Takahashi: Sony in Trouble, DS Hurting 360

Why isn't Microsoft selling as many Xbox 360s as they'd like? The answer is pictured above, says Mercury News tech-biz writer (and author of two in-depth business books on Xbox) Dean Takahashi:

Why is there so much friction for Xbox 360 sales when Microsoft has the field all to itself?

Well, one explanation lies in Nintendo’s results for the six months ended Sept. 30. The folks in Kyoto sold more than 10 million Nintendo
DS and DS Lite handhelds worldwide in the last six months, giving it a grand total of 26.8 million sold to date worldwide.

It's been a crazy few days, what with Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony all revealing their financial results and shipment forecasts. The general sense seems to be that it's an excellent time to be Nintendo and Microsoft right now. "Sony is in trouble," says Takahashi, with earnings "plummeting" mostly thanks to that half-billion-dollar battery recall.

And while "things are looking brighter" for Microsoft, they've only shipped six million Xbox 360 units worldwide -- far short of Bill Gates' stated goal of 10 million. I do like how Dean phrases the latest news from Japan, though:

There is even some good news in Japan, since the limited edition run of
Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Blue Dragon game – bundled with the Xbox 360 –
sold out.

I agree -- it's the game that comes with a free 360, not the other way around.