MS probably makes the most to be honest, as for 2nd place, its close but I would say Sony because they offer more content.

Revenue: 360
Profit: Wii

First to answer the question. Microsoft by far fees, games, expansions, movies, themes, and so forth. There is just so many sources of revenue it cannot be ignored. Especially with the consoles longevity, and its reasonable second place position.

Followed probably by Sony. I know its a distant third, but the console has a lot more content available then Nintendo, and expansions really are the bread and butter of online play.

I honestly think the Virtual Console spent itself within the first year. I haven't heard any figures from Nintendo beyond its first year. So to me that means the demand probably slacked off as the hardcore early adopters depleted the roster, and the more casual audience is not apt to be connected. So while the user base may be larger it is also probably less likely to have a major focus on downloading games.

Before I get gang raped for saying this. I am not adamantly against the Virtual Console. I think it was a brilliant idea financially. However the pricing was and is a little extravagant. These games are worth three dollars at most. Not to mention you can download an emulator for free, and play them for free on the PC. Though Nintendo offering backup is aces in my book. The other two consoles should make this a priority.

Has anyone heard an official announcement of Virtual Console sales lately. The last time I read any official numbers was over 500,000 titles. Which at the time if it was one game per user came to like less then five percent of users actually purchased a game through the service.

P.S.

The Virtual Console is one of the reasons I am keeping my Wii. One day I plan to download dozens of games to it. I still fiend for the original Zelda. I just do not have a wireless setup in my house. Though I have a laptop now maybe later this year I will need to put something together.

MS
Nintendo




Sony (Maybe they loose money)

Xbox 360.....LIVE Gold, XBLA Games, Community Games, Movies, Music Videos, TV Shows, DLC, Themes, Gamerpics.

to my knowledge Sony is the only one to sell games for $40. I don't know how much the average XBL game costs but Sony has Gran Turismo, Wrahawk, Socom, WipeoutHD, Quest for Booty, Siren series and maybe a few more that all probably cost more than the most expensive game offered by either XBL or the Wii. Also Sony has Home which not only makes money from downloads but also from advertisements. I'm not saying Sony is the most profitable cuz I really don't now, but don't be so quick to write then off then use rationals like netflix, which MS doesn't even get any revenue from it.

XBL probably does bring in the most money because you have to pay for it, but besides the subscription fee, I bet they're last in revenue gernated from online.

360, naturally.

Obviously microsoft because they're stingy and make you pay. Then probably nintendo. PS3 has made a lot from home... aswell as all the other stuff like movies/games etc... but probably still in last place because of their small userbase.

Hmm this thread has got me thinking... I wonder if sony will start charging for PSN... if they did i'm sure it would be a lot cheaper than live.

Microsoft >>>>Nintendo>Sony

The real answer to this would be Blizzard :P or whatever they're called now...