Head start: the Xbox 360 and the next generation

It would make sense for Microsoft to be on the defensive. The Xbox 360 is about a year old, so the company isn't going into the holiday season with the buzz that Sony and Nintendo are enjoying. But having that long of a head start also carries with it some advantages: hardware will be plentiful on store shelves, and Microsoft had all that time to hone the online and UI experiences with the 360. At this stage, the console is a mature product just hitting its stride, a nice position to be in given what both the Wii and the PS3 are going through.