Crecente: X Generation

"Microsoft's Xbox 360 beats competition in race to lure wider audience with extras

Industry observers debate whether it lives up to the buzz, but there's little doubt that it signals the beginning of a contentious battle for gamers.

It's going to be a white Christmas, with a dash of lime green.

The Xbox 360, with its snow-white console and glowing green logo, hit stores this week to huge fanfare and sellout crowds.

To consumers, the console represents a chance at playing games with a level of detail never seen before. But to the industry it is the first foray into the next generation, one that many hope will open up gaming to a wider audience.

"I think the next generation is the generation that is going to take gaming from being viewed as a niche market, something that only kids do, and transports it into something that is in the mainstream," said Carlos de Leon, group marketing manager for Xbox.

"The video game industry is on the cusp of being right up there with films and television shows. The next generation is going to allow us to do that. It's going to open up the doors to make it more inviting for everyone to pick up a controller and play."

And it is the same thing that Sony and Nintendo are hoping their next-generation consoles will do.

But the public is still waiting for new consoles from both those companies, neither of which has announced official release dates for the PlayStation 3 and Revolution, respectively. Best guesses put them at least six months out.

Microsoft's lead time and the expanding market has turned this launch of new consoles into one of the fiercest battles for consumer loyalty seen since Pepsi took on Coke.

The 360 got a big boost of holiday hype, with its console the front-runner as this season's must-have (but hard to get your hands on) gift. Industry observers debate whether it lives up to the buzz as a giant leap in gaming, but there's little doubt that it signals the beginning of a contentious battle for gamers." [more]