[continued]


 The specific platform may not be a hardware device at all. Interestingly, a 
very senior Sony person told me last year that in the very long-term, he 
imagined PlayStation potentially being a gatekeeper, a brand - or even a 
channel - rather than a particular games console that followed 5-10 year 
console cycles. Obviously, hardware would be involved to host the games (and 
movies and music), but it might be something automatically upgraded each 
year, like the service you get from a cable company. Or it could run on any 
box: analogous to the operator versus handset manufacturer split we see in 
wireless phones today.

In this light, it's very clear why both Microsoft and Sony are fighting to 
own the platform, be it a device, a channel, or 'the server under the 
stairs'. Sony won't willingly be reduced to a provider of, effectively, dumb 
terminals hooked up to a Microsoft box. Equally, Microsoft can't let the PC 
be supplanted by a TV/DVD/console hybrid that does everything you'd have 
wanted a PC to do.

This contest began with PlayStation 2 and Xbox, but only the more mundane 
elements of the 'big vision' were satisfied. People used their games 
machines as DVD players, but that aside there was little that took 
PlayStation 2 as an entertainment hub beyond games. Equally, Microsoft has 
struggled to get past Xbox's PC-for-gamers image, although Xbox Live has 
achieved more progress towards creating that vital channel for the 
downloading of content (an area where Xbox 360 still seems to have the 
lead).

More opponents

PlayStation 3 must be foremost a games machine with sufficiently excellent 
titles to see of its rivals. But beyond that, Sony will want to extend its 
reach. All those audio-visual multimedia capabilities in the PS3 spec sheet 
aren't there just for gamers - they're for home cinema buffs too. And the 
Ethernet port isn't just for head-to-head Burnout 4, it's for downloading at 
the least more cars, probably new music to drive to, possibly Burnout 5 - 
and just maybe Spider-Man 3, the movie.

Assuming it pulls it off, Sony's latest transition will still take at least 
another decade to fully achieve; PlayStation 4 will likely arrive before a 
'HouseStation' that does it all. And Sony's opponents number more than 
Microsoft. Push the vision above hard enough, and what you get is a media 
company, where competitors would be the likes of Time Warner and News 
International. How Sony and Microsoft use their proprietary platform 
advantages - and when and if they break with the established models - will 
be critical to their ultimate success. New partnerships and alliances will 
be as important as escaping the past.

Regardless, enjoy the games on PlayStation 3. Rarely does mega-corporate 
strategy result in this much fun.