Videogame Console Wars: Microsoft's Possible Demise and Sony's Emergence?

There is no doubt that 2007 was the year of the Xbox 360. Microsoft's Big Green Machine had the killer app exclusives such as Halo 3, BioShock, and Mass Effect. All of these games were critically acclaimed from countless gamers (myself included). With that said, the future for the Xbox 360 might seem uncertain. There are some solid reasons for that lack of clarity. Although the Xbox 360 is dominating the United States market, Europe and Japan are two places where the Xbox 360 is still not selling well. The PS3 is selling at a much more alarming rate in Japan. Even though Microsoft has extended the warranty, the dreaded red ring of death is still a lingering flaw with the Xbox 360. These defective Xbox 360's might influence the longevity of the console. Furthermore, Microsoft is spending (or losing depending on how you want to look at it) over $ 1 Billion in attempting to rectify this glitch. I suppose the saying "what goes around comes around" fits well here. The worst news of all is that Microsoft is not retaining its exclusive game developing companies. Bungie, Bizarre, and BioWare will no longer be creating exclusive games for the Xbox 360 in the future. Gamers already know about EA buying BioWare. Electronic Arts will own the rights to Mass Effect in January 2008. If anyone reads between the lines, then it is fairly obvious that the entire Mass Effect trilogy could be on both the Sony PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Does this also mean other game developers will follow in BioWare's footsteps? It is possible that the Gears of War sequels could be ported to the PS3? It is almost a certainty and inevitable. Sony has lost its exclusives right to games like Devil May Cry 4, Dark Sector, and Grand Theft Auto 4. Now, those games will be multiconsole games available for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The loss of exclusive rights to the Mass Effect and Gears of War games could even give Sony an advantage in the console wars. For every dent Sony makes in the video game industry, there appears to be a counterattack from Microsoft and vice versa. True gamers could care less what console has what exclusives, and the only thing that matters is the quality of the games themselves. But this rivalry between Sony and Microsoft is like watching a brilliant sports game that goes back and forth between two opponents. The PlayStation 3 has Final Fantasy XIII, so Microsoft gets exclusive rights to Lost Odyssey. Microsoft solidifies exclusives rights to Ninja Gaiden 2; therefore, Sony retaliates by getting exclusive rights to God of War 3. Could the Xbox 360 be rendered useless with exclusives like Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Killzone 2, Final Fantasy XIII, and God of War 3 on the way? Is this the beginning of the end for Microsoft? Will game developers continue to forsake Microsoft? It is still too early to answer any of those questions, but Microsoft has to be sweating like Michael Jackson at a children's daycare.