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BusinessWeek covers the upcoming holiday season console wars photo

BusinessWeek weighs in on the looming 3-way video game console battle coming this holiday season in their article titled "Console Makers: Move It or Lose It." The article touches on each console's pre-battle position in what Pacific Crest Securities senior research analyst Evan Wilson calls "the most competitive holiday season in the history of video games."

They feel that the outlook for Microsoft seems strong, but there are a few concerns:

Microsoft may be the one embarrassed if it's not able to solidify its No. 1 position this holiday season. "If this lineup of titles can't move boxes off the store shelves come January," writes David Cole, president of gaming research firm DFC Intelligence, "we will have to seriously revaluate Microsoft's long-term position in the marketplace." If that happens, Cole believes Microsoft could be in danger of becoming a distant third in the battle for market share in the video game business.

BW points out that Sony may not have enough coming to prevail this holiday:

Although Sony has some noteworthy game launches coming up, including the reintroduction of the classic Warhawk franchise, two of its heaviest hitters—Metal Gear Solid 4 and the next Final Fantasy game—won't be on store shelves until next year. That could be a problem for Sony and provide a competitive advantage for Microsoft, says Pacific Crest analyst Wilson.

Much like the rest of the non-gaming press, BW doesn't seem to have much in the way of negative statements about Nintendo and the Wii, but we didn't need Business Week to tell us that Nintendo is going to have a killer holiday season. What's more important is that gamers will win this one.

[Via BusinessWeek - thanks, Justin]


Continue reading: More Xbox 360 stories





22 comments | showing # 1 to 22
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Neonie's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:20
Neonie
Well, no real suprises here. I pretty much agree wih what he said. Though, I seriously belive that microsofts game line up will move systems off the shelves, what with Halo 3 comeing up, and im sure there were some people (mabey a lot of people) who bought systems specificly for Bioshock.

And then of course we have Assasins Creed comeing up...
bhive01's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:22
bhive01
I'm really surprised they have such a negative outlook on MS.
Dale North's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:24
Dale North
Neonie, I agree with you. The Xboxes will fly this season. I think that PS3 will actually do okay, but I expect MS to give Nintendo a run for their money.
Topher Cantler's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:25
Topher Cantler
Pfft. That pic is shopped. The ring on the 360 is supposed to be red.


...isn't it? :(
topgeargorilla's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:29
topgeargorilla
poor hushgush.
brainderailment's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:36
brainderailment
I don't think a hot christmas item has ever had 2 years running as the big item. 360 had it's year of launch, wii had last year, I don't think Sony will take this years, but what I'm saying is, I don't think the wii will have the #1 spot on consumers list this year. They'll sell a shit-ton no doubt, but the hot item this year will probably be some furry shakey talky pissy thingy that the public shits themselves over every couple of years.
Quest's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:37
Quest
360 will fly for sure .... fly down

@ Topher Cantler i tough the same for the pic :))))


nintendo will have a blast next hollyday season
Tron Knotts's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:39
Tron Knotts
I really don't get the whole Halo 3 thing. Are there really that many people who have not yet bought a 360 who will get one just for that one game? Most of the old Halo fans I know got burnt out on Halo 2 and are no longer into the series.

I wouldn't be suprized if I were wrong, as I am not close friends with any hardcore gamers so I don't really have my hand on the pulse of the Halo 3 crowd. But from where I stand, I see Halo 3 being some what of a sales dissappointment. Most of the time, if the third installment of a game or movie series does not either re-invent or totally surpass it's prequels, people tend to get pissed and turn their backs on their once beloved.

Matrix 3, Spider Man 3, abnd Resident Evil 3 (the game) immediately come to mind.

Mike Maloney's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:48
Mike Maloney
A sales disappointment? The game already had over one million preorders. That is setting it up to do huge numbers.

And I'm sure there are a fair number of people who haven't bought a 360 yet because they didn't have any real reason to, and are, in fact, waiting for Halo to come out.
brainderailment's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 11:53
brainderailment
I agree with Tron, those who want halo, have already bought the 360, Gears anyone?
Blue Collar Heresy's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 12:21
Blue Collar Heresy
Really brainderailment? Someone should have told me, I've been waiting to fork over the money for a system for a while.

Sure having a cooler running chipset will be nice, but waiting for Halo 3 was certainly a large part of it. And like Mike said: "The game already had over one million preorders."
qo_op's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 13:27
qo_op
Heavenly Sword............
BigPopaGamer's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 13:34
BigPopaGamer
@Mike Maloney that is a great av man. I love Stacey.

@brainderailment Gears is not the end-all be-all of 360 online games. I find the multiplayer to be subpar when compared to the pure fun of Halo 2 or R6 Vegas.

Consider this, Halo 3 has had preorders in equal to one-tenth of the total amount of consoles sold. Between Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Call of Duty 4 along with the sleeper hits you know will be out there, Microsoft is looking as stacked as the New England Patriots are in football.

Now if only they could fix those damn rings.
The_Psychopsilocybin's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 15:04
The_Psychopsilocybin
Yeah 360 shouldn't move as many consoles as it has in the past. Most people who are Halo freaks have already bought 360s since everyone wanted to play the beta. And not to mention gears of war has already moved a large amount of xboxs already.

To tell you the truth PS3 has the most to gain since it hasn't had such a great amount of solid titles yet. Sony could take the cake during this holiday season, but I still think 360 will probably sell more software than any other console.

The Wii will probably do well also. Smash Brothers will definitely sell its share of units. So all in all it seems like its anyone's game this year.
GrayFox's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 16:43
GrayFox
The Halo series is probably my favorite one at the moment and I waited specifically for it (well, and Bioshock) to get my 360 (just bought it last night).
lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 17:34
lubczyk
Call Me Crazy, but I don't think we'll be seeing all of the big three this year. I think Nintendo Wii is selling out even every month without the big three at the moment and will continue to sell out in the foreseeable furture.

that Nintendo can afford to space out Metroid, Smash Bros, Galaxy, and Kart.

If I was Nintendo I would release Metroid Prime 3: Corruption in August or even late September.

I would release Super Mario Galaxy in December knowing that parents and Grand Parents would definitely buy it in droves for their kids and grandkids recognizing "Super Mario."

I would delay Mario Kart to somewhere during the 2008 summer dry spell to boost sales and so not to interfere with the sales of Mario Galaxy released back in December.

Lastly, I think Nintendo could get away with, in Reggie's bullshit speak, "Making sure it's perfect" by delaying Super Smash Bros. Brawl till Christmas 2008, with no online play.

Think about it, Smash Bros. is the most hardcore of the hardcore franchises Nintendo has. It will sell a shit-ton whether Nintendo releases it this year, in 2008 or even 2010 regardless whether it has online play or not.

I don't believe Nintendo will release the big three this year. I may be wrong. But I think Reggie will be informing us of this soon enough.

So I'm prepared, as a prospective Wii owner, to possibly not see any of the big three this year due to the booming sales.
lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 17:37
lubczyk
[Continued from above comment]

I think this Holiday season belongs to Microsoft.

I won't count the PS3 or Wii out of the race until after next year's (2008) Holiday season.
Vos's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 19:28
Vos
If the 360's incredible fall lineup does not move systems, then i seriously question the mental health of 98% of the gaming community.
pdarkness's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 23:15
pdarkness
Fuck you, fuck your shit website. This vomit inducing 'website' is on par with Kotaku as the most biased games site around. Your bias against nintendo is childish in the extreme and shows how juvenile and ridiculous this website is. Jim and the rest ignore most of the Wii news and shit on Nintendo at any opportunity, do you even know that in a matter of weeks the Wii will outsell the crap-tastic 360 and become the worlds No.1 next gen console? Fuck you, fuck Kotaku...Goodbye.
jakebattey's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/14/2007 23:53
jakebattey
Someone needs a nap. And maybe some douche to get the sand out.
Riddick's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/15/2007 02:03
Riddick
Microsoft will own this Holiday Season! The Wii's graphics are to horrible for me to considering my anymore games for it besides Umbrella Conronicles! The Xbox 360 is the system to have if your a gamer! I only bought the PS3 for a Blu-Ray player and I regret that because I am actually preferring HD-DVD at the moment. XBOX 360 all the way this holiday and lets hope it wins the console wars!!!! That is saying alot coming from me considering I was a PS2 man last console war but damn has Microsoft turned me!
Riddick's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/15/2007 02:03
Riddick
I like PIZZA!
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