Xbox Chief Talks Up Games Mass Appeal

Microsoft (MSFT Quote) may be a behemoth and a monopolist, but when it comes to video games, it's just an upstart.

In the latest round of the video-game wars, the company lost billions of dollars while being crushed by industry giant Sony (SNE Quote).

Corporate Vice President J Allard, who heads Microsoft's video-game efforts, is promising a different result this time. Under his leadership, Microsoft has unveiled its next-generation console, the Xbox 360, which the company promises will appeal to everyone from core game geeks to nongamers. Indeed, Allard has boldly predicted that a billion people will eventually play games on the new console. ...