Microsoft, in the shape of Peter Moore, its vice president of entertainment, seems to have already conceded defeat to Nintendo and Sony in the battle for E3 headlines.
In a move already seen by many as an attempt to put a positive spin on what looks to be a quiet show for the Seattle giant, Moore said that "winning E3 is overrated; I won it at Sega in 1999 and 2000 with Dreamcast and see where that got me."
With Nintendo promising to finally give the world a taste of its Wii and Sony due to reveal the price and power of PS3 next week, many people are expecting the already-on-sale Xbox 360 to be squeezed into third place when it comes to coverage.
Not that the man charged with promoting Microsoft's games machines thinks that a few headlines matter, claiming, "This idea that you must win E3 is fine but the majority of consumers want to see more substance. It lasts for a few weeks and that's it."
With his bravest face firmly fixed during his whole online interview, Moore remained bullish but without revealing exactly what his company would have to show in LA, saying, "The important thing is that we have a strong message... it's the other guys' turn to put up or shut up."
May 4, 2006
