Microsoft's Greenberg claims victory in battle for 'core user' over Sony

Less than two years into what some see as a ten-year battle might seem like an odd time to declare victory, but not to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Group Product Manager Aaron Greenberg. In an interview with Next-Gen, Greenberg stated that, in his opinion, "the battle for the core user is sort of over, if you will. ... I feel we've secured that core buyer, and that gives us quite a bit of an advantage versus PS3, which is late to the game and still at a price disadvantage relative to the Xbox."

Greenberg did offer one slight caveat to his claim, acknowledging that Sony is "a very formidable competitor in Europe," (indeed) but overall he scoffed at the idea that upcoming PS3 exclusives would make a dent in the Xbox 360's lead in installed base and mindshare. "They're trying to go after a consumer that has already bought an Xbox 360," Greenberg said. "You could say that they showed up with too little, too late." Or you could say that Microsoft is declaring too much too early. We report ... you decide.