Maybe they'll use the 100% failure rate of the 360 to try and convince gamers that PCs are more reliable, lol.

Unfortunatly the threat of other leading OS in the console made them to move here ... so your theory , especially now , with the market growing considerably , will not be acomplished anytime soon :?

One day, Microsoft, and Nintendo, will push Sony out the door, and Microsoft will soon follow. Nintendo will be the last to remain...

I quite clearly remember Microsoft execs (mostly J Allard) talking about their serious ambitions for the first Xbox to reach 100 million in sales, that they saw the games market as financially lucrative, and that they could beat Sony to the punch at being the future multimedia supplier under the television. All fairly reasonable ambitions considering the effort, positioning, investment and people involved.

Of course they failed on all three counts. Miserable market penetration, Catastrophic losses, and not a dent on Sony's space. It's nice to paint it like the 2-console cycle was their plan all along, but that's the power of media spin on hindsight. There are certainly records about detailing Microsoft's financial expectations: only 900 million lost over the first two years with profits therafter as opposed to 4 billion losses over 4 years etc.

Consider this: Would 360 be doing any worse right now if the original Xbox never existed? In Japan it would almost certainly be doing better.

i don't see any reason why all 3 won't continue to exist

@ ripper

It's called money

Making it is good, losing it is bad.

On games MS have lost 7 or so billion in 6 years, Sony have lost 2 or so billion over the last year, and Nintendo is now the second most highly valued company in Japan. Even behemoths like Sony and MS have to listen to common sense eventually.

and now they are making money, and have stopped sony from taking over... both sony and microsoft have deep pockets, why would they walk away?
you are a smartass by the way

Onimusha12:

First off by stating Microsoft will never make money is just a laughable as far as I am concerned. They are in it for 2 reasons. Are you ready? The videogame biz is now larger than Hollywood. (Money!) The other reason is eventually in the future the pc and the console + tv will all merge into one unit. MS wants to be there. They have pretty much said that over and over. Feel free to make up fantasy you wish. I giggle @ them.

I always said that the next XBOX will basically be a PC - it will run (a special version?) of Vista, and the hardware will start to become irrelevant.

All PC software will run on it - and you might even be able to "buy" an XBOX III in "software" alone (i.e. its something you install on your PC as a new OS, and it just runs - assuming you have min specs).

Definitely the direction MS are going.

Whether the market cares though - is another question. If MS didn't have their 12 month advantage, they would be dead already this round.

Next year will be a bloody battle between the PS3 & 360 - you just watch. One will fall, and their will only be one survivor to co-exist with the Wii (not saying it will stop selling - it will just become irrelevant).

...

Thanks to the success of the Wii - everything changes from now on. I doubt there will ever be another "generation" of consoles ever again.

Maybe it's because I live in Seattle, but I've always liked Microsoft and never saw them as some evil corporation. While I don't doubt for a minute that they want to be number 1 and make the most money, I think the only reason they're so bitter towards Sony was Sony's attempt at entering the OS market. Although reading over these posts it looks to me like Microsoft did Nintendo a HUGE favor by entering the console market.

Also, to defend Sony's claim about the PS2's "printer and productivity software suite," I would point out that there is a Linux kit for the PS2. It's not made anymore, but it came with the HDD, a Linux OS install CD and it turned the PS2 into a full fledged computer, completely capable of printing. I sorta wish I had it, just to see what it would be like, but since I'd never use it I don't wanna drop the $200 bucks or whatever it's probably going for on eBay.