The XBox 360 sure is getting a lot of media coverage. I dont think Ive ever seen any console get as much mainstream press as the 360 is getting. I imagine its for a few reasons.

First, as we have been discussing recently, gaming is getting larger and become more ingrained in society. Secondly…Bill Gates. Not only does the man makes news all over the world, but he is the pinnacle of the American business man. Third, Microsoft is agressively reaching out the more mainstream media sources, like Time and MTV.

We will have to wait and see how much influence this has over sales of the 360, but it certainly isnt a bad move. Personally, Im not sure that the 360 is going to be that succesful though. Now, over the last year the Xbox has really taken off, mostly by word of mouth. With this swell of support and the media worthy-ness of all things Microsoft, the 360 will certainly get a decent spotlight. Not only that, but J Allard is really a media darling…well, as far as video games go, personally I cant stand the guy.

However, it seems that most of the excitement of the console from the hardcore community has withered after the E3 showing. Sure, early adopters and the extremely hardcore will get it, but it just doesnt feel like there is enough of a jump from the original Xbox to the 360 to warrant a purchase.

But anyway, this certainly isnt a diatribe about the 360. I think its cool that gaming is getting more mainstream press. Its also nice to see that, with more emphasis on gaming, the mainstream media is doing a better job of research and fact checking. While the 360 article reads like a infomercial for the console (do companys pay for coverage like this?), its at least a well informed infomercial.

That being said, check out this little chart they had called ‘From Geek to Chic in 33 Years.’ Hmm, 33 years of gaming and Nintendo gets one mention for having a Super Mario Bros movie in 93? Are we sure this isnt a paid advertisment?

Time Mag Chart