November 26^th, 2005 (12:14pm) - As US consumers continue to snatch up Xbox 360s since launch on November 22, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has suggested that the ultimate victor in the console wars won’t be decided until 2007.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Gates mentions that the software giant’s second attempt at seizing the videogame console market is spearheaded by "the hottest product we’ve ever had."

The original Xbox console, launched after Sony’s PlayStation 2, yet failed to gain the market dominance Microsoft had hoped for - picking up just 18 per cent of total consoles. Undoubtedly a good start, Microsoft still remains in Sony’s shadow

Microsoft’s ambitious tri-continent launch strategy - which will see releases for the Xbox 360 in Europe on December 2 and Japan on December 10 - which will certainly give Microsoft a head start this time around, hopefully sealing the deal.

The US launch has been generally considered a success, and recent reports of Xbox 360 consoles overheating have been played down by the company. Emerging details suggest that the cause is nothing more serious than a safety measure that protects the console by shutting down if the owner fails to allow proper ventilation for the hefty power pack.

While both Sony and Nintendo intend to release their own next generation machines at some point in 2006, the Microsoft boss has suggested that it will still take time to decide who wins the latest console war. Interestingly, Gates’ comments hint at a two-way race, ignoring the Nintendo Revolution and focusing on the battle for market dominance between Microsoft and Sony.

"We see ourselves having a higher share. We’re not going to name some magic number but we’re out to give the best gaming experience. By the end of 2007, you’ll have kind of a sense of how much did Microsoft increase its market share: dramatically, not so dramatically, did Sony mess up, what happened?"

No dates have been announced for the launch of either the PS3 or the Revolution, and Microsoft’s head start on the market for the next wave of gaming hardware has never been in dispute. What remains to be seen is how the European and Japanese launches will equal up to the US debut, and how well the machine performs in terms of its all-important software support once rival consoles hit market next year.