Not that it negates your point, but a correction: There was a huge beta of Halo 3 earlier this year. Hundreds of thousands of players.

MS could never exert any real control over the hardware platform for the PC, even if it could create a better experience. The third parties would run screaming to the DOJ.

You can't blame Microsoft for the XBox's hardware problems. The "China Factor" is the sleeping giant in consumer electronics. It’s more costly than lead paint in toys or bad toothpaste. I’ve had drives die after six months of use that were clearly marked Made in China. We have replaced hundreds of motherboards and power supplies in our Dell & HP boxes because of bad capacitors. You can't convince me that those capacitors weren't Made in China. We're in a global market so some part of your electronics is bound to be Made in China. It is time for China to stop letting their executives commit suicide and have everyone perform quality control.

Not to defend China but a few years ago, the big failing capacitors problem were capacitors made in Mexico. So it's a company QC problem which is not restricted to any country.

What needs to be done is the bringing back of jobs to the US. It might cost a little more up front, but in the long run (i.e. lead paint, electronics, recalls, etc...), will not have the issues that the China items are having now. Lets bring Quality back to the US and the Jobs. We might even be able to understand tech support.

Correction: failing capacitors Taiwan not Mexico.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

All I know is my 16 year old son was excited enough about Halo 3 that he went out and bought an xbox 360 to play it on the day the game was released. Remember when PC programs were actually exciting?

All the drive for HALO comes from BUNGIE who Microsoft aquired (a very smart move) after the success of the first HALO game. Now what they need to do is to send some of the Windows leaders over there to see how creating a real positive user experience should be done.

All of the hardware problems are Microsofts, while they now get to take the credit for another groups great work.

Before I bought the XBOX, I fought my sons requests for a dedicated games box as I convinced myself a PC could do it all, as most games come out on PC. After a succession of problems with fussy PC games wanting specific video cards/drivers/codecs and other hardware specs that constantly changed I gladly handed over my money for the console where you slip in the disk and it just works (hardware failures aside).

Hopefully Microsoft will learn from this as they are currently their own worst enemy when it comes to competing with other gaming and PC platforms.

Unfortunately, this techno rubbish is seeping into other consumer electronics. Having to explain to a non-technical person why they have to finalise a DVD on a recorder or delete specific programs to make space is a right pain when with a VCR they just put in the tape, positioned it and hit record and it worked.

Hundreds and even thousands of dollars are being spent by parents and their children on games of destruction and sexual violence. And we wonder what's happening to them and us, to our society and both political parties.
It will take more than adept game playing to cut the global corporate nooses and win the 'spiritual wars' with our enemies whose goals are one and the same: to rob children of their immortal souls. Global Corporate Fascism and Islam are two sides of the same spiritual coin.