Microsoft Admits 360 Can't Outsell Wii, Even After Price Cuts

Sep. 5 10:54 AM by Alicia Ashby

Here's a surprising bit of corporate honesty for you. During BusinessWeek's coverage of the Xbox 360 price cuts (which hit this week), Microsoft Senior Vice-President of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattick came right out and admitted that even with the price cuts, it was very unlikely that the 360 could outsell the Wii on a worldwide basis.

Luring such gamers should keep Microsoft ahead of Sony, though even Microsoft's top Xbox boss acknowledges the company is unlikely to catch up to Nintendo. "I'm not at a point where I can say we're going to beat Nintendo," says Don Mattrick, senior vice-president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business. Indeed, Nintendo is likely to run away with the lead in the current generation of console gaming, leaving Microsoft and Sony to battle for second place. Microsoft's lead over Sony, coupled with the changes it's bringing to the console, positions it to secure that spot, Mattrick says: "We will sell more consoles this generation than Sony."