Sony may lose its iron grip on the market for game machines as rival Microsoft launches a new model just in time for the holiday season. Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 debuted yesterday in the United States, and in Europe and Japan in December, while Sony is not expected to launch its upgraded Playstation, PS3, until next spring. Analysts and game fans say PS3 is the sexier game machine with twice the processing speed of Xbox 360, next-generation DVD technology Blu-ray, and seven control pads that can connect wirelessly to the console. But Xbox 360 will have the advantage of being in time for the holidays with an initial line-up of 18 games.