Will Microsoft Catch Up to Sony?
Sony is by far the biggest player in the games market now, but some analysts see things becoming much more even in the next generation. Freeform prognostication inside.
Microsoft stands at the doorstep of the next generation, with its Xbox 360 console due for release in North America this week, and now some analysts are saying this head start will help the company pull up to Sony.
The PlayStation 2 far outsold the Xbox in this generation, capturing 70 per cent of the games market, but some analysts suggest that Sony could lose 20 per cent of that to Microsoft and, to a lesser extent, Nintendo.
But why would people leave the leader of the games market? According to the head of Japan's biggest games magazine publisher, the higher cost of making games for PlayStation 3 and a smaller collection of games available early on will push some away from Sony.
Despite what analysts are saying now, though, there are simply too many questions surrounding the PlayStation 3 to make a call either way. The console is slated for release sometime during 2006, with spring looking likely for Japan and North America and Europe coming afterwards.
Sony is, unsurprisingly, unfazed by the latest round of speculation and doesn't intend to change its plans anytime soon. As a spokesperson recently explained to news service Reuters: "We will launch according to our own agenda and strategy."
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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