Game consoles vie for next-gen supremacy

Once again, three major video game consoles are set to battle just as the holiday shopping season gets in gear. And just like the last round of console wars five years back, the players are Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. In the fall of 2001, tunleshed the Xbox on a world that was skeptical of the computer software giant's ability to compete with the more experienced companies. Around the same time, Nintendo also released their new console, the Gamecube. But Sony, building on its success of their first machine, had a one-year head start with the PlayStation 2.

This time, Sony isn’t first-to-market with their console—that honor goes to Microsoft’s Xbox 360. The company’s second entry into the console wars was released a year ago, and has generated strong reviews and decent sales. And Nintendo’s Wii, with its unique, motion-sensing controller, has generated good pre-release buzz. And Sony? Manufacturing problems have caused delays and shortages for their PlayStation 3 launch.
So the million (billion)-dollar question is, on the eve of the PlayStation 3 and Wii launches: Is the balance of power shifting in the game industry? Let's take a look at some of the factors that will come into play.

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