"The man in charge of the Xbox in the UK talks to CVG.com about pricing, launches, and being rubbish at Splinter Cell

You might think that the man in charge of Xbox in the UK, Ireland, the Nordics and Eastern Europe might have some l33t skills in some of Microsoft's most popular online games.

But not Neil Thompson. According to his biography on the Microsoft corporate website, he's "rubbish" at Splinter Cell and gets whipped "by ten-year-olds" at Gotham 2.

Instead, he hones his talents ensuring that Microsoft's console remains at the forefront of gaming in the UK - and that the Xbox 360 will launch on this little island later this year with a bang.

So it was a pleasure for us to sit down with Neil at E3 and discuss his outlook on the next generation of consoles, how Xbox 360 will redefine how we play games, and how Microsoft will satisfy a world full of gamers desperate to get their mitts on one in November (Catch up with Neil's comments about possible Xbox 360 stock shortages here).

Oh, and he is apparently a player of "championship qualities" at Top Spin Tennis, so it's not all bad..."