Looks like the era of console wars has arrived nearing the endbut one of the key players, Peter Moore, who oversaw the launch of the Xbox 360, shares his memories of his time at the forefront of the gaming industry. When it came to pitting the Xbox 360 against the PlayStation 3, Moore says 10 million was the magic number: “You have a flywheel effect… [if] Your friend from the schoolyard has one, you better take it for yourself.”
Talking to eurogamerMoore explained that the Xbox 360's entry into the market before the PS3 was key to its strong performance, stating that the first 10 million sales were vital. “I think it was really important to get this out there first,” Moore said. “Get started, build momentum and aim for that 10 million installed base, which I felt would give us a tremendous advantage over anything Sony could do to catch up.”
He explained that having a base of 10 million installs creates a network effect where a sense of social pressure can drive sales: “Suddenly you're out of place and on the outside looking in unless you're going to school, or going to college class the next day, or even coming to work and saying how we spent the night playing Halo or whatever the game is.”
The Xbox 360 eventually overtook the PS3 with sales of 10 million, a fact noted in Microsoft Press Release 2008. Although the PS3 ultimately outsold the 360 by only a few million, many gamers still consider the Xbox 360 to be the winner of that particular generation, aside from the runaway success of the Nintendo Wii.
Moore became a key player in the early days of the console wars after Microsoft hired him specifically to help the company compete with Sony's dominance of the console market. Moore even previously said that he encouraged the idea of console wars among his team, saying it would promote healthy competition with Sony.
In the interview, Moore also discusses how important it was for Microsoft to build Xbox into a strong, standalone brand at a time when Microsoft was considered a “nerdy” company that belonged in the office rather than the living room. Moore was a key figure in this shift in branding, becoming famous for his stunts in which he literally posted game announcements. tattoo on his bodystating that part of his role was to “be a little irreverent”.
As of 2025, many in the industry believe that the console wars are effectively over as Microsoft is finally bringing the last of its previously exclusive franchises to PlayStation. Halo: Campaign Progression. PS5 recently surpassed Xbox 360 salesThis means that every PlayStation console has officially outsold every Xbox console, but the end of the console wars is still far from clear. Xbox remains a strong gaming brand and hopes to continue to dominate the software industry. largest developers is now registered under his banner.
