October 11th, 2008

Sony Loves Microsoft

No matter how strange it may seem, sometimes your enemy could also be your best friend, as long as this serves its purpose. That doesn't quite have a meaning, don't you think? I agree, it doesn't, so let's add the spices to create a story - it's about Microsoft and Sony! To be more accurate, we're talking about the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation, and their battle for Japan...

I won't keep you long from your gaming tasks, but there are two interesting things to know. First, it seems Microsoft raised its Xbox 360 forecast for Japan. At the Tokyo Game Show, John Schappert, apart from inflating Microsoft's contribution to the industry, said "We've done better than we forecast. We are finding that we have a shortage of hardware."

Next, there's Sony's president of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, who says he wants to see the Xbox 360 succeeding in Japan to help making HD gaming more popular to local consumers. No need to say it, but I will - the Nintendo Wii is the most popular console in Japan.

"In terms of realistic-looking graphics and smarter AI, they haven't really shown the appetite for what this generation of gaming can offer. I'd really like to see both PS3 and 360 succeed here.

What Microsoft is offering and what we are offering are closer, compared to what other platforms are offering. Because of that commonality, the new games coming out on 360 and PS3 help to get consumers more interested in this generation of gaming," said Yoshida, and this only makes me wonder about one fact - could we ever see a joint effort in the console world from Microsoft and Sony? I know it sounds crazy for now, but... one day, who knows?