Nintendo hasn't won yet, says Microsoft

Nintendo hasn't won this generation of consoles yet, says Microsoft Game Studios' corporate vice president Shane Kim.

"This generation still has a long way to go. It is way too early to declare a winner there," Kim said during a discussion at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas.

"A few weeks ago, a lot of people thought the Patriots would win the Super Bowl too," he joked.

Nintendo Wii launched a year later than Xbox 360, but has already broken through the 20-million-unit barrier worldwide, while Microsoft's most recently announced sales figure is 17.7 million.

Asked about broadening Microsoft's demographic, Kim reportedly said: "Let's be honest - when your flagship titles are Halo and Gears of War, most people naturally attribute a brand of M-rated hardcore to your platform. It does make it more challenging to reach out to a more mainstream customer."

Kim also rejected claims that the platform holder played all its cards for the 2007 Christmas period.

"I think the pipeline is very stacked, but you just don't know about it," he told his interrogator, New York Times reporter Seth Schiesel.

And he reckons 360 will go on and on, and won't be quickly replaced like the original Xbox.

"Our belief is that the Xbox 360 will have a very long life cycle. It is much different than the original Xbox," he explained. "For strategic reasons, we launched the 360 four years after original," he said.

For more from Shane Kim, check out our sister site GamesIndustry.biz's coverage of the discussion.