The latest signs that the console wars are heating up came in a recent Financial Times interview, where Ken Kutaragi, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, declared that the Microsoft Xbox is already "finished" months before the console's launch. Kutaragi claimed that Microsoft's E3 showing didn't live up to expectations and that the Xbox has received a lukewarm response from retailers. According to Kutaragi, retailers expect 70 percent of the next-generation console sales to be generated by the PlayStation brand, while the remaining 30 percent will come from the Nintendo GameCube and the Xbox.
"Microsoft was finished before it even got started," Kutaragi told the publication. "They have no games. Microsoft has put itself out of the game. Retailers in the US are already disappointed. Microsoft does not understand the entertainment business. The processing speed of their console is not fast enough and the graphics were rough."
When contacted regarding Kutaragi's interview, Microsoft representatives declined to comment. The Microsoft Xbox is currently on schedule to launch in North America on November 8 for a suggested retail price of $299.