Gaming fans pose two questions: First, "Why are Sony and Microsoft so worried about selling consoles? Can't they just focus on games and online services?" and second, "In a world where digital media's becoming popular, will online shops and downloads take down brick and mortar?" Consoles are still a major source of revenue for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, thanks to content licensing fees for retail products. Sales numbers for digital downloads -- which can be great games but are often relatively inexpensive -- really aren't that huge.
e-Commerce Times