November marks the one-year anniversary of the release of both Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3 as well as the second anniversary of the debut of Microsoft's Xbox 360. It has been a long year for the three console makers, one in which the former leaders, Microsoft and Sony, were blindsided by the phenomenal success of the Wii and nonplussed by the lackluster performance of the PS3.
After a turbulent 12 months, however, the gaming industry now has to gear up for its busiest season - the holidays - which begins with Black Friday this week. For the industry, the period starting the Friday following Thanksgiving and winding up just after Christmas is a make-or-break time of the year, bringing 40% of the industry's total sales.
With retailers pulling out all the stops and pressure mounting on parents to purchase the right system for their pint-sized and teenaged gamers - or even grown-up friends and family members - what console will emerge victorious after the holidays? Each platform has its own unique set of challenges and strengths - the question is how their pluses and minuses will play out as consumers start hitting the stores in a shopping frenzy.
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