Xbox360 Gloss Horiz on Lower Tilt

With the Wii U launching this month, you might assume that most Nintendo fans are saving up their pennies and getting very excited indeed about the new console. However, Microsoft's general manager of Interactive Entertainment product marketing Matt Barlow believes that current Wii owners are better off spending their cash elsewhere - and there are no prizes for guessing which system he thinks you should invest in:

I think this holiday season is an amazing jump off for all those people who may have been interested in the Wii and now want to be interested in high definition gaming. I can't think of a better console for them to choose than one that has the most games available, the highest rated games available, than the Xbox 360 platform.

And when you look at the alternative experiences that we're going to bring with SmartGlass, the entertainment providers that we're bringing on board, with sports and music and movies and TV, and then if you think about those preeminent best selling blockbuster games that they're going to want to play - Halo, Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Forza, Nike+ Kinect Fitness - they either play first or they play best on Xbox 360 and nowhere else.

Like I said, jump off is great and we like the way we're positioned to pick those customers up. They really should consider an Xbox 360 if they're looking for the best high definition gaming and entertainment platform.

Putting aside the fact that Barlow has conveniently ignored the forthcoming releases of Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Assassin's Creed III on Wii U, it's hardly a shock that a rival firm wants to steal away some of Nintendo's market share (especially a firm which is seeing its own sales slow down considerably). But does he have a point? The 360 has HD gaming, a large selection of titles and is cheaper than the Wii U - so do you think there's a chance it will pick up existing Wii owners this Christmas?

The comments section is your friend.

[source gamesindustry.biz]