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Article: A serious contest; Video games.(The video-game war)(Industry Overview)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 8, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Battling for the living room
Can Microsoft's clever strategy level the playing field with Sony?
LIKE the combatants in a beat-'em-up video game, the makers of video-games consoles do battle in orderly rounds, one of which occurs every five or six years. The current round began in 2000, when Sony launched PlayStation 2. In 2001 Nintendo, the firm that once ruled the industry, launched the GameCube, and Microsoft made its first foray into the cut-throat market with the Xbox. Four years on, Sony is the clear winner, with sales of 70m consoles, followed by Microsoft with 14m and Nintendo with 13m.
Next week, the industry's biggest trade show, E3, ...