Xbox 360 is enabling the gaming masses

Here is a very good writeup on “10 reasons why the 360 has already won North America”. The key reasons that I want to point out all have to do with enabling the gaming masses. Microsoft has made it possible for developers to create games and sell them directly on Xbox Live (no more worrying about brick and mortar distribution). They even promote your games on their “Live” network for free. Also, players can add games as “friends” on their profile pages, which helps spread the word virally. Lastly, Microsoft will soon be releasing a toolkit for $99/year that enables everyone to try their hand at making simple games. This means you could design the next “Tetris” and make millions selling it via Xbox Live.