As some of you may know, my alma mater, Auburn University, is doing pretty well in football this year. During halftime of every home game, there’s a new feature this year. One star player from the team is interviewed about all kinds of silly stuff, like his favorite food, favorite stadium to play in, worst teammate to room with, etc. The question that usually elicits the most crowd response is: “PlayStation or Xbox?” As a Nintendo fan, such a question bothers me. I’m not writing angry letters to the athletic department, though. I think the phrasing of this question is indicative of Nintendo’s position in the minds of most Americans. That is, Nintendo isn’t even a factor in gaming decisions. For young adults in the American mainstream, like the players and students at the university, there are only two choices. PlayStation or Xbox? The question doesn’t even bother calling it “PlayStation 2”. Sony’s branding is as complete as Nintendo’s was in the late 80s, except now there is at least one competitor worthy of being mentioned. With Sony’s next system almost certainly being called PlayStation 3, and a good chance that Microsoft’s new console will be named Xbox 2, the problem for Nintendo only worsens. If this exact same question is still being asked in five years, ostensibly about the next round of systems, then Nintendo will have failed yet again to win its share of the young American consumer’s mind.