prophets and profits

nintendo never make a loss on the consoles - unlike the other

2 players - okay, the retailers have to make profit or they wouldnt sell them - and on this score the xbox 360 makes the most markup (BOM for PS3 is very high). The Wii also has a wonderful 'trick' in that many people are encouraged to buy more wiimotes - its more a social console than the single-player experience (ignoring multiplayer online as thats still a single-player local exprience) of the 360 and PS3.

however, Wii will need to produce some more compelling content soon -as the current release schedule looks a little 'tacky' - simple/cheap 'game experiences' using the wiimote as a pointer (just one step up from those DVD games)

PS3 sales continue at a slow drip feed - but there are several AAA titles lurking in the first few months of this year - leading into the main easter games session - a situation that no other console has - 360 has done its major titles now until near summer - hoping that its drawn in all it can during this purchasing season.

360 is still best online experience

PS3 is slowly catching up - but still too fragmented

Wii - virtual console is delivering its promise but the new

DLC system will add onto this - but online playing is very very poor

Sony

One thing I have noticed a lot of people forget (especially the younger crowd) is that Sony have ENORMOUS perseverance and an almost unlimited pocketbook.

When they launch a product it is akin to launching a long grueling military campaign of attrition -- they often beat their opponents by simply outlasting them (regardless of their own losses). They are also very smart about product placement and consumer markets and thus usually end up being top dog in the long term.

This can be seen easily now by simply looking at the PSP and PS2 sales -- both of these consoles came under heavy criticism and negative media scrutiny in the first 2 years of their release and both were losses on Sony's books for quite some time. Now you can see that both platforms have reached peak maturity in the markets and are raking in cash nicely -- though imho I think the PSP still has a lot more potential to be gleaned out of it yet (if you don't own one yet, they are FANTASTIC little devices, especially if you also own a PS3). I predict the Playstation 3 will follow the same patterns over time.

My hat goes off to Sony for making great products and being a pro at making money.

Congrats also go to Nintendo for ressurecting itself in the non-handheld console market.