Microsoft was expecting Sony to say anything over the holidays to prevent people from buying the 360. Xbox chief Peter Moore told reporters in January he was baffled by Sony’s silence. Industry insiders believe that this silence was a “poker play” to lead consumers to believe that the PS3 release was just around the corner. In the meantime, Microsoft is still on track to sell over 5 million consoles by June.
Sony’s delay doesn’t mean Microsoft can relax; they are still trying to crank out as many Xbox 360s as they can. Micorosft’s Steve Ballmer was quoted as saying “The first console to reach 10 million units has been the market leader for that generation.” Sony’s delay will definitely give Microsoft a sizable head start towards this goal… but being first doesn’t necessarily ensure success in the gaming market…
Remember the Sega Dreamcast? It also beat Sony’s Playstation 2 to shelves by almost a year, but Sony countered with better hardware, more developer support and major cash. It is possible that Sony can deliver a system with higher technical specifications, but the rival companies are now equally matched in terms of developer support, and don’t even get me started on how much cash each company has to throw down. November will bring us the most brutal bout between two heavyweights – and it’s pay-per-view, baby!
Sony is planning a major worldwide launch, debuting in Japan, Europe, and North America on the same day, which would be an industry first, and the industry is skeptical Sony can pull it off. Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 in these same regions within weeks of each other, but had supply problems and still hasn’t fully recovered.
