expecting MSFT to beat a company and expecting them to be competitive are two different issues. as you've said in another post about all that $$ their sitting o

expecting MSFT to beat a company and expecting them to be competitive are two different issues. as you've said in another post about all that $$ their sitting on -- they should be competing in several different markets, but showing up with a bunch of cash is simply not good enough to beat a well-worn competitor like Nintendo. Game consoles are as much about the franchises as they are about the consoles themselves (Marios, Zelda, Mario Kart, Metroid, Smash Brothers, etc. for Nintendo ). That being said, it's nearly impossible to build a game franchise from nothing. Most best selling games are multiple-edition franchises (see: GTA IV, Halo, Mario, Smash Brothers, Call of Duty, All Tom Clancy games, Final Fantasy,etc.) MSFT hit the jackpot with HALO, and has a couple other interesting original titles such as Gears of War, Mass Effect and others.