Microsoft looks to “Halo 3” to hold Xbox console lead

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg)—Microsoft Corp. took the lead in video-game players after it introduced the Xbox 360 in November 2005, five years after entering the business. Now the world’s largest software maker is banking on another new product to stay No. 1 ...
Estimates of the first day sales of Halo3 range from $180 to $200 million — not bad considering the game doesn’t knock your socks off visually. It suggests that Master Chief fans might actually consider the story to be as important as the visual experience.

It will be interesting to see over the upcoming weeks and holiday season not only how many Halo3 units sell but how sales of the 360 console itself are affected. The Wii was primed to overtake the top spot by years’ end but Halo3 could reverse that trend. What about the PS3, you say? It’s bordering on irrelevent from the point of view of this reporter.—CRD