Even after five-and-a-half years the Xbox 360 is still the market leader amongst hardcore gamers. Here are four key facets of the platform’s dominance:

WIN 1 — KINECT'S SUCCESS

While the post-holiday Kinect lull has now morphed into a post-holiday-pre-E3 drought, that hasn’t stopped the general consumer from getting on board with Microsoft’s motion-sensing peripheral. Despite launching two months after the PlayStation Move and with a higher cost of entry, the Kinect has opened up a substantial lead in the HD motion-sensing sales war, with Microsoft announcing 10 million worldwide unit sales this past March, outpacing Sony’s 8 million unit announcement made last month. Early adopters can breathe easy knowing that Microsoft will be more open to creating and commissioning more Kinect projects now that they know there’s an audience for the product.

WIN 2 — 2011’S BIGGEST EXCLUSIVE

In terms of confirmed 2011 releases, both Sony and Microsoft have their second-most-popular franchises set to do battle at the end of the year. Epic Games will be concluding the Gears of War story when Gears of War 3 releases on September 20, while Naughty Dog is preparing Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception for a November launch. Both franchises have debuted during this console generation, but Microsoft’s console exclusive has notched better numbers thus far, with each Gears game topping 5 million, besting the 3-million-plus units sold for each Uncharted title. Even if Microsoft’s 2011 exclusives haven’t been blockbusters so far, there’s no doubt the year will end with a bang.

WIN 3 — THE BIGGEST HARDCORE CROWD

Sure, Sony’s made great strides after stumbling out of the gate with the PlayStation 3, but Microsoft’s ability to continue monthly sales victories over its biggest competitor can’t be understated. The larger install base is key for multiplatform games — developers will continue to make the Xbox 360 the lead platform for their titles, ensuring that Microsoft’s console will have the best possible gameplay experience. To wit: out of the top five multiplatform games of 2010 listed on Metacritic, three of the titles scored higher on Xbox 360 than they did on PS3.

WIN 4 — XBOX LIVE: SOUND AND SAFE

Call it a cheap shot if you wish, but Sony’s online woes have revealed truth to the old idiom, “you get what you pay for.” Online multiplayer gaming may be free on the PlayStation 3, but the PlayStation Network’s more open structure may have been the reason for the major security breach that happened a month ago. Given the fact that two of 2011’s biggest online-enabled console games released during that stretch (Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat), the crucial first weeks of online gameplay were largely Xbox 360-heavy.  When you take into consideration that the Xbox 360 has a larger install base, with the majority of system purchasers getting a headset out of the box, the system already has a more vibrant and vocal online community. Even if the price of an Xbox Live Gold Subscription has gone up over the last year, the online network’s less frequent and shorter outages prove that plenty of the income has been used to ensure stability and customer safety.

Head on over to the next page to read about the three ways the 360 has fallen behind.

Not all is rosy in the world of the Xbox, though. Here are three pressing issues that threaten Microsoft’s console dominance amongst the hardcore crowd.

LOSE 1 — 2011'S MULTIPLATFORM GAMES

Microsoft used to be able to command more console-exclusive content for multiplatform releases. Whether it be the higher install base or more pocket money from their parent company, many major franchises like Rock Band and Call of Duty enjoyed exclusive content on the Xbox 360. In 2011, however, the four biggest multiplatform games have had PS3-exclusive selling points. Between Dead Space 2’s Move-enabled version of Extraction, Portal 2’s cross-platform Steam support, Mortal Kombat’s inclusion of Kratos, and LA Noire’s PS3-exclusive case, Sony’s more aggressive approach has made multiplatform purchasing choices very easy. It should be interesting to see if Sony’s dominance in this area continues with its E3 announcements.

LOSE 2 — UNKNOWN AT E3

Speaking of E3, Sony and Nintendo have already laid their cards out for this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, and both of them have some pretty impressive hands. Sony’s Next Generation Portable will likely be the centerpiece of its press conference and show floor presence. Nintendo also has a major system debut lined up, and the successor to the Wii will likely improve upon the system’s biggest failings amongst the hardcore fanbase by including HD-compatible games and an improved online structure. Microsoft, on the other hand, hasn’t really hinted at any major hardware developments, and it has only one announced console exclusive on deck — Gears of War 3. While the Xbox 360 will likely have a new Halo game and a barrage of new Kinect games ready for this year’s show, it’ll take something bigger than “more of the same” to leave LA next week as the talk of the town.

LOSE 3 — FRANCHISE AND DEVELOPER EXODUS

The last year has seen two major franchises finally migrate to the PlayStation 3. While the original Mass Effect and Dead Rising remain on a single console, their sequels have both landed on the PS3 over the last year. Even more distressing is the fact that some of the Xbox 360’s most ardent supporters have started to create content on the PS3. Epic published its first multi-console release in years when Bulletstorm landed on both systems, albeit with a perk for Gears-loving Xbox 360 owners. Valve, on the other hand, performed a complete about-face in regards to its stance on the PlayStation 3 due to Sony’s acceptance of Steam support. The biggest shift is still yet to come, as Bungie’s partnership with Activision will allow the creators of Halo to ply their wares on the PlayStation 3 for the first time. Even though a few established developers like Lionhead Studios, Turn 10 Studios, and Rare Ltd remain in Microsoft’s corner, the shift away from Xbox 360 allegiance in recent months is definitely apparent.

What are your thoughts on the system's strengths and weaknesses at this point? Sound off by commenting below!