014 - 110-120 mln.

 It must be bat shit crazy if they had people sign NDAs.

Crazyman,i hope those predictions you've made about ps3 sales are a joke!I can understand your love for Sony consoles but thinking that ps3 will reach 120 million units sold is just crazy!And you hope that it will last untill 2014???2014 will probably be closer the end of the next generation(xbox 3,ps4...) and you believe that ps3 will sell good then?But on the other hand i can now understand why did you choose this username...

I know Lord M$ plan: They will make a bluray player for Xbox 360 called a "Playstation 3". It will be so powerful that you won't even need to turn on the 360 for it to run. Personally I'm fine with my HDDVD player. Anyone know about any new titles coming out on HDDVD? It's been a while........

PS2:
2008 - 3,5 mln. in first 6 months.
2007 - 9,5 mln. (outsold both ps3 and x360)
2006 - 12,7 mln. (ps3 and wii launch year)
2005 - 17,8 mln. (x360 launch year)

PS3 SLIM with Full BC at 149$-199-299$ bundled with FFXIII(potential 5-10 mln.) or GT5(potential 10-15 mln.) won`t make big sales? =))

Its actually not even an NDA, I just want to keep getting info so its best not to violate the trust of my sources.

In terms of strategy I think we can expect three things from Microsoft:

1) Wii imitation in some way (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery).

2) Price drop to ~$230/$300/$400 in the USA

3) Announcements intended to make Xbox 360 content competitive in continental Europe with Wii & PS3 and Japan, and more profitable in the Americas.

I have some info on number one and number three, number two is based on the K-Mart circular leak that showed somek ind of 360-price drop.

But the ways things look right now, Sony & Nintendo are just more inventive. Microsoft has become known for games like Gears of War, but what they need are lots of games like popular franchises in genres where 360 is weak (Final Fantasy), more abstract stuff (Little Big Planet, Pikmin, Zack & Wiki), and exclusive blockbusters that don't fit the racing/shooting/western rpg mold (Banjo Kazooie could do it, but it takes more than one).

My hunch is Xbox 360 gets to 40-50 million worldwide, sometime around when Obama is running for his second term, but after this year the rest of the Xbox 360 base will come from price drops rather than 'content additions' which make the 360 seem worth it. Most people who want it as their primary system will have bought it by the end of this year. I think thats one of the secrets to Wii actually - in terms of technology - it is over priced hardware, but alot of the exclusive software is so unique that it doesn't 'feel' over priced at all if you like the content. PS3 is sort of in between, the content makes it easier to justify the price with time, but its similar enough to Xbox 360 and different enough from Wii to limit the upside compared to PS2/DS/Wii.

@ TheSource
Can we expect some major announcements that might knock our socks off?

Source, can you at least give us a hint on number 3?....pleeeeease ;)

Regardless, you say "My hunch is Xbox 360 gets to 40-50 million worldwide,"....so, what does your hunch say about how far the PS3 gets, worldwide?....more than 50 million?...less?

source, in regards to number 3...... I am shooting blanks as to what it could possibly be.......

what can microsoft possibly devise to become more content competitive in continental Europe???

anyone with any ideas for that 1?