Xbox 360 the Holiday Winner

According to industry analysts NPD, Microsoft's Xbox 360 emerged the narrow victor in the first battle of the Console Wars--the 2006 Holiday Season. The 360 sold around two million units, two hundred thousand more than the next competition: Nintendo Wii, clocking in at 1,800,000 sold. The Playstation 3, by virtue of high price, low production numbers, or both, trailed in last with only 750,000 sold.

While this information is certainly interesting, it's rather premature to slap the Heavyweight Champion of the World title on Microsoft's white box. The Wii and PS3 launched several weeks into the "Holiday Season," giving the 360 a head start, and consumers may have settled on buying one when a Wii or PS3 could not be located. As Blu-Ray becomes easier to produce and Sony gets its war machine churning, Playstation 3 systems may be easier to acquire, boosting it from its third-place spot. And, of course, the High Definition wars are nowhere near over...

So, take from this what you will.