Microsoft has interest in a takeover of the Japanese Xbox competitor Nintendo. If there is a sales readiness, he would immediately submit a tender, Bill Gates said in an analyst conference over the week.

The Japanese gaming console maker is majority owned by the Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Yamauchi. According to industry experts, the acquisition could the market consolidate and strengthen Microsoft’s game library. “In future game consoles not only performance is giving be rash, but above all also the for available software,” said Bryan Lee, CFO of Microsoft’s home and Entertainment Division over the week. Microsoft is active with the Xbox since November 2001 on the gaming console market. Nintendo has only a few days later launched its GameCube. Both fight for second place on the console market dominated by Sony’s PS2 by far.

Microsoft’s “War chest” is chock-a-block for a possible takeover of competitor. In its fiscal year 2004 expired on June 30, Microsoft gains recorded $ 8.17 billion. Even after the payment of up to $75 billion to its shareholders in the coming four years, Microsoft is sitting on cash reserves of 25 billion dollars. Nintendo suffered, however, 2003 halving its net profit to €245 million in the fiscal year.

Also in terms of brand value of the US group is far superior to the Japanese company. According to the BusinessWeek brand ranking Microsoft could equal claim with a brand value of $61.4 billion (down six percent) behind Coca-Cola in second place. Nintendo, however, lost 21 percent compared to the previous year the value of brand and passed with just $6.5 billion from the 32nd to 46th place of the list of the 100 most valuable brands in the world.