The Halo trilogy comes to an end with the release of Halo 3, five years after Microsoft announced their entry into the home console business. Microsoft certainly hopes that Halo 3 will be the title that will catapult the Xbox 360 console to the top of sales charts this holiday season in an attempt to fend off the Nintendo Wii’s seemingly unstoppable march to the top that has been defined by a low console price (relatively) with only a single SDK as well as a slew of casual titles that appeal to the mass audience instead of concentrating on the traditional gaming demographic.

According to Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell, it will be a close fight between the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii as the year comes to a close where total consoles sold in North America are concerned. To date, the Wii has already outsold the Xbox 360 in the US in each of the 10 months it has been on the market, with Microsoft moving 11.6 million consoles and Nintendo breathing down their necks at 9.3 million Wiis sold. Hence, the Halo 3 launch is crucial to extend Microsoft’s lead over the others, and it is no lie to say that Microsoft has big hopes for this title.

Halo 3 will retail between $59 and $129, depending on the edition that you pick up. Analysts think that Halo 3 might even surpass the $170 million in one- day U.S. sales of the final installment of the Harry Potter books, which would then make Halo 3 ‘the biggest entertainment event this year’. Do you think Halo 3 will help boost Microsoft’s bottom line? I certainly hope so, as it would be sad to see a duopoly in the home console business.

Source: Bloomberg

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