2011....will it be the beginning of the end for the Xbox 360?

[Iceman]

For Kinect, the launch games look very uninspiring & solely casual-focussed but I think in a year or two we will see more in-depth, serious titles. These "exclusives" will not be possible to even emulate using a wii/PS3 motion controller & maybe that is one of the reasons that it appears MS are putting so many eggs into the Kinect basket. I don't think Kinect will ever be embraced for competitive online multiplayer but there is nothing stopping AAA single-player Kinect titles being developed eventually & there is no need for MS to announce this stuff yet while the casuals are still gorging on it, lol.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

Most of the stuff you enjoy with the Xbox 360 can be directly attributed to Allard.

So yeah, I disagree big time.
Here's a sample of Peter Moore's genius:

[RE: EA] Our games have become more and more complicated and complex, and we often get dogged for one of the biggest misconceptions in the entire industry - a lack of innovation year in and year out on annually iterated titles. I bristle at time when I hear this, because nothing could be further from the truth.

Pretty much the same thing he did at Xbox, crank out sequel after sequel.

Or how about this quote?

Nobody is concerned anymore about backwards compatibility. We under promised and over delivered on that. It’s a very complicated thing… very complex work. I’m just stunned that we have hundreds of games that are backwards compatible. More are coming, but at some point, you just go, there’s enough, let’s move on, or people aren’t as worried about a game being backwards compatible – and I like to think we’ve upheld our end of the bargain in making at least two or maybe three hundred games backwards compatible.

And it's odd that he quit 2 weeks after Xbox dropped 1 billion dollars to address the RROD stuff.

So, no, I don't think Moore was all that good for Xbox. He wasn't horrible, but nowhere nearly deserving of the praise you give him, IMO.

When i said Moore and Allard are not comparable, i wasn´t saying who is the best man, but Allard is a hardware guy, Moore isn´t, so...it´s not really comparable.
About Moore´s first quote, you do know that Moore worked on the Xbox, right, and it had a lot more games that just sequels.
On the 360, he was only there for 2 years and 2 months (Nov and Dez 2005, 2006 and 2007 up until September), and in that time MS released Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Pinata, Crackdown, Blue Dragon, Mass Effect, Bioshock....do you want more?
What about Alan Wake and Too Human, sure the games were released after 2007, but both games were being worked on prior to that, so....
What about the acquisition of Rare, Lionhead, Bungie (guess what, they left MS after Moore left as well), Turn 10 (internal studio), deal with Bioware (KOTOR, Jade Empire, Mas Effect), Epic (Gears of War), Assassins Creed going from PS3 exclusive to multiplatform...
He did much more in 2 years and some months than Mattrick and the rest in 3.
At his time, yes, the Xbox was a force to be reckoned with when it comes to games.
And the last one, the very last, one that everyone loves....he made XBL.
Before Microsoft, he was President of Sega America, and as you might know, the Dreamcast was the first console to have online....he took it to Microsoft and improved on it....
Do i really need to go on?

About the second of Moore´s quotes,...
You say MS quit the all backwards compatibility 2 weeks after Xbox dropped 1 billion dollars to address the RROD, well, maybe you answered your own question, maybe it was because they dropped 1 billion dollars.
I did some digging because i couldn´t remember the year, and just found out that the all backwards compatibility begun to end after 2007, after Peter Moore left....
http://gizmodo.com/242775/xbox-360-backward-compatibility-development-ramping-down-after-07

Could have fooled me.

If anything they went further with the web browser, adding Home, their own video marketplace, PSN+, video magazine, Linux, Hulu, etc.

Please don't try to spin things from what the reality is.

If it was purely about the games with Sony, you'd have been able to play The Last Guardian and GT5 years ago.

It launched in 2006, and 4 years later you barely get GT5. LBP2 kept getting pushed back. TLG. Etc. See a pattern? Might as well call it the Delaystation.

I love my PS3, but again, let's be realistic here.

When i said i was defeding the PS3, i meant it.
If i was so "in love" with the console, i should have had bougth one by now..i haven´t, i still have a 360, and i don´t plan to get rid of it.
Why?
Because i care for games, not hardware companies.
Do you want me to "trash" Sony?
All Sony did this gen was to copy the next guy, from the sixaxis (Wiimote), PSN (XBL), PSN Games (XBLA), Trophies (Achivements)....
And, once again you answered yourself, when i said they had everything the 360 has when it comes to media, was i wrong?
They have movies, music, netflix...
Last but not least, you are really counter argumenting me for saying the PS3 is about games with delays? Really?
What does delays have to do with being or not a gaming console at heart?
There are other games you know?
For every GT5 there is a Motorstorm, for every LBP2 there is an Uncharted or INfamous (not the same thing, but there isn´t other games like LBP).

The 500 million sunk into Kinect says otherwise.

Just because they're no longer buying exclusives (again, exclusives are a non-issue this generation when you have games like Black Ops outselling all of them.

They take plenty of chances. Look at how many people were bashing Kinect before it launched. Look at the success it's brought them.

I addressed Kinect later in my post, i said Kinect showed they can still be innovative if they want to. I hope that Kinect is the return of MS of old.
Exclusives are always...ALWAYS...important, just like 1st party studios.
The importance of the exclusives is that it gives a name to the console (Halo is a Xbox game, Uncharted is only found on the PS3, Mario home is on Nintendo...), just like 1st parties studios are assets (Molyneux expertise is only found on the 360, David Jaffe´s only makes games for the Playstation, Myamoto know-how is Nintendo´s strenght, and so on..and also Ips)
Don´t you know that? Neither does Microsoft?

About the chances and Kinect selling...what does one have to do with the other?
Since when innovation equals sucess?
Kinect is selling, that´s a given, don´t really understand why, but it is.
Kinect has an amazing potential, imo, it´s the best of the motion controllers, i´ve been saying this since when it was called Project Natal, but, at this point, it sucks, the modders are making a much better job with then MS itself.

This discounts the entire XBLA section, which is insulting.

Again, for YOU, that's what you see, the numbers show otherwise.

Clearly you haven´t read most of my posts in this thread.
If i love one thing about the 360 is the XBLA, i adore it, is the best thing the console has.
But we are talking about retail games, so, XBLA doesn´t appply...

Again, numbers and the fact that MS is a stale company and do the same game over and over again have nothing to do with each other.
But, as you are talking about numbers, as you know, there are 3 big markets when it comes to video games, and the 360 is only ahead in one, the US.

Again, exclusives only matter to fanboys, IMO.

If they did, Sony would be in 1st place and their titles would be selling like hotcakes. They're not.

I really don't get the whole exclusive obsession. If anything Kinect gives them a whole bunch of exclusives. Again, it's a matter of perception. You don't like Kinect or the games Xbox is making, so from your POV Xbox is dying, etc. For others, it's a great time to own an Xbox, or if you're lucky all three consoles.

About Sony not being ahead of MS.
As you know, MS came out in 2005 and the PS3 in 2006, 1 years later.
Like i said at the begining of this post, when Peter Moore was there, the 360 was actually a an amazing console (they still can return to be so), everyone loved it....except Japan, but it was a sucess in Europe as well as in the US.
Then Moore left, the 360 begun to fall in quality and the numbers in Europe begin to shrink (still selling more than the PS3, but less).
Then, in 2009, the PS3 announced the PS3 Slim and everyone started to buy it like hotcakes.
The lost of quality from the 360, the PS3 Slim and the lack of any interest from MS made the 360 never got ahead of the PS3 ever again.
So, if things don´t pick up, if MS doesn´t show any interest in getting back to the "fight for Europe", they might lose this gen in the end as the PS3 is already ahead of the 360 there.
They might end second place still as the diference between the 360 and PS3 in the US is bigger than in Europe, but still, it´s two markets for Sony (Euro and Japan) and only the US to Microsoft.

As for exclusive only matter to fanboys...that´s not true.
Exclusives matter a great deal.
I adore exclusives, but, like i said a couple of times, the least thing that interests me is the bragging rights, now that´s what fanboys care about, to have one game and the other guy don´t.
I care for exclusives because they give a reason to buy a console.
I´ll give you an example:
CoD, Assassins Creed, Bioshock, GTA, Red Dead Redemption; those 5 games are multiplatform....now, Uncharted, INfamous, LBP, Motorstorm, God of War; those 5 games are exclusive to the PS3.
Now, as an example, take the PS3 and the 360....10 of those games go to the PS3, 5 go to the 360...which console would you buy?
See...exclusives are important in the end, no one buys a console for the love of the company....at least i hope not.

 

[Cth]

And the last one, the very last, one that everyone loves....he made XBL.

I'm pretty sure Allard is the one responsible for XBL.

http://venturebeat.com/2010/05/25/m...t-executives-robbie-bach-and-j-allard-resign/

On the original Xbox project, Allard argued technical points upward; for instance, he and a few others convinced Bill Gates that the Xbox shouldn’t run Windows. That turned out to be one of the best technical decisions they made, since Windows was a resource pig that would have slowed games down. He also argued that Microsoft should include broadband-only Ethernet connections in the box, avoiding the slow phone modems that were more popular at the time. That decision had mixed results, but the Xbox Live online game service that Allard pioneered turned out to be a great hit as games such as Halo 2 became even stronger thanks to the online multiplayer play. Indeed, Xbox Live is Allard’s enduring legacy in the Xbox business.

Before Microsoft, he was President of Sega America, and as you might know, the Dreamcast was the first console to have online....he took it to Microsoft and improved on it....
Do i really need to go on?

No, I was there.

Again, you're giving Moore credit for something he did not do.

Xbox Live launched on Nov. 15, 2002 with 10,000 users, reaching 80,000 by the following weekend. Moore joins Microsoft on Jan. 21, 2003.

So, yeah, maybe you do need to go on

And considering Microsoft was working with Sega pushing Windows CE on it (which everyone agrees was a mistake)... add in the piracy fiasco (on par with Sony's recent one) and how Microsoft all but abandoned Sega to make the Xbox.

Besides, Moore was the one who decided to kill the Dreamcast.

So on January 31 2001 we said Sega is leaving hardware – somehow I got to make that call, not the Japanese. I had to fire a lot of people, it was not a pleasant day.

About the second of Moore´s quotes,...
You say MS quit the all backwards compatibility 2 weeks after Xbox dropped 1 billion dollars to address the RROD, well, maybe you answered your own question, maybe it was because they dropped 1 billion dollars.

Actually, no, I didn't write that. Re-read it.

I said, 2 weeks after the RROD thing, Moore quits.

I was pointing out that Moore has been responsible for some pretty bone headed decisions. Dropping BC was one of them, opening the door to selling them online.

I did some digging because i couldn´t remember the year, and just found out that the all backwards compatibility begun to end after 2007, after Peter Moore left....
http://gizmodo.com/242775/xbox-360-backward-compatibility-development-ramping-down-after-07

Again, the quote is to show how short sighted he was about BC. For him to be calling for an end to BC development so early on was ridiculous, IMO.

When i said i was defeding the PS3, i meant it.
If i was so "in love" with the console, i should have had bougth one by now..i haven´t, i still have a 360, and i don´t plan to get rid of it.
Why?
Because i care for games, not hardware companies.
Do you want me to "trash" Sony?
All Sony did this gen was to copy the next guy, from the sixaxis (Wiimote), PSN (XBL), PSN Games (XBLA), Trophies (Achivements)....

I think you're mixing up posters here. I never accused you of defending the PS3. I said I love my PS3.

Maybe this is a language barrier issue?

And no offense, but everyone here loves games, otherwise we wouldn't have consoles. But different people love different games. It sounds like you want exclusive games and dislike motion control stuff. No problem. But you can't use that as a basis to say its the end of the Xbox.

In your eyes, it's dead to you. The numbers scream otherwise. The only console still growing despite RROD, yearly XBL fees going up, adding motion control and social media, etc.. and somehow, they're STILL growing.

Again, it's fine to say in your opinion Xbox is at its end, but all facts say otherwise.

That's what people are taking issue with. No one is saying you can't feel that way, but you can't pass off your opinion as fact especially when everything goes against what you're putting forth.

Last but not least, you are really counter argumenting me for saying the PS3 is about games with delays? Really?
What does delays have to do with being or not a gaming console at heart?
There are other games you know?
For every GT5 there is a Motorstorm, for every LBP2 there is an Uncharted or INfamous (not the same thing, but there isn´t other games like LBP).

You said they were all about games.

I said if that was the case, they'd have actually published some of these games after 5 years. What's the excuse?

Motorstorm was garbage, IMO. Uncharted and inFamous were both great, I agree.

Either way, as you said, there's plenty of other games. So why are those developers successful while others are continually pushed back?

All it does, is end up disappointing fans.

It's why Microsoft waits until things are moving along well to announce them -- with some rare exclusions (Alan Wake, Too Human)

Contrast this to Sony who seems desperate to announce everything only to have it backfire. LA Noire -- no longer exclusive. FFXIV -- pushed back. LBP2 -- pushed back. GT5 -- pushed back. Last Guardian -- pushed back. etc.

It's why Sony fanboys get mocked for saying "XXXX is the year of the Playstation" and why everyone always defends things by saying, "Wait for Game XXXX to hit, then everyone will buy a PS3"

I addressed Kinect later in my post, i said Kinect showed they can still be innovative if they want to. I hope that Kinect is the return of MS of old.
Exclusives are always...ALWAYS...important, just like 1st party studios.
The importance of the exclusives is that it gives a name to the console (Halo is a Xbox game, Uncharted is only found on the PS3, Mario home is on Nintendo...), just like 1st parties studios are assets (Molyneux expertise is only found on the 360, David Jaffe´s only makes games for the Playstation, Myamoto know-how is Nintendo´s strenght, and so on..and also Ips)
Don´t you know that? Neither does Microsoft?

BEFORE this generation, exclusives were important.

Conventional wisdom would say that because Xbox had little exclusives last generation, they would have been DOA this generation. And look what happened.

If exclusives mattered, Home would have pushed a billion PS3s by now.

About the chances and Kinect selling...what does one have to do with the other?
Since when innovation equals sucess?
Kinect is selling, that´s a given, don´t really understand why, but it is.
Kinect has an amazing potential, imo, it´s the best of the motion controllers, i´ve been saying this since when it was called Project Natal, but, at this point, it sucks, the modders are making a much better job with then MS itself.

So?

Who cares? Have you considered that MS left it open to see what people do with it and snatch them up?

Look at what they did with Johnny Chung Lee who was a big Wii modder.. they hired him for Natal.

Besides, again, you seem to think things happen instantly. Kinect launched two months ago almost.

Quit being impatient

Clearly you haven´t read most of my posts in this thread.
If i love one thing about the 360 is the XBLA, i adore it, is the best thing the console has.
But we are talking about retail games, so, XBLA doesn´t appply...

Again, insulting. There's some XBLA games that put some retail games to shame.

It's games, which you've said over and over and over and over and over.. that's what it's about.

You can't suddenly say, "Oh, these games don't count. Kinect games and XBLA games don't count. Those are exclusives that PS doesn't have, if I can dismiss those, Xbox has no games!"

So decide, is it about the games or isn't it?

But, as you are talking about numbers, as you know, there are 3 big markets when it comes to video games, and the 360 is only ahead in one, the US.

Which means what?

Exactly. Absolutely nothing.

Again, Xbox is leading in UK which outsells Europe. Outsells in NA.

Is there a medal awarded? Does the winner get a prize?

Please quit buying into the stupid fanboy war thing.

Then, in 2009, the PS3 announced the PS3 Slim and everyone started to buy it like hotcakes.
The lost of quality from the 360, the PS3 Slim and the lack of any interest from MS made the 360 never got ahead of the PS3 ever again.

And again, I proved otherwise.

Check out the UK sales.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/04/xbox-360-and-ps3-dominated-uk-in-2010-game-market-sales-totaled

UK Sales PS3: 13.8 mil
UK Sales 360: 18.2 mil

Now if you want to say, PS3 is the choice of France, by all means.

So, if things don´t pick up, if MS doesn´t show any interest in getting back to the "fight for Europe", they might lose this gen in the end as the PS3 is already ahead of the 360 there.
They might end second place still as the diference between the 360 and PS3 in the US is bigger than in Europe, but still, it´s two markets for Sony (Euro and Japan) and only the US to Microsoft.

How will they lose this generation to Sony? Does the Xbox suddenly stop selling while PS3 skyrockets? Do you honestly know how long that would take?

With the PS3 hacked wide open, they're going to lose money on games sold. When they lose the lawsuit against the hackers, it'll be another costly mistake. You'll see the PS4 rushed out to market. Add in the presumed failure of the PSP2 and it doesn't look good for Sony.

Again, two markets where one amounts to little comparatively to the other two.

The numbers:

JAPAN
April 2010:
"Over 5 million PS3"
(http://kotaku.com/5515863/how-many-ps3s-have-been-sold-in-japan)

Dec. 2010:
PS3: 1,558,480 (5,949,887)
(http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=282448)

If Japan is only growing by a million each year.. it's not going to save Sony when you add UK and USA totals to the mix.

So, forget about "two markets"

Sony can't drop the price. If they did, MS can counter with their own.

As for exclusive only matter to fanboys...that´s not true.
Exclusives matter a great deal.
I adore exclusives, but, like i said a couple of times, the least thing that interests me is the bragging rights, now that´s what fanboys care about, to have one game and the other guy don´t.
I care for exclusives because they give a reason to buy a console.

Ok, I'll humor you.

Let's say exclusives are the reason for buying a console. Don't you think that at this far into the generation people would have made up their minds by now?

Haven't the Sony faithful bought one by now? If God of War 3, FF, etc haven't done it, not much else will.

And by that line of reasoning, Kinect gives people a reason to buy the 360.

So, again, hardly doom and gloom as you want people so hard to believe.

I´ll give you an example:
CoD, Assassins Creed, Bioshock, GTA, Red Dead Redemption; those 5 games are multiplatform....now, Uncharted, INfamous, LBP, Motorstorm, God of War; those 5 games are exclusive to the PS3.

You forgot exclusive DLC

Now, as an example, take the PS3 and the 360....10 of those games go to the PS3, 5 go to the 360...which console would you buy?
See...exclusives are important in the end, no one buys a console for the love of the company....at least i hope not.

At launch or 5 years after it launched?

If I was really into games as you say, I would have bought a console by now.

And again, announce all the exclusives you want, when they go multiplatform or never show up, it's pointless.

In your mind, what happens if Microsoft announces 500 exclusive Kinect titles? Would they, in your mind be incentive for getting a 360? They're exclusives and that's the biggest reason for getting a console, right?

Again, no one is saying you can't feel like it's abandoned you, but keep to reality. Sony is in a distant 3rd and shows no signs of that changing anytime soon. Exclusives or not.

You don't HAVE to just buy one console, you know?

 

[KALEL114]

Man, sooo much knee jerking in this thread. Kinect is not going take the 360 down. PS3 getting hacked will not rush out the PS4. Almost every system in history has been hacked before it with little effect to sales, system or games wise (see DS, PS2, 360). So much doom and gloom thrown around. Both systems are selling great right now. PS3 is only 4.5 million behind the 360. They might catch up, they might not. The 360 will most likely always dominate the states, PS3 will most likely always dominate Europe.

Just play the games you like and relax a bit.

 

[Cth]

Man, sooo much knee jerking in this thread. Kinect is not going take the 360 down. PS3 getting hacked will not rush out the PS4. Almost every system in history has been hacked before it with little effect to sales, system or games wise (see DS, PS2, 360). In fact systems sell more after being hacked (someone pointed that out to me somewhere on this forum). So much doom and gloom thrown around. Both systems are selling great right now. PS3 is only 4.5 million behind the 360. They might catch up, they might not. The 360 will most likely always dominate the states, PS3 will most likely always dominate Europe.

Just play the games you like and relax a bit.

I specifically stated that sales would likely raise sales short term for Sony.

Yes, every system has been hacked before. Until the PS3, none to this degree of simplicity and inability to stop it, short of a hardware redesign which would be costly for Sony.

360 continued despite piracy BECAUSE of the Xbox Live model. Getting banned after having paid a year in advance isn't a fun thing I'd imagine.

I disagree that Sony is selling well, as December numbers show. Once NPD hits in a few hours, I suppose we'll see for sure.

Supposedly, MS was supply constrained this holiday season (presumably they were referring to the 250gb Kinect bundles) so Wii should retake the lead, but it'll be close to see if MS beat them this year for US sales.

Anyways, most of us are playing the games we like and relaxing. But there comes a time for a little fact checking to confront fear and disinformation.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

Cth, i´m not going to reply to your post, basically because i don´t have time.....or patience at this point, but i do have to say...

You rock

Not joking, i mean it, you are one of the cool guys.
You make good arguments and defend them, i respect that.
At least you don´t go out calling me a fanboy left and right (which i still can´t figure out why i´m called that).
You understand where i was going to, even if you don´t agree, which is cool, people have diferent opinions.
This is how threads should go, civilized.


To finish let me just say, i don´t want for Microsoft to fall, or i´m hoping for it.
The only thing i want is for them to return at what they previously were, imo.
I don´t hate Kinect, or casual gaming, nor downloadable games not anything like that, in fact, i like of kinds of games, as long as they are good.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I would like to add that you can't blame Sony for Final Fantasy XIV. Square-Enix delayed that game on the PS3 because even Square admitted that the game sucks ass.

 

[KALEL114]

I specifically stated that sales would likely raise sales short term for Sony.

Yes, every system has been hacked before. Until the PS3, none to this degree of simplicity and inability to stop it, short of a hardware redesign which would be costly for Sony.

360 continued despite piracy BECAUSE of the Xbox Live model. Getting banned after having paid a year in advance isn't a fun thing I'd imagine.

I disagree that Sony is selling well, as December numbers show. Once NPD hits in a few hours, I suppose we'll see for sure.

Supposedly, MS was supply constrained this holiday season (presumably they were referring to the 250gb Kinect bundles) so Wii should retake the lead, but it'll be close to see if MS beat them this year for US sales.

Anyways, most of us are playing the games we like and relaxing. But there comes a time for a little fact checking to confront fear and disinformation.

Yeah, I edited out that part because I didn't want it to look like I was "calling you out" or anything. It sounded a bit like I was to me at least after I read it again.t:

Sony has been quiet about what they can or cannot do as far as bannings, so we should take a wait and see approach with that. There are ton of reports from people outside of Sony saying things, but not from the horses mouth.

NPD is just US though and as mentioned before, the US is Sony's weakest region (EMEAA, US, Japan). We need to get the total WW to see how well they are selling. I have no doubt MS did well here though. They always do.

Isildur: I urge you to go back to a lot of your earlier posts. Before your switch to this side of the discussion (2005-2009). If you read them with an open mind, you will see you were acting a bit "fanboyish" Not trying to start anything now, just a suggestion to help you see where we were coming from.

 

[Coca Cola Duracell Franklin.]

December NPD numbers are out. Xbox had it's best month ever. Isildur's Heir is probably insane.

 

[Cth]

Cth, i´m not going to reply to your post, basically because i don´t have time.....or patience at this point, but i do have to say...

You rock

Thanks, like I said, I totally get where you're coming from.

For a while there, I was playing more PS3 than Xbox, but I find myself playing more and more Xbox lately.

Like I said, I know it's tough not getting what you want right now, but one things for sure, MS is constantly changing. Wait a while, and maybe things will change.

I don't see them ditching the hardcore crowd just to chase the Kinect crowd.. they're greedy enough to want both

 

[hippie_hunter]

I was expecting the Kinect to sell pretty damn good to begin with, but I didn't think that it would do that good.

 

[Iceman]

http://uk.videogames.games.yahoo.co...isnt-a-games-console-says-microsoft-boss.html

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

http://uk.videogames.games.yahoo.co...isnt-a-games-console-says-microsoft-boss.html

I was going to post that same thing...

USA Today sat down with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to discuss Xbox 360, Kinect, and the state of Microsoft in general. The important part for us gamers is right up at the front.

"Xbox isn't a gaming console. Xbox is a family entertainment center. It's a place to socialize. It's a place to watch TV. We have Hulu coming. It's the only system where you are the controller. Your voice, your gestures, your body."

He talks a bit about how his wife used to view their Xbox 360 as something "the boys use" and now she gets in on the action too: watching movies, dancing (Dance Central would be my guess), and he speaks to the family-friendly culture Microsoft is trying to cultivate with the Xbox 360.

The question I have: will Microsoft's prioritization of the casual player have an adverse effect on the core gamers they also need?

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/bartiromo/2011-01-17-bartiromo17_ST_N.htm

So, when i said that Microsoft were less and less about gaming and more about being a media hub......when i said that this year will be all about Kinect...when i said....so......my arguments might have some validity after all....there is indeed a new direction for the Xbox.....the plot thickens.....

 

[amazingfantasy15]

I was going to post that same thing...

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/bartiromo/2011-01-17-bartiromo17_ST_N.htm

So, when i said that Microsoft were less and less about gaming and more about being a media hub......when i said that this year will be all about Kinect...when i said....so......my arguments might have some validity after all....there is indeed a new direction for the Xbox.....the plot thickens.....

How is this different from Playstation's strategy for both PS2 and PS3. Blu Ray was added to the PS3 mainly because it was Sony's HD-DVD and they wanted to win that war. Home was also supposed to be a media center. Both Sony and Microsoft want their systems to be media centers, however, I'll always just see them as video game consoles, I think I've watched DVDs maybe 2 or 3 times on any system, I've never used any of the social media stuff, all X-Box live is to me is for multiplayer, not Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, Netflix or any other BS.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I was expecting the Kinect to sell pretty damn good to begin with, but I didn't think that it would do that good.

I thought it would sell somewhere in that area. It wasnt surprising to me to see the demand. I work in video game retail and i personally saw the demand prior to the devices release.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

So, when i said that Microsoft were less and less about gaming and more about being a media hub......when i said that this year will be all about Kinect...when i said....so......my arguments might have some validity after all....there is indeed a new direction for the Xbox.....the plot thickens.....

Sony claimed the same thing. When was their beginning of the end?

 

[Erzengel]

Didn't their commercials say, "It only does everything."

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

Sony claimed the same thing. When was their beginning of the end?

Is not the same thing, and you know it (i think).
It´s not about what you claim, is about what you do.
If a company claims they are not just about gaming, but release tons of exclusives....yeah....is not the same thing.
Little Big Planet 2, Killzone 3, InFamous 2, The Last Guardian, Uncharted 3, Resistance 3...and more, versus Gears of War 3 and Forza 4 (notice only one is first party)....yeeeaaaahhh......is not the same thing.

I´ll stick with the title, which ends on a question mark, not an exclamation point.

MS will make more announcements, that´s a given, but they need to make a hell of several announcements to flip it their way

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

Look at what they did with Johnny Chung Lee who was a big Wii modder.. they hired him for Natal.

Johnny Chung Lee just left Microsoft to work for Google

Additional details are scarce. Indeed, with respect to his new position, Lee only wrote on his blog, "I have left Microsoft to join a special projects team at Google. Then Lee's "About Me" section indicates his new official title is "Rapid Evaluator."

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2011/01/18/google-snags-microsoft-kinect-developer

Remember when i said that everyone Xbox related is running for the hills?

 

[Cth]

Johnny Chung Lee just left Microsoft to work for Google

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2011/01/18/google-snags-microsoft-kinect-developer

Imagine that, he was hired to develop Kinect and moved onto new projects once it launched.

THE SCANDAL! *GASP*

In fact, let's let Johnny explain it in his own words:

After more than 2 and a half years working as a core contributor to the human tracking algorithms for Kinect, it was an extremely difficult decision and I leave behind many great colleagues in Redmond.”

It was a wild ride, helping Kinect along through the very early days of incubation (even before it was called "Project Natal") all the way to shipping 8 million units in the first 60 days. It's not often you work on a project that gets a lavish product announcement by Cirque du Soleil and a big Times Square Launch party. The success of Kinect is a result of fantastic work by a lot of people. I'm also very happy that so many other people share my excitement about the technology.

It was great to be a part of such a unique project. I look forward to seeing all the creative and unexpected ways that game developers will use the data from the camera to create fun experiences. The Xbox is exceptionally well positioned to do great things in the entertainment space. It's a great console, and a great platform, with a lot of potential. I genuinely look forward to seeing how it will evolve over the next few years and I absolutely wish the Xbox team the best of luck.

No offense, but you remind of those old Transformer cartoons. Anytime something might remotely seem out of sorts for Megatron, Starscream was there proclaiming victory and trying to sway everyone. He was wrong every time

Remember when i said that everyone Xbox related is running for the hills?

Remember when everyone told you that you were being Chicken Little with every little bit of news? You're doing it again.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Is not the same thing, and you know it (i think).
It´s not about what you claim, is about what you do.
If a company claims they are not just about gaming, but release tons of exclusives....yeah....is not the same thing.
Little Big Planet 2, Killzone 3, InFamous 2, The Last Guardian, Uncharted 3, Resistance 3...and more, versus Gears of War 3 and Forza 4 (notice only one is first party)....yeeeaaaahhh......is not the same thing.

I´ll stick with the title, which ends on a question mark, not an exclamation point.

MS will make more announcements, that´s a given, but they need to make a hell of several announcements to flip it their way

Lol, you are so short sited its ridiculous. Cth has gone on in lengths debunking every single argument you have made so im not going to retread that territory. I mean he just got finished proving you completely wrong on just about evert point you have tried to make. I think it's time you move on and try and drum up another argument. Maybe something like "Is Activision about to go under?" You might have more success there.

What is it with you and the exclusive? Gamers play more than just 'exclusive' titles, you realize that right? MS's exclusives do ok, regardless of how many they have. In fact you can take Halo or Gears and you'd have to combine multiple Sony exclusives just to match one of those titles. MS doesnt need 10 exclusives per year when they have one that sells 7 million units.

 

[Cth]

I can see where exclusives CAN help, especially early on.

Especially if two consoles launch at the same time with the same price.

(Sony priced themselves out early on, not to mention their launch date.)

Like I said, this far into the cycle, exclusives don't matter nearly as much.

Most people that wanted one, got one for MGS/FF/etc.. just like people got Xbox for Halo/Gears/etc..

This is why both decided to reinvigorate their base and try to grab some of Nintendo's audience by going into motion. Because of that, both now have a whole bunch of exclusives for each. Again, discounting XBLA/PSN.

Last generation, it was the race to $100 -- the sweet spot that caused people to cross platforms, regardless of "allegiance"

So, whenever Kinect/Move start stagnating, that'll be the next trick they go, since both have gone the slim route.

To Microsoft's favor, their Slim seemed to fix the RROD issue, which offered another reason to pick one up.

Nintendo's already went the "multiple colors" route, so their next "hand" would be a price drop or an HD version.

Anyways, both consoles have a whole new batch of exclusives now with their motion controllers. So far, MS has two or three breakaway hits, while Move has more exclusives but far less sales, almost not worth mentioning. So, it mirrors the way the "core" games have gone. Again, keep in mind, we're essentially starting off at the beginning again -- as both become available and mature, things can change, but right now, MS is in good shape.

 

[Soapy]

Plus, as far as I can tell, most level-headed gamers would prefer it if there weren't any exclusives at all. I really couldn't care less if Halo was on the Playstation or Uncharted on 360. In fact, I would be pretty happy about it.

I guess that kind of pokes another hole in his fixation with exclusives.

 

[Erzengel]

I like exclusives because it gives me a chance to have multiple systems.

Xbox in the Family Room, PS in the Man Cave in the basement.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Plus, as far as I can tell, most level-headed gamers would prefer it if there weren't any exclusives at all. I really couldn't care less if Halo was on the Playstation of Uncharted on 360. In fact, I would be pretty happy about it.

I guess that kind of pokes another hole in his fixation with exclusives.

I agree. The day exclusives disappear, is the day ill be a happy gamer. I own and love both consoles, but i rather just stick to one. Its great seeing less and less 3rd party exclusives.