Welcome to part two of our three-part series (Here are six of Sony’s advantages, in case you missed them).  This time we’ll talk about seven things that give the Xbox 360 an advantage over the PlayStation 3 and the Wii.

1. Build a Feature-Perfect, Unified Online System

By far one of Microsoft’s biggest advantages at the start of this generation was its brilliant online system, Xbox Live.  Sony and Nintendo’s systems just couldn’t hold water to the brilliance of Live, with its beautifully integrated friends system and in game dashboard.  However, Sony has considerably improved the PlayStation Network to the point where it is has nearly reached the caliber of Xbox Live, but Nintendo’s online system, on the other hand, is still archaic and quite useless.

2. Interact With the Community

Another great idea Microsoft had for this generation was a huge amount of direct interaction with the community.  Starting off with Major Nelson, expanding to the recently deceased Gamerscore Blog, and finally pushing it directly onto Xbox Live, Microsoft has been the best when it comes to directly talking to its consumers.  Sony is getting better with their PlayStation blog, but again, Nintendo fails in this category because even high level journalists have trouble getting the information from Nintendo that Microsoft and Sony freely give to everyone.

3. Aggressively Price Cut

Microsoft knows that when its console is selling a slowly (the first half of 2008), they need to slash the price (which they did in September).  Sony did cut the PS3’s price ferociously (cheapest SKU originally $499, now $399), but they need a cut now: the PS3 isn’t exactly flying off the shelves and a $50 price cut would help alleviate that problem.  Nintendo, on the other hand, hasn’t moved its price down a cent, mostly because they haven’t had to.  However when if the demand for Wii’s ever slows down, Nintendo needs to be ready to reduce the Wii’s price.

4. Implement Netflix

One of my favorite features of the Xbox 360 is its ability to stream Netflix movies and TV shows in seconds.  Sony and Nintendo really need to strike up a deal with Netflix (or Blockbuster) because, in my opinion, this is a huge selling-feature for the 360.

5. Make Regular, Relevant, and Expansive Software Updates

One of my least favorite parts of the PS3 is Sony’s software updates.  Not only do they seem to happen whenever I’m really craving some LittleBigPlanet, but some of them are so trite that you wish you could skip them entirely.  For example, the latest PS3 firmware, firmware 2.60, added a photo sorting feature.  While the feature is interesting, I really do wonder why Sony took time and resources to develop this when the system clearly needs other enhancements (a Home update, for example).  I like Sony’s decision to fix bugs on the fly but I think it should be limited to fixing bugs and glitches, not adding big software updates; Sony should make a regular (2-4 times a year) software update that adds a plethora of features.  Not only would this excite the community (look at how people get into a tizzy about the latest 360 software update), but it would also stop the system from rudely interrupting my playing time for a ten minute software update that I probably don’t want.

Nintendo’s software updates have been neither regular, relevant, or expansive so it again loses in this category.

6. Snatch up exclusives (or Take Them from the Competition)

Without a doubt, the 360 has the best third-party exclusives of each of the three consoles.  That’s mostly because Microsoft has been very smart in their pursuit of exclusives.  They are very good at realizing a game’s potential and snatching it up as their own before the competition can get to it (for example, Crackdown).  Microsoft has also been very good at stealing what were previously PS3 exclusives and making them multi-platform titles (Devil May Cry 4, Final Fantasy XIII).  Sony and Nintendo have great first-party lineups but Sony’s third-party exclusives are slim pickings and Nintendo’s are crap.

7. Release Your Console First

Perhaps Microsoft’s smartest move this generation was its decision to beat the competition to market by releasing the Xbox 360 first.  The decision gave them a big head start in install base over the competitors (although Nintendo did overcome that obstacle quite fast) and more time to lower the price of the Xbox 360.  This head start gave Microsoft a big advantage, especially over Sony

http://secondstorygamer.com/2009/01/microsoft-teach-sony-nintendo/

I think it seems better(less bad) than the previous article...but still seems to generally to stay outside the realm of logic.

Seven things Nintendo can teach Microsoft and Sony:

1. How to make money
2. How to make money
3. How to make money
4. How to make money
5. How to make money
6. How to make money
7. How to make money

Microsoft makes more money then Nintendo, maybe Nintendo should learn from Sony how to make good games.

Not only that but Microsofts entertainment division is now making profits each quarter aswell. But I agree the way Microsoft has handled Live shows their experience as as a software and platform company. One only also need to read about how happy developers are with the ease of development and portability between the pc and 360 to see this aswell.

"Release Your Console First"

this wouldn't of been so bad if it wasn't for the RROD issue. I'm pretty sure 360 would of been on par with wii if it wasn't for that issue.

Considering Nintendo's games have spanked the revenues of the entire industry, I think you're really grasping here. 

If anything, Sony has "borrowed' almost everything it does in games from Nintendo.

#1 and #5 are good. overall much better list than the original sony list which was terrible. but #3,4, and 7 have nothing to do with the actual gaming. i don't know anything about #2. and #6 is well i dunno, if the companies feel like buying games then i guess they can but i think if you make a good system the games will come to you, like the wii its taken a couple years but finally 3rd party games are coming in loads this year.

Haha. This thread is really the worst ive ever seen on vgchartz. All the things you say about "great" microsoft is so wrong. How can you support a devilish company like that?

1. Decent point
2. I don't really have familiarity here so I'll give benefit of the doubt
3. I don't think either Sony or Nintendo have to be taught this
4. Not sure how well Netflix would work on the Wii, nor how much the Wii's audience would use it if they could
5. For Sony, eh. I don't think this is a big deal. For Nintendo, that's because the Wii was already perfect
6. Sony has already done this hasn't it? As for Nintendo, Monster Hunter 3; also, moneyhatting isn't how Nintendo rolls. If your first party is good enough, you don't need to bribe others for flagship titles.
7. Being first can be an asset, but I don't think it's a universal lesson. Nintendo will probably march to the beat of their own drummer yet again, and Sony could use as much time to recoup the early-gen losses as it can reasonably get.