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Gates Slams Sony And Nintendo

The mud-slinging always seems to increase in the face of positive news, for whatever reason. The latest outburst can be attributed to Microsoft's Bill Gates, who lashed out at Sony and Nintendo in an interview with Dean Takahashi of the San Jose Mercury News.

After expressing his firm confidence in the future of the Xbox 360, Gates suggested that Sony wasn't the "big player" they used to be.

"We wanted to swap positions with Sony," he stated. "We wanted to not be a year late, not be a big box, not be a more expensive box. How are we doing on that?"

We assume that's a rhetorical question, Bill.

And as for Nintendo, Gates has gone on record praising Nintendo's "unique approach" with the Wii, but nowadays, he seems all about promoting the 360 and leveling the competition with words.

"Sony has always been our most direct competitor. Nintendo of course is a competitor. But look at the resolution you get with a controlled experience like that," he said. "Say to yourself, how in terms of using a game for a long period of time, what kind of accuracy and capability do you want?"

Suddenly, it sounds to us like Mr. Gates is a gamer himself! Perhaps he has more to say regarding the specifics of game consoles…as it turns out, he certainly had more to say to the San Jose Mercury News.

"Look at the classic Nintendo positioning. Look at the graphics. Look at Nintendo's execution in terms of online capability. We have this thing that nobody has ever seen before. When you say to your friend, 'hey let's play online,' you say then you have to buy an Xbox. That's what 10 million people say. If you want to play online, get an Xbox. We're not standing still."

10 million? Forgive us, but the recent subscription numbers for Xbox Live don't even come close to 10 million. In fact, the system itself just passed the 10 million sales mark…is he trying to imply that every 360 owner will hold a Gold subscription? He can't possibly mean the free Silver membership, which all 10 million would have, but you can't play online with that. And the Network on the PS3 is…free. Which means everyone who buys one can go play online.

Well, at least he's firm in his beliefs, yes? We like to see that in a leader.