Xbox vs. PS2

Exclusive Internet playable titles such as Halo, Doom 3, and Counter-Strike seem to be working for Microsoft's Xbox. Launched last November, Xbox Live already has over half a million subscribers. According to a recent article on Forbes.com, "More than anyone predicted, online gaming is driving the all-important software sales that are the profit engine of the $10 billion video game industry. Dwarfed by Sony, which claims 60% of the North American market, Microsoft has bet far bigger and bolder to grab the online advantage as both feverishly race to get their next-generation consoles into stores by 2006." Of course, online game addicts everywhere did predict this, but who's counting?