Microsoft praises DS success

Microsoft's Neil Thompson has paid tribute to the success of Nintendo DS, telling our sister site GamesIndustry.biz that the handheld's meteoric rise has "somewhat derailed Sony".

In answer to a question about Microsoft's own portable ambitions (none for now), Thompson said that the "simplicity" of the DS technology along with "content the broader market will absorb and like and get involved with without any barriers" were keys to Nintendo's handheld dominance.

"I think they have done a great job on the handheld market and I'm sure that's somewhat derailed Sony in the way that they've had to think about their overall business, because I think the PSP has had to struggle against that," he said in an interview marking the launch of Halo 3.

"And when you're fighting on multiple fronts, if you're not careful, you can lose everywhere instead of trying to win in one specific place which is really what we've focused on."

Thompson, senior regional director for Microsoft UK and Ireland's Entertainment and Devices division, added that his company's own vision of the future is "allowing people to do what they want to do on their devices and allow their devices to connect in as broad a way as you can".

"I think we're on this journey - I don't think we really know where ultimately it's going to end, know that if we enable things to connect together, there's going to be some value there for consumers."

For more about handhelds, the Halo launch and Xbox 360 Elite's early performance in Europe, check out the full Neil Thompson interview on GamesIndustry.biz.