Microsoft is in an enviable position for this round of the console wars.
If there is one area that Microsoft seems to have a dominant place, it’s in the console market. The Xbox 360 has held the top sales in the console market for the last seven years. This may have something to do with the tendency for the console to break down and need to get fixed, but there has to be a reason why people keep buying another Xbox 360 in those cases.
Otherwise Microsoft just can’t seem to generate excitement in much of anything. Windows 8 was launched to a general lack of fanfare, and in spite of all of their work, the operating system just can’t seem to impress the masses. Even the Windows Phone operating system can’t get more than maybe a toe-hold in the smartphone market . Face it, Windows 7 still works just fine, and Windows Mobile was a steaming pile of fail from the start, with early smartphones freezing up and lagging harder than most popular websites.
However, thanks to the success of the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live , Microsoft can afford to sit and wait for Sony and Nintendo to show their hands before announcing their own. In spite of the rumors predicting their doom, Microsoft is still selling strong versus the PlayStation 3.
Early analysis suggests that the Xbox 360 was the preferred system because the Wii was just a weird “kids’ console” and the PlayStation 3 started out too expensive. And as the test of time suggests, the Xbox 360 remains on top.
Microsoft could still end up losing this round if it doesn’t play its cards right. Just ask Nintendo and Sega. After too many failed consoles, the early console champions had to give way to Sony and Microsoft. Plus with rumors surrounding Microsoft’s backwards compatibility and “always online” issues, Sony could win this round. We won’t know until the consoles launch, but Microsoft currently owns the lead.
How do you feel about Microsoft being in an enviable position in this round of the console wars?