Microsoft Won't Sell XBox 360s to US Army

The US Army wants to use XBox 360s for training but Microsoft reportedly has refused to sell. According to Roger Smith, chief training equipment buyer for the Army:

* Microsoft was afraid that the military would buy up lots of Xbox 360s, but would buy only one game for each of them, so MS wouldn't make much money off of the games.

* that a big military purchase would create a shortage of Xbox 360s.

* that if the Xbox became an Army training device, it would taint its reputation. Microsoft was concerned that "do we want the Xbox 360 to be seen as having the flavor of a weapon? Do we want Mom and Dad knowing that their kid is buying the same game console as the military trains the SEALs and Rangers on?" Smith told me during an interview for Training & Simulation Journal.

Starting from remarks by Microsoft representatives at a trade show, the controversy gathered steam, I'd suggest, by a general anti-military attitude among liberal elite who suggested that the console would become a weapon.

Thus far, however, nothing definitive has come from Microsoft. The actual controversy lacks clarity. It's all fogged up with a cloud of "He saids."

In any event, since Microsoft hasn't yet officially announced its position on selling to the military, all discussion is speculative. If and when Microsoft comes out and formalizes a policy of non-support for the U.S. military, I suggest that the company will risk creating a public relations tsunami, potentially enduring for generations.

Tip: Richard L.