IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
They won 3rd place out of 3? Wow well done MS!!! They won a billion dollar loss on RROD extended warranties and redesigning the console.
I loved the 360 at the start of that gen and they took online console gaming to the next level but let's not fool ourselves the PS3 had a mega resurgence when they released the slim and finished strong with games like TLOU.
If we were to spin it, we could say Microsoft got a sort of victory over Sony in the early years of that gen.
Microsoft had all the goodwill on their side. The 360 had over a year head start and was a lot cheaper than the PS3. Sony really messed up the PS3 with launch with the price, delay and some might argue the decision to go with the Cell processor. IiRC, a lot of third party games looked better on the 360 than the PS3. Sony's PR was at a all time low. Remember the Wii60 movement?
However, after all that, Microsoft still managed to come behind Sony when the generation ended. The games dried up, the RROD hurt them and they wasted too much time and money on Kinnect.
Sony also managed one of the greatest come backs in video game history.
Microsoft gave Sony a bloody nose at the beginning. That's about it. Sony still ended up in a better position when that generation was over.