Everyone has an opinion on Sony's recent announcement of a worldwide November launch for its PlayStation 3. Although Sony hadn't shown signs of wavering from its initial spring 2006 release date, many industry analysts correctly predicted that it would be released in late 2006, and some even believed it wouldn't be released until early 2007.

　　Japanese game publishers have let their voice be heard, message boards have been blowing up with gamers' opines, and now, head honchos from Sony's two chief rivals have chimed in.

　　Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer let his feelings be heard loud and clear, unlike his coworker, Microsoft Game Studios general manager Shane Kim, who claimed "leaders don't react." Ballmer, speaking with Fortune, believes the delay means great things for his company's next-generation console, the Xbox 360.

　　"In every other generation, the first guy to 10 million consoles was the number one seller in the generation. Did we just get an even better opportunity to be the first guy to 10 million? Yeah, of course we did," Ballmer told Fortune.

　　The delay gives Microsoft a bit of breathing room to catch up on production for the Xbox 360, which has been in short supply since its release in November. Microsoft has set a target of 4.5 to 5.5 million Xbox 360s sold through June, the end of the tech giant's fiscal year. If Ballmer's claims prove accurate, the 360 will have approximately 5 million units in homes, with nearly five months more to increase its head start before Sony even ships its first PS3.

　　When asked about the PS3's Blu-ray drive, Ballmer brushes off any notion of an advantage.

　　"Sony's going to try and define that as a fundamental battleground, but I don't think it is a fundamental battleground. I don't care whether it's Blu-ray or HD-DVD--there's not going to be a lot of content in either format this year."

　　While Ballmer clearly saw the PS3 delay as an advantage, another heavyweight in the industry, Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto, doesn't think the announcement really affects his company's next-gen machine, the Revolution. He shared his feelings, or lack thereof, with The Guardian.

　　"We don't see it as a competition between [the PS3 and Revolution], although the customers always do," said Miyamoto, the creator of games such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. "Sony has taken a long time to create their machine but it is obvious that the direction we are taking [with the Revolution] is different [than the direction Sony is taking with] the PS3."

　　Nintendo has not yet set a release date for the Revolution.