The 360 obviously isn't going to fail out of the starting gate. Microsoft has money coming out their arses so they can always pump more moola into the console. See that's one of the reasons I hate Microsoft; they get into a field and take away market share from other companies. (Nintendo's case in 1985 was different, back then there barely were any game companies!
And they could be more imaginative with their names. I mean "Xbox" was kinda cool, but why"360"? Why "Internet Explorer"? Why "Word"? Why not "Wordmill" or something more colorful? Their names are just so utilitarian. I swear if M$ made toilet paper it would be called "Microsoft excrement Wiper"
As I've said in the past, there are only 3 things keeping Nintendo in the hardware horse race: A large variety of kid's games, parental recognition, and proprietary games.
<u>Kid's Games</u>
A lot of Nintendo's games of late, such as the Mario Party series, seem kind of "kiddie" to me. I mean big, colorful graphics in bright pastels? A littl emore realism wouldn't hurt them much... (I wonder if anyone made one of those texture patches to make Mario 64 look more realistic...) Just my opinion, no offense to anyone. (actually Goldeneye for N64 was quite good)
<u>Parental Recognition</u>
Since Nintendo has been in the console market in the USA for 20 years, parents who grew up with the NES will be buying the Revolution for their kids. For example, a parent would think "I don't want to buy a 360, because thta game for it ''Bloodthirsty Hell Zombies 2: Braaaaiiins'' looks way too scary for my kids. I'll buy the Revolution because it has Mario, the Legend of Zelda, and all those other names I trust... Donkey Kong..." HOWEVER, BHZ2:B is out for <i>all three consoles</i>! I have actually SEEN obvious soccer moms in Best Buy talking to themselves almost exactly like my example.
(side note: I saw one woman who refused to buy "Luigi's Mansion" for her 6 year old son because it was "too scary".
<u>Proprietary Software</u>
Mario, Link, DK, all those other characters are out SOLELY on Nintendo hardware. This goes back to what I said about Microsoft's "standards" a while back, as Nintendo is doing basically the same thing. They make games JUST for THEIR hardware, so if you buy a PS3 and suddenly decide to play Mario, you're copulated. You have to buy a Game Boy, a DS, or a 'cube or a Revolution. If Nintendo dropped their "closed standards" methodology and developed their games for the 360 and PS3, they would probably lose most of their hardware market. (some people may buy Nintendo hardware because it's cheaper, but for a bit more you can get a unit with more features.
Here's my 2 cents. (plus a few extras I found in between the couch cushions)

