Rumours that Microsoft will one day jump into the portable console wars have been kicking around for ages, but it seems the Big M is happy to steer clear of the PSP and DS Lite, saying it’s “very happy” to have dodged the handheld market.
According to Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, “launching a handheld platform is like launching another Xbox 360. You have to be fully committed, as an organisation, from a resource standpoint, to doing that. Frankly we’ve got a lot on our plate with Xbox 360 and Xbox Live… I’m very happy we didn’t get into it.”
We can almost hear the screams of joy from Sony and Nintendo, but that’s not to say everyone else will escape competition from the Mighty M.
“I do think mobile is probably the more important platform in the future,” Kim explained, “and the number of Windows mobile devices and hardware that’s capable of running Windows mobile in the future is really a compelling opportunity, and one where we don’t have to worry about launching a new hardware platform too.”
Hear that Apple? Sounds like Microsoft’s not going to let you have mobile gaming all to yourself just yet.
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