Microsoft has unveiled its latest strategy-a new video game console, the Xbox 360-to conquer the game console market, which hitherto has been ruled by Sony. Think of it as not taking over the digital ecosystem but being a prime player in that digital ecosystem.
Welcome lence wins over to the mad, mad world of video games! A world where virtual excel-reality, where there's no fear of losing because there's always a next time. What's more, its fun! The video game industry has become a business of billions of dollars and is attracting the young and the old alike. According to The NPD Group, a leading market research firm, last year nearly $10 bn was spent on video game hard-ware and software in the US alone. Hit video games are giving even movie blockbusters a run for their money. Microsoft's Xbox - Halo 2 had first-day sales of $125 mn, a better opening than the latest Star Wars movie ($115 mn). The age of techno-religion has indeed arrived.
The battle to win a place in your living room is gaining momentum as each day passes. The three leading players of the industry, viz., Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are continuously coming out with new strategies to capture the minds of techno-freaks as well as of the not-so-techie people. The most re-cent effort has been from the software giant Microsoft, which launched the Xbox 360-a brand new version of its earlier Xbox. It claims that Xbox 360 will change the way people perceive game consoles, because it is not just any other game machine. "We will have the most powerful platform. The Xbox 360 will be the Porsche of video gaming", opined Robbie Bach, Chief Xbox Officer. |
