360 to benefit from console shortages?

You can't help but wonder how long before people become totally fed up with waiting to get their hands on PS3's and Wii's and opt for picking up a 360. Sometimes companies ship fewer systems in order to increase hype around the release, however, I'd question the intelligence behind the decision (especially by Sony) to ship so few. It seems Microsoft may have been prepared for this and are quite happy with the console shortage in North America. Recently Microsoft executives let it be known that they intend to try and have 10 million Xbox 360s sold wordwide by the end of the holiday season.

As if losing potential sales isn't bad enough, if quantities remain low, it is most likely that potential PS3'ers will pick up a 360 this holiday season (simply because they target the same audience). This is even worse news for Sony, as Microsoft's Xbox HD-DVD add on for $200 is definitely a much easier alternative to purchasing a bluray player- especially for those who have already picked up an Xbox for the holidays.

Though this sounds like bad news for Sony, Nintendo caters to a different audience, and from the looks of their sales, they seem to have everything under control (outselling the PS3 2-1). It remains to be seen however how both Sony and Nintendo put up with the upcoming holiday demand. If you want to make sure you get your hands on a console this holiday season, the 360 will definitely be your best bet - which may have been Microsoft's strategy all along.