Former Xbox boss admits the company once "encouraged" the console wars, which he believes "were healthy for the industry" as "a rising tide that lifted all ships"

Halo: Combat Evolved splash art.

Former Xbox boss Peter Moore wholeheartedly admits that both he and Xbox "encouraged" the console wars, which he believes were – at least at a time – "healthy for the industry."

Moore served as Microsoft's corporate vice president of home and entertainment (overseeing Xbox) between 2003 and 2007, arriving a little after the launch of the original Xbox and being there when the 360 first released. This timeframe also coincided with the PS2 and Nintendo GameCube (and more briefly the PS3 and Wii), which were obviously big competitors, and at that time, Xbox clearly wasn't afraid to make that rivalry known.