This should be quite interesting since MS did state that people who bought wii would upgrade to 360, Wii360 generation. And now they are either trying to cut out the middleman or cement that statement. Personally I think this is a smart move since this will set them up nicely for the next console when that comes out. So people this generation will know that MS is not all about hardcore gaming only, and will not be put off by that label next console. As far as how will it go this generation.... I think realistically they missed the bus on this one.

However it should be very interesting to see if this will turn recent sales trend in MS favour against PS3. Should also be interesting to see if Sony is going to do anything similar in response. My guess is no, since they already set themselves up as a machine which caters to casual gamers (buzz, singstar, eye toy) from ps2 and a blu ray player.

Racing offline gaming is VERY casual and a good way to catch this market.
Will it be sufficient ? I m not sure.

MS is not ignoring the Sony threat (price drop before GTA4 release n PAL!!). They are just releasing hardcore games AND casual games for Xmas like they did in 2007 with the "Arcade Pack".

So will Banjo 3 be lika a Star Fox 64 where you could use different types of vehicles?

It's funny how everyone bashes the Xbox as "The Shooter Box", and as SOON as Microsoft starts rolling out kid-friendly games like Banjo and Viva Pinata, fanboys suddenly shift to "are they caring about the hardcore/core demo?"

Laughable. Purely laughable.

I guess that Fable 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Huxley, APB, and others aren't hardcore enough?

you always make sense.

anyway, I think the TC left out left for dead, too human, Ninja gaiden 2, and others.

It's about time a Microsoft console gets a decent platform game. Name a single good platform game on the Xbox. There are none. Now, the Xbox 360 is finally getting one, and it's about time, too.

There's nothing wrong with them trying to get different types of users. Are people that own a Wii going to all of a sudden buy an XBox 360? Probably not, but Microsoft is targeting a broader audience to buy there system. The casual and platforming games are not targeted at the Halo crowd but like I said at people that don't yet have a system. I think it's worth a try for them. I don't like the X-mote idea though. That will come across as a cheap knock-off.

I don't see why it's so foreign to think this. It's exactly what I did. I bought a Wii at launch and am a huge Nintendo fan. I've owned every Nintendo console since the original NES that was bought for me X-mas when I was 5 years old. The only non-Nintendo systems I have ever owned were a PSone, 3DO, and original Xbox. All of those systems were purchased at the end of their lifecycle when they had already built up a library.

I "upgraded" to the X360 once I began to realize for what "revolution" the Wiimote offered the game catalog by Nintendo was just rehashes of franchises I've been playing for almost 20 years. I'm not dissing the Wii and I will probably buy another but it will be late in the console's lifespan when the price is low and catalog is immense. I don't think the average soccer mom or other non-gamer that bought it because of Oprah will suddenly look to a X360 but I think fans of video games will.

I suffered through the drought of third party games on the Gamecube and it seems like I was doing the same again. Since I bought my 360 it has really re-invigorated my love of games I haven't had in a long long time. The huge variety and number of games really spoke to me. It made me regret missing out buying a PS2 last gen. The good news is that a Xmas present of a PS3 has let me go back and play some of those classic games I missed :D

The way I see it, the Wii has the numbers. There's no denying that. What Microsoft needs to do is release some games that capture the audience they're looking for, the gamers. The Wii has the whole family friendly aspect and my ps3 is more of an entertainment system than a console. The 360 needs to make the games for the hardcore gamers and not worry so much about what the competition is doing.

All of a sudden an argument I made the other day about Zak&Wiki's perceived lack of sales seems even more accurate.

(note: I had *no* idea that the game was bundled like this...I must have fallen asleep for a few months)