My opinion on what they have failed on or what they could have done better.

New dashboard should have been released earlier.  I do believe that if MS had released the new dashboard update and Xbox Live TV in September/October it would have created some buzz.  I say that because of the total Kinect control would have been seen by many many more people before the peak holiday buying season.  Last year people bought Kinect because they tried it early at friends, at malls, at department stores, events, etc.  The general public needed to see this early. The mainstream press needed to try this earlier.  Funny that I read a NY Times article on what Apple will do with AppleTV and Siri after the new iPhone launched.  The NY Times believe that Apple will attempt to do what the new dashboard brings to the table.  NY Times writer wasnt aware of this.

Cloud integration and Windows Phone integration with the new dashboard.  We have seen some of the Cloud integration and a couple of demos of Windows Phone integration.  Yet I believe they could have added more sooner and again got this out before the holiday buying season started.  This would help both the 360 and Windows Phone.  Apple has advertised iCloud with capabilities that Windows Phone and 360 should already have.  Since day 1 Windows Phone has automatically saved pictures and videos you take directly to Windows Skydrive.    Since the new dashboard uses the same Windows Live ID for Gamertag and cloud integration the new dashboard should integrate those pictures right into the new dashboard.  If I pulled up photos from the 360 I should be able to just see photos taken with my phone.  They showed this sort of integration with Windows 8 in September. They should have announced that you will see a preview of this with 360 and Windows Phone this fall. Games or at least minigames should be available now that integrate Windows Phone with the 360.  Imagine a version of Fruit Ninja that has one person using the phone to control what fruits and obstacles are being thrown and the other using the Kinect to take them out.  Again this should have been available weeks ago.

Pricing and bundling. We will see if the aggressive marketing and special deals MS seems to be financing will pay off as much as a across the board price cut on the various 360s and Kinect would have done.  1st and foremost anyone should be able to get any 360 for $50-$100 discounted this holiday and a Kinect for $99.99.   Special Deals sometimes make people puchase sooner because they want to catch the deal, but will as many people know that deals are going on that would know about a price drop. Price drops get more picked up by the press. Special deals more advertised. Not to mention what is happening outside NA.   The bundling of Carnival Games with Kinect was not the best choice.  I think that they should have released a Halo CE Bundle with a specially designed 360.  I think that the 4GB 360s should have an extra packin game for the holidays. Finally the Star Wars Special Edition should still have released with the software to come later.

Dashboard updates aren't system sellers, merely refine the experience for existing users. Its a null point when its released.

Cloud applications for game consoles isn't ready yet. If it was, it would be out. Again, it refines the experience, it isn't gonna be a system seller in itself, so no rush. '

I do agree with the lack of price cuts and the sub par bundles....all though the Fable/Reach combo is a sweet deal, plus the MW3 Console was a huge success.

Sure a price cut this holiday would allow MS to widen the gap with PS3 but now im starting to see what MS is thinking. They are in this for profit first and foremost. They haven't dropped the 360s price truly since 2008. 2009 had the Elite replace the discontinued Pro but the price points didn't change. 2010 just saw hardware revisions, cheaper ones to produce at that. This year, 360 isn't the best selling console, but its selling amazingly well with 3 years of no price changes. No doubt MS is raking in extra profit while Sony (as we all know) is bleeding red ink with the PS3 price cut and with the company as a whole.

Their plan as far as I can tell is to rake in as much profit this holiday with the same 360 sku prices (albiet with deals), hope that they still maintain a hardware lead over the PS3 when the holidays are said and done, and in the spring......when console buying is at the years lowest, then drop the price cuts across the board.

I think the right dashboard update can sell 360s.  I know for women that capabilities coming in this dashboard is very appealing. My wife and other women I know really hate remote controls and multiple media devices.  She loves Netflix, Hulu, and Zune for media yet she hates getting to them.  She loves using voice to control playback.  She wants what this new dashboard is supposed to provide. A consolidated way to search for content and choose content without using a controller or a remote.  There are many many people like her.  We love to show photos on the 360.  Apple is advertising this as well right now with the new iPhone. To bad because the 360 should be doing it already.

I agree that is what MS is thinking. Temporary deals to spurn sales during the most important part of the year when they can then have no price change until the absolutely have to.

I pretty much agree with all of your points, the first two to a lesser degree though. Sure we like our tech to be able to do cool stuff and it does impress some casual consumers but nothing speaks louder than the all mighty dollar. An official price cut would be the real deal.

You know what I think is really weak though, the 4gb version. I mean c'mon, they could have made it at least 20 and probably 60. It just looks so pathetic in the fliers next to the PS3. It's almost insulting.

With those financial numbers their is really no need to do better considering they are amazing...Ofcourse better would be welcome but your advice makes it rather financially worse and would not be appreciated by many at MS...

MS in an company from the USA not from Japan. Losing billions to sell more than an concurrent and just making a console for revenge is only possible in Japan...

looks at this weeks 360 sales looks back........tell people to stop buying the 360 ...than we will see a price cut

Just an update. I expect MS to have a very good end of the year. Just think ultimately some things done differently may have made it better. Price cut vs specials is up in the air.

Hmmm, I don't agree (yet)

Dashboard needs to launch SOON, and if they find the giftcards arnt working and whatever they have planned for EMEAA isn't working, they need to cut.

tell me why i came in this thread and was expecting to see only the word "Games" in the OP?

lol

naw im j/k

:)

Sure you are :)

As far as being 360 owners ewe got exacty what we wanted. Halo, Gears, and Forza. The big three. 3rd party games have also been good to us this year.

I would call that a success. Sonys plan to take a bunch of shots in the dark with all these semi successful IP's isn't exactly a winning strategy either but to each their own.