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Even if Microsoft ensures that online gaming becomes the Next Big Thing with Xbox 360, and all the multimedia applications work just fine, in terms of actual games it needs to at least match Sony for objects of desire. After all, if all you want is something to connect all your household entertainment, Apple’s Mac mini already hit the ground running.

Brilliant as they are, Microsoft’s flagship games still lack the allure of the best on Sony’s roster: Forza falls short of Gran Turismo in mass-market appeal, and DOA remains an also-ran compared to Tekken and Virtua Fighter. There’s talk that Sega’s benchmark fighter is coming to Xbox 360, but it’s doubtful that Sony will let it go exclusively. Beyond that, Microsoft has its work cut out in order to compete with premier-league exclusives such as Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry; the very latest Final Fantasy instalments and – almost guaranteed – the next Grand Theft Auto long before it swaggers onto the MS machine.

Then you have the issue of backwards compatibility. It’s no secret that Xbox 360 is not fully compatible with the current range of Xbox titles. This will make most of the Xbox back catalogue obsolete when the new machine takes over. So far Microsoft has officially committed to support ‘most of the top selling Xbox games’. This is, unfortunately, quite a big issue for gamers and games developers alike.

Next: The Games We'll See On Xbox 360