Beyond Xbox 360: Gates reveals Microsoft’s game plan

Microsoft are in the video game console industry for the long run according to Chairman and co-founder Bill Gates.

In an interview with Reuters, Gates declared “We’ll play again”, regardless of whether or not the Xbox 360 makes it to number one in the market.

The Xbox 360 went on sale yesterday for the first time and sold out in a number of stores throughout North America.

It is the first next-generation machine to be launched with the Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Revolution not due out until next year.

The earlier release date of the Xbox 360 has given Microsoft an opportunity to get an edge over its main competitors. Gates said,

“We learned a lot in the first round. We’ve got a chance not just to have higher market share, but also to grow the size of this market substantially,”

The head of Microsoft believes they have created the superior console compared to their major rival, Sony.

“In terms of how we’ve balanced technology in the machine, we feel certain we’ve done a better job than Sony. […]

You won’t really know that until a year from now, when people are talking about how the games on our machines compare to the games on Sony’s machines.”

The Xbox 360 initial launch lineup consisted of 18 games with over 200 others in development, which according to Gates should be available within 6 months.

Gates is expecting sales of the Xbox 360 to top $1.5 billion by the end of June.

Source: Reuters

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