Xbox 360 Launch to Face Several Hurdles 428
JamesO writes "Microsoft's J Allard has said that the Xbox 360 will be released in differing versions over the next five years. "It's something we're not ready to announce yet," he said. "I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all [approach] over the next five-year horizon." Relatedly JamesO writes "Microsoft is saying that anywhere up to 40 games could be released for the Xbox 360 during its launch period, but which of those will make or break the console's launch? Pro-G choose their ten most important Xbox 360 launch games. Not the ten best launch games, but the most important for the success of the Xbox 360."
Backflip (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Backflip (Score:5, Funny)
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Yes, but the XBox does. Therefore one would expect the 'new and improved' XBox to not have less functionality.
And since the post I was replying to indicated the XBox was "just like a PC", the lack O' hard-drive (eventually, maybe, sorta, they haven't decided yet) could change that.
The fact that other machines in the past didn't have functionality doesn't change that the versions in the future shouldn't be downgrades.
Re:you keep using that word (Score:2)
Re:you keep using that word (Score:2, Funny)
Re:you keep using that word (Score:2)
Re:Backflip (Score:2)
Skip TFA (Score:5, Informative)
9: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
8: Ridge Racer 6
7: N3: Ninety-Nine Nights
6: Dead or Alive 4
5: Call of Duty 2
4: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
3: Project Gotham Racing 3
2: Madden NFL 06
1: Perfect Dark Zero
Re:Skip TFA (Score:5, Insightful)
Same goes to Perfect Dark Zero being the top game on that list... Well, I surely love FPS, as most americans and europeans. But what about the asian market? That list is way too "western world"-focused IMO. And we all know what is the whole point behind Xbox 360: take over Playstation's home market.
Re:Skip TFA (Score:5, Interesting)
I suspect the reasoning is that Madden, every year, is either the #1 or #2 top-selling game in the US market, if not the world. That seems pretty important, whether or not the Japanese like the game.
Oh, and in case you weren't aware, the US gaming market is much larger than that in either Japan or Europe. All the talk about how Japanese consumption defines the success of a console is based on a) the fact that every console designed and/or produced by a US company since the Nintendo has sucked compared to its competitors and b) just plain old fallacy. For example, the Saturn, a console made by a Japanese company, did pretty well in Japan yet tanked everywhere else. The end result of that was creating a situation where Sega ran out of money to compete.
It might ALSO be worth noting that the list is generated based on the US launch titles. There are titles being developed that, so far, are only planned for release in Japan. There are Japanese RPGs, soccer games and others being developed specifically for Japanese Xbox 360 customers.
Short version: Your criticism is based on little but thin air.
Re:Skip TFA (Score:2)
(Incidentely I would place a large amount of money on the Gridiron game not being even close to the top in the international market. It'd sell close to nothing everywhere else other than America. I'm not even sure that it's sold here in Australia, at least I haven't seen it in shops or heard of it outside forums such as Slashdot.)
Re:Skip TFA (Score:5, Insightful)
CESA industry sales figures for Japanese publishers/manufacturers from last year:
Year - Software / Hardware : Total
2004 - $4.28 billion / $4.03 billion : $8.31 billion
And by region:
Year - Japan/Overseas : Total
2004 - $3.06 billion / $5.16 billion : $8.22 billion
The total North American video game market had $9.9 billion in sales over the same period.
Now, you can say that $9.9 billion in sales is more than three times $3.06 billion, but a couple things:
a) $3.06 billion is still no small chunk of change
b) That's in a country with half the population and about 1/20 the land mass (meaning distribution and marketing is much, much cheaper)
c) That's just one country, vs. Canada/US/Mexico for North American market numbers
d) $5 billion worth of Japanese software/hardware was sold overseas, meaning a large chunk of that North American market number is made up of Japanese games and systems
e) The total Japanese game industry is nearly the same size as the North American game industry in total dollar sales (in 2003, it was actually larger).
For example, the Saturn, a console made by a Japanese company, did pretty well in Japan yet tanked everywhere else. The end result of that was creating a situation where Sega ran out of money to compete.
And the same thing would have happened to Microsoft - with a successful console in the US and Europe but not Japan - if they did not have billions of dollars from their operating system business to rely on. They have lost billions on the Xbox. Part of the reason for that is approximately 33% of the sales they envisioned never materialized, because the system tanked so hard in Japan. They literally have only two of the three markets they thought they would.
I think you're underestimating the importance of Japan to the overall video game market. No system can be a financial success these days without being successful in Japan, in addition to the other markets. Japan is a huge cash cow - it is a much more profitable market than either the US or Europe, which are both nightmares of marketing and distribution for various reasons (different languages, long distances, political borders, cultures, etc.).
Re:Skip TFA (Score:3, Informative)
Also, even in the PS2 world, the Madden has the next 3 top sellers after the GTA series and GT3. So, yes I would say they are quite justified ranking it highly in the article.
How many multi-milli
Re:Skip TFA (Score:5, Funny)
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Shit. I guess it was me.
Re:Skip TFA (Score:5, Interesting)
It seems that the market is fucked up in such a way that the only thing companies can come with are SEQUELS. Same happened for the PS2, and now it's going to happen for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Re:Skip TFA (Score:3, Insightful)
Super Mario Brothers 2
Grand Theft Auto 3
Duke Nukem 3D
Of course, for each of these, there are 1000 sequels with nothing at all new. Can anyone think of any other games for this list? I am sure there are plenty more.
Re:Skip TFA (Score:2)
Re:Skip TFA (Score:5, Informative)
Then in a bizarre twist, they released the american version of the japanese game as Super Mario USA (since the japanese already had a Super Mario Brothers 2, in a game that was very similar to the first title, and has been released several times in various forms on US carts as "Lost Levels")
Despite the wierdities of its sordid past, SMB 2 is still a great game!
in their defense... (Score:5, Insightful)
Okay, that's it... (Score:5, Interesting)
I put a down payment for an XBox 360 under the assumption that WHAT THEY HYPED was what would be in the unit. Not some pie in the sky, it'll have HiDef DVD next year and then the year after that we'll introduce XBOX360 3.0 which, as you all know, is when Microsoft gets it right so hooo-baby, get your preorders in for that one, and oh sorry about that built-in wireless router but that was too expensive.
I completely and totally understand that some features may change from preorder to launch. But all of this hype now about different consoles and such and I'm ready to just drop the whole thing until they actually ink the final shipping product features.
Fool me once, shame one you... fool me twice...
One things for sure, it'll be a LONG time before I preorder any Microsoft game system again.
Re:Okay, that's it... (Score:3, Insightful)
Everything that MS ANNOUNCED would be in the system is still in the system. If you were so dumb as to bite on hype from random "gaming press" sources, well, why is it MS's fault that you don't know any better?
Re:Okay, that's it... (Score:2, Insightful)
Consoles are supposed to be closed systems - with a "write code once and run on every console" philosophy. The changes or revisions to consoles in the past were mostly minor changes to the bios and the run-time-libs ensured that the same code written previously still worked. Th
Re:Okay, that's it... (Score:3, Funny)
Like Windows and Office (Score:4, Interesting)
I wonder if they'll have lifecycles on the older X-Box 360s and, over the next 2-3 years, kill Live support for the earlier generations of X-Box 360s that lack hardware of the most recent ones.
Re:Okay, that's it... (Score:4, Insightful)
Then you, sir, are a muppet.
Sorry, but there it is.
(Were you not around to see the PS2 demo videos? Surely no-one would take a console launch at face value after that!)
Re:Okay, that's it... (Score:5, Insightful)
LOL!
Oh, stop, you're killing me!
Hoooo! That's a good one.
Please see the list of "Features" that Widows Longhorn, now Windows Vista was going to have at launch.
Every time they pushed back the release date, they dropped a few features.
The first claims for what Longhorn would have constituted an operating system that would trample Linux and MAC OS X into dust. Those features have dropped off one by one over the years. It's now clear that Windows Vista will be little more than XP with a few cosmetic changes and tighter security.
This is standard Microsoft behavior though. Look at all their product releases. Look at the pre-release press. Announcing Vaporware and pumped up lists of features is a common practice for them, as a way to stifle or destroy the competition.
Re:Okay, that's it... (Score:3, Interesting)
The parent poster was talking about unspecified changes to the XBOX, and I was just pointing out that such behavior is endemic to Microsoft. I don't have any XBOX 360 examples, as I really don't care about the XBOX 360. Most of my computer gaming these days consists of occasional LAN parties involving Half-Life counterstrike. I might get a PS3 at some point, assuming it can still play all my old PS2 and PSo
Hell for consumers (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Hell for consumers (Score:4, Interesting)
What I don't like is that games will be programmed to 'potentially not use the HD', which means that some incredibly content may or may not be available because of all of the contingencies with creating essentially two underlying versions of each game.
For example, a game like Fable, already plenty of things were ripped out of the game at the last minute -- if they had to spend extra safeguards to make sure that people without HDs get a comparable experience -- which doesn't sound like a lot of programming code in theory, but in practice, would that cause more functionality to require removal?
Re:Hell for consumers (Score:2, Insightful)
Not only that, but one of the big benefits of console systems is that it usually simplifies things. On the computer, I have to check a game's memory, CPU, and video card requirements before I can buy it. For the PS2, I just have to look in the PS2 section.
Granted, it's not rocket science, but if they're going to radically change the hardware, maybe they should just release a new system.
And I can't say I envy the MS tech support people. "But it said XBOX 360", "Oh, sorry sir, that game is for XBOX 3
This is an awful idea. (Score:5, Insightful)
The average parent isn't going to know what to pick for their kid, and faced with a choice they might just turn around and pick up a console they know will be able to support any game on the system.
More experienced/older gamers might look at the inferior versions of the system as worthless, and will simply wait until the maxed out system comes down to a reasonable price. A good analogy would be with computers. The average slashdotter isn't going to go buy a celeron notebook (lets go with plain old celeron, when they sucked) when there are vastly superior Pentium M notebooks available. They will wait for the better system's price to come down. Maybe not such a great analogy, but hopefully it gets the point across.
Hardware (Score:4, Insightful)
MS Flight sim is an example from the PC world. When first released, there's no hardware which can render smooth frame rates with all settings maxed out. As the hardware improves over time, the visuals can be pushed higher and higher until... the next version comes out and we start all over.
Re:Hardware (Score:5, Insightful)
If you were a developer what market would you choose? The market that your game will run on the most consoles (base 360) or the market that is likely just a small fraction of the overall maximum market?
Your comparison the PC world is completely absurd in that PCs are constantly upgraded and evolving whereas the typical console is a single target that never moves. It is an awful lot easier to make a game for one console with fixed specs than the hundreds and thousands of possible PC hardware configurations. It should be no secret that most PC games these days are RTS, first person shooters, a few RPGs here and there and of course, the simulator. Not much variety to be found. A great deal of developer shops have fallen quite recently due to poor sales in the PC market. Most kids these days seem to prefer the TV versus the monitor and I hate to say it, but I would imagine that a large number of computer game players are also software pirates given the ease of downloading an ISO and mounting it with the convieniently free daemon tools, whereas on the console you have to mod the console or pay to have someone do it for you and that is really out of the grasp of a lot of people.
I don't honestly think that Microsoft is choosing a good plan here. It is better to have a unified market than one that is potentially fractured. If you make a console that much better than the original and manage to convince a foolish developer to produce games that only run on the newer console, then why bother at all when instead you could have just waited a few years and released a whole new console with a slew of upgrades? Oh wait. That is precisely what they do now.
If there were a market for upgradeable consoles, it would have surely materialized by now. I think that the average gamer cares far less about the platform and a great deal more about the actual games themselves. IF you want to win a console race you need a lot of killer apps like GTA3 and the first Xbox had about 3 triple A titles and that just isn't going to cut it.
Re:Hardware (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, and this is true even of simple things like special controllers. The steering wheel controller is a case in point. I can't ever remember a driving game that supported a wheel controller well. It's usually easier to drive with the standard controller - the wheel is just frustrating.
The reason of course, is that the developers don't spend much time on supporting steering wheel controllers, because less than 1% (figure off the top of my head, but am pretty sure it's accurate) of the market has one of these controllers...so why bother? You can spend the time making the driving experience with the standard controller much better, because that's what everyone has.
It's a bit like making a game that you can only play with Xbox Live. You've instantly cut your market down to 10% of what it could have been.
Re:Hardware (Score:3, Insightful)
Personally though, I don't see how a next gen console can do with an HD, unless it is a cynical marketing ploy to sell more memory cards. The fact is that without a HD, the console is useless for multimedia (convergence - what's that?), games load slower without caching, and you can't download extras or firmware updates from the i
Sticking with my PS2 for now (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Sticking with my PS2 for now (Score:2)
No hard drive (Score:5, Insightful)
Relax, 360 will most likely include hard drive (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Relax, 360 will most likely include hard drive (Score:5, Informative)
You ALMOST have it right in that the 360 will CERTAINLY include the hard drive at launch. It's been confirmed. I'm wondering how many times Allard and company have to confirm it before people accept it.
People seem to have been so brainwashed by the speculation (not hype by MS, but wild-ass guesses by "industry analysts) over the last two years that nothing can get through the mental blocks anymore.
Allard's comments about potentially shipping an Xbox 360 sans HD are for the future, going after people who wait for price breaks and a more full game catalog before buying (like me, as a matter of fact). Hence, he wants developers to code for the possibility that a hard drive won't be on the system. That means that they have to optimize save files so that memory cards can be used (none of that "take a snapshot of memory" nonsense as Bioware did with Knights of the Old Republic). It means that they may have to include an if/then statement regarding hard drive caching and make sure that their game runs acceptably with nothing but the optical drive. What it DOESN'T mean is that the Xbox 360 is coming out with no hard drive, nor does it mean that developers have to release multiple versions of their games for compatibility purposes.
The worst-case scenario is that a few early games may absolutely require the hard drive to run. Of course, early adopters will [interestingly] not have any worries about this since they will already have the hard drive, and the hard drives will be available to anyone who wants one. This isn't an N64 situation where extra memory was required for some games and it wasn't included with the console - that's at least certain at the beginning, and possibly (Allard was trying not to rule anything out) for the life of the device.
Most of the above, by the way, wasn't aimed at the parent but to the doomsayers elsewhere in this discussion.
Re:Relax, 360 will most likely include hard drive (Score:3, Insightful)
If they have to write games as if a hard drive wasn't there, you loose at lot of the advantages of the hard drive.
Sure KotoR saves took up loads of space, but at least the game let you save anytime. Hard drives let you get away from the irritating save points, unless of course you can't rely on the hard drive being there.
And how is content download going to work? No more extra level, patches or bonus content on Live? If you can't rely on a hard drvie, where do you keep this stuff? The memomry card?
Re:Relax, 360 will most likely include hard drive (Score:2)
A game doesn't need to have save points if it doesn't have a hard drive. KOTOR had a limited number of items available, they could all be held in inventory, there were a limited number of NPCs, static maps, virtually no randomness in encounters, etc. - this means that all the variables were finite (
Not mentioned... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Not mentioned... (Score:2)
I know you were joking here, but actually the Xbox 360 OS is based off the Xbox1 OS which is based on Windows 2000, which is based on Windows NT which is based on OS/2 which has Unix code which has SCO code.
Oh, and Longhorn is definitely coming next year... sure, they remove 95% of the features meant to be there, but I guess I just rui
You can help! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:You can help! (Score:3, Funny)
Two additions: a) Press the Up button when at the hurdle, as to avoid it. Just pressing A-B-A-B would have you ramming into the hurdle full speed (if I know Microsoft right, that's what they would have done anyway). b) Use a marble and run it over the A and B buttons. Tactic of champions.
Version Release Order (Score:5, Funny)
2. XBox 360 98- Plug and Play joystics added (sort of). Though it crashed less, its not really that much different than XBox 360 95 but everyone thinks they want it.
3. XBox 360 CE- This is the portable version, Duh!
4. XBox 360 98SE- Exactly the same as XBox 360 98, but it costs more, and M$ says it's better so people think they want it more. Also included, a Weezer Video.
5. XBox 360 ME- This version crashes almost as much as the XBox 360 95, but it has built-in backups for when it corrupts, so you've got that going for you.
6. XBox 360 XP- Much better than all previous versions, but the EU and SEC will make Microsoft remove the browser, which is full of bugs... The linux community will absolutely hate the XBox 360 XP, even though it really isn't all that bad, if you know how to secure it, which is a serious pain in the ass.
7. XBox 360 Vista- This version will totally rip-off all other 3rd Generation consoles, and is the whole reason they have the tiered release plan anyway...
Re:Version Release Order (Score:4, Funny)
Xbox NT - stable, briefly ported to ps3 and gamecube but no games made for ports or for itself for that matter
Xbox NT4.0 - more stable, though not nearly as stable as Xbox haxxor linux, most games still won't run
Xbox 2000 - Only useful/useable version of Xbox. Games run, Xbox stable, unfortunately doomed to be retired in favor of flashy chrome looking, resource eating Xbox XP.
fly karma fly. Go free!
Way to make different versions work? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Way to make different versions work? (Score:2)
Re:Way to make different versions work? (Score:2)
After all, we're talking about people who's TV's are on average better than 6 years old. Many are 10-12. HD is virtually non-existant. Old fashioned DVD will do for them for the life of the XBOX-360.
Re:Way to make different versions work? (Score:2)
Nailing your own coffin (Score:5, Insightful)
We all remember how successful extensions to your console are(Though the jaguar CD was a great add on , it was expensive and the console was struggling at the time anyway ) .
MS in an attempted to create an extendable console
People like consoles because they are simple to use
They certainly don't want to waste much money on upgrades for it and to start having to worry about requirements
"I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all [approach] over the next five-year horizon."
People like consoles in a One size fits all
Re:Nailing your own coffin (Score:3, Interesting)
Sony and Microsoft are both failing horribly at this game and will soon be pushed out of the market by their own profit whoring.
This is like the wal-mart issue: the international megacorporations (Sony, Microsoft)
Re:Nailing your own coffin (Score:3, Informative)
People will hear that "New 360" will contain feature X and Y above their model
So they will perhaps wait and in the mean time get a PS3 or Revolution and perhaps intend on getting an Xbox 360 when its act
Re:Nailing your own coffin (Score:2)
Perception is very important , the Mega CD never created a divide in the gaming of the Megadrive it merely gave us another option , same with the 32X . That is not how people saw it though
I have no problem with them dropping the functionality , but adding it back later will likely cause problems . Why buy a non complete console now when you can get a complete one later
Sony will offer their console with everything included , so will Nint
Re:Nailing your own coffin (Score:2)
Personally I do not believe the HD DVD format is needed (much prefer the tech behind BRD , but i don't even think that is too useful and all the talk of DRM is worrying), that is not the idea people will get when they hear that a slightly later version will come with one though.
MS said games will not require the drive , they
Guarantees I won't be an Xbox 360 early adopter (Score:5, Insightful)
I got to see the Xbox 360 in closed doors demos at E3 this year, and I have to say despite the ringing hype endorsement of the PS3 over a prerendered demo (Killzone) which everyone on the floor as developers could name who created it - the Xbox 360 really did blow me away technically and the games were impressive looking and desirable - especially the new EA sports iterations (not to say anything of their gameplay and the company's lack of innovation).
But this latest news really puts me off bothering to pick one up soon. I recently had a ton of games stolen and went to eBay to load up on games I lost in the theft that were out of print. When it came time to find all the titles for the Xbox, there were very, very few I even wanted to bother replacing.
The current lineup, Call of Duty 2 excepted (which looked exceptional at E3 running in a limited capacity), does nothing to make me jones for Xbox 360. It still is a box dedicated towards dumbed down PC games played on a television. For now, I'll wait and see if an HD-DVD model ever comes out. I'll pick up a PS3 and use it as my Blu-Ray player.
Got the version map right here (Score:2, Funny)
One model with hard drive, one without. (360HD and 360).
Round 2 (next year, one week before Sony launch):
One model with HD-DVD and HD, one model with HD-DVD and no HD (360 HDDHD and 360 HDD).
360 HD and 360 reduce in price (1/2 cost of PS3), still offered.
Halo 3 re-issued on HD-DVD media with added content.
Round 3 (year after Sony launch)
New model with improved graphics performance to pass Sony, hard drive and no hard drive models - 720 HDDHD and 720 HDD.
360 HDDHD and 360 HDD reduced in
Comment on ten most important games: (Score:4, Funny)
9) Built to convince PC RPG gamers to switch to a console.
8) Kills two birds with one stone, great arcade racer and greater Japanese interest in console.
7) Makes sure that second bird is really dead and not just faking it.
6) The first lesson of Breast Physics dictates the pull of the console is proportional to the bounce of your fighter.
5) Because the WWII genre is just so fresh.
4) "Ubi-quitous" stealth action game.
3) To draw people tired of the license grind.
2) It's the only way to have football on when there's no football on.
1) Make that two games that rely going back in time and... loop detected!
You know so far... (Score:5, Insightful)
So yeah, hey Sony and MS: fire your marketing departments and put the money towards game development. Everyone already knows that your next gen shit is coming, shut up about it and give us games that make it a worthwhile purchase.
Obvious development (Score:3, Insightful)
Theory: After the PS3 is released (heck, while they are developing PS3 launch titles) game developers will scream to Microsoft they need the storage space HD-DVD offers to port the mammoth games they have just developed over to the XBox (and even then they may have a to cut and/or heavily compress some content to fit in the smaller space the HD-DVD format offers).
How can anyone really doubt this will not be true? How can anyone even hold a moment of doubt that at the very least a 2nd model with an HD-DVD drive will be released, and some game in the future (probably from EA) will require it? The only reason you are seeing Madden is that they will have another version next year anyway and this one will get the engine kinks worked out.
I think the only real surprise going forward would be Microsoft deciding to go with Blu-Ray instead of HD-DVD. But I just don't think they could swallow thier pride enough to do so, they are driven to be seen as the market leader.
Re:Obvious development (Score:2, Insightful)
In the last 6 years, I have seen little to no increase in storage demand from my games. For instance I'll use the ever bloated RPG genre, specifically Bioware's line as an example:
(Full Installs)
Baldur's Gate 1 (circa 1
Re:Obvious development (Score:2)
There was also a special dual-layered, dual-sided DVD edition of
Wing Commander IV included with some Creative DVD decoders. About
18 gigabytes worth of data, which could be massaged into installing
on harddrive. The regular installation wasn't that big, though, but
WC4DVD is the largest PC game I know of.
Games have generally tracked storage capacity (Score:2)
Basically what is happening is that games run into the storage limit of the tme and sit there, lothe to exceed the limit of a single disc (but doing it anyway from time to time). Only Doom 3 I think had the audactiy to require as many floppies as an OS install, and I think that also came in a CD version.
Think of all the HD cutscenes game makers will want to include, along with hi-res models. Now they
Re:Games have generally tracked storage capacity (Score:2)
That's probably the best arguement AGAINST providing obscene amounts of storage space
Re:Obvious development (Score:2)
Re:Obvious development (Score:3, Interesting)
Baldur's Gate 1 (circa 1998): 500 megabytes
Baldur's Gate 2 (circa 2000): 1.2 gigs
NeverWinter Nights (Circa 2002): 2.1 gigs
Knights of the Old Republic (2003): 4.0 gigs
2005: 8 GB
2007: 16 GB
2009: 32 GB
2011: 64 GB
2013: 128 GB
The PS3 is released in 2006, so it will be 7 years old in 2013, which is reasonable for a console's lifetime. (Except for Microsoft's, which life only 4 years)
Re:Obvious development (Score:3, Insightful)
A full install of Myst IV comes to 7gb. Myst games have always pushed the storage boundary, and even THEY can't fill up dual layer DVD. And you think that a DVD just won't cut it? What kind of crack are you smoking?
If, by some miracle some company produces more than 9gb of content for their game, it isn't exactly difficult to put it onto a second disc (recall FFVII). As long as the disc doesn't have to be swapped every 3 hours it isn't a big deal.
I thin
An Idea! (Score:5, Funny)
Since these consoles would be more personal than the identical model they have sold in the past, we need a new name for these consoles. I suggest a "Personal Console", or "PC" for short.
Just from the snippet (Score:2)
If you don't like the first one, stick around, give us a chance to make a better one, but lets do the traditional announcement to lock the market into 'wait-and-see' for the next 5 years. Problem is, does this work on gamers?
"It's something we're not ready to announce yet," he said. "I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all [approach] over the next five-year horizon."
I am not actuall
Makes more sense than you think (Score:3, Insightful)
"By selling the system hardware and software seperately, we are allowing the system a much longer lifespan, so you don't have to buy a new console every year! Instead, you can just buy the hardware and software upgrades and have a "brand new" system!"
This isn't that different from the DVD playback "add-on" for the original XBox. Microsoft's merely seeing how far they can take it one generation at a time.
Did you notice... (Score:4, Insightful)
Not a single new, original idea?
Microsoft tried to avoid calling it "XBOX 2" at all cost. But it is just that. A 2nd grade sequel to XBOX, with more fireworks and special effects, most of which you've seen already, and nothing to really enjoy.
I have not read TFA but.... (Score:2)
Good heavens (Score:5, Insightful)
- Microsoft is making sure game-developers treat the HD as optional.
- Seeing as the HD is optional, those who do not want the functionality will be offered the opportunity to purchase the console at a lower price.
- Microsoft may offer an HD-DVD drive in the Xbox 360 in later revisions (SPECULATION: to drive sales in the latecomer camp who are intrigued by the added bonus of playing HD-DVD content.)
Now here's what wasn't stated, but what I believe:
- Consoles are loss leaders for the major manufacturers. It is not desireable to sell hardware repeatedly at a loss. So what? Microsoft isn't going to encourage people to re-buy something that actually costs them money. Instead they will push for software titles to work on every Xbox 360 so that the maximum number of consumers can pay them licensing fees.
- Microsoft is going to (at minimum) STROGNLY encourage all software vendors not to code to the hard drive or the HD-DVD drive (when it arrives). While such coding may occur (FFXI will almost surely require a hard drive) it will not be the norm. They want the Xbox you bought on launch day without the HD to continue to get them licensing money through your continued purchase of software (see above).
- Confusingly, while many people replace the 's' in Microsoft with a '$', they accuse the same company whose success is so obvious of being incompetent at selling things. Whatever you want to argue about Microsoft, it is hard to argue that they are bad at making money. To that end, please re-read the above two points. They will not restrict their income artificially.
- Consumers LIKE new hardware revs. How many folks bought that cute miniature PS2? Enough to show that a re-rev of hardware (with different functionality) can be accepted by users. There's also the wild success of the Gameboy Advance (and SP) to this end. Did all your peripherals work with the SP? No. How many people still 'upgraded' from the Advance to the SP? Lots! It offered a compelling reason to upgrade, without breaking backwards compatibility for what matters (the games).
My conclusion: I'll buy an Xbox 360 on launch day because my lust for a new console is high, and because I am confident that the 360 I buy will work with games released until the Xbox 1080 (or whatever). If you do not believe that games will work then you are welcome to wait it out. A lot of people I know hesitated on huying an Xbox because it was a "second class" console to them. Then they ended up buying one because it had a few compelling games that were "must play" to them. If you don't want the 360 at launch then don't buy one, but don't be too shocked if there is comeplling (to you) content released that is Xbox exclusive and you end up wanting one in the end.
(Hint: Ninja Gaiden is not Halo, Forza is not Halo, do not reply to this with smarmy comments about Halo being the only popular exclusive game for the Xbox because it isn't, unless you want the standard "anti Microsoft" Slashdot karma over being factually correct.)
Re:Good heavens (Score:5, Insightful)
Really? Nintendo never sold the Gamecube for a loss and Sony only take a loss in the first few shipments. Yup, sounds like a loss leader to me. Oh, wait...
"Consumers LIKE new hardware revs."
No, they don't. At best they're apathetic, at worst they worry it'll make the revision they own obsolete.
"How many folks bought that cute miniature PS2?"
I'd say it's pretty certain that very few people who had a working PS2 bought the miniature PS2.
Let's reminisce together (Score:2)
Welcome to the bizzaro console! (Score:2)
The beauty of the console is that if it says "XBOX" on the cover then I know it will run on my XBOX.
I don't have to answer questions like "do I have enough disk space?" "Do I have the right graphics card?" "Do I have the right optical drive" etc.
Drop a game in and play.
Several versions o
To All the Naysayers... (Score:4, Insightful)
It only needs one game -- next-gen Madden. That alone will trump all else, sell systems in droves, and will do so worldwide (because apparently you people have chosen to ignore the fact that Madden outsells even FIFA wordlwide). Madden will drive or break the launch. If it's there, it's a hit. If it's not, there could be trouble...
You don't believe me? Wander in to a Best Buy or Gamestop right now and hang around. Watch the kids and adults my age come in. Watch them come in, not even browse, go straight for the Madden box, buy, and leave. Watch kids wander in, pick up the Madden box, struggle with trying to decide to blow their hard-earned cash on it when they maybe can't even afford, AND STILL PICK IT UP EVERY SINGLE TIME.
There are no more-devoted game series fans out there. They all buy largely the same game EVERY SINGLE YEAR and play it to death, and a next-gen leap will only garner even more attention and sales than normal. And believe me, EA will roll out Der Hypen Machine for it in full force, so everyone will know when Madden launches.
People call in sick to work the day they know Madden launches. Peopel rearrange life schedules aroudn Madden launching so they hae plenty of time to go buy it and then play. Yes, it's that big.
Madden alone will make or break the 360 launch. because believe me, nobody cares about Perfect Dark...
Re:Quick survey (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Quick survey (Score:2)
Re:Quick survey (Score:2)
Or may just stick with the PSP and be less of a couch potato about gaming - gaming on the move is hip!
Re:Quick survey (Score:2)
Over a PC, not the PS3 (Score:2)
He did berate both consoles for going the muti-processor route.
But between the UT engine and the Doom3 engine, I have to say the new UT engine looks more impressive. That will be out for both platforms anyway.
Let's read it again (Score:3, Informative)
On Xbox 360
On PS3:
Let's read my post again (Score:2)
The choice for him though was between a PC and the 360 - I don't think the PS3 really entered into the equation as a primary platform since, as he said, he still plans to release for the PC first.
What part of that is a falsity? The parts you pulled out were very nice and all but altogether irrelevant to my point. Did I say the PS3 was easier/as easy to program? Nope. Did I say anything whatsoever about the PS3? Why no. What I did say was that the PS3 was irrelevan
Re:Over a PC, not the PS3 (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Quick survey (Score:2)
"Look at how COOL I am!" (Score:3, Funny)
Your penis must be less than 2 inches. It's the only explanation.
Re:Quick survey (Score:2)
Mycroft
Re:Quick survey (Score:2)
Re:Quick survey (Score:2)
Re:Quick survey (Score:2)
Relates directly (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft's J Allard has said that the Xbox 360 will be released in differing versions over the next five years.
That's several hurdles right there. The story summary didn't say anyone but Microsoft was actually putting the hurdles in front of them.