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Forums - Microsoft Discussion - Anyone believe or hope Microsoft will leave the videogame business?

Domicinator on 17 January 2010
Kushalafang said:
Domicinator said:
Microsoft does not have a monopoly and is not trying to have a monopoly. If they actually had one, Apple and Google would not exist. Microsoft has a lion's share of the market, but it's 100% not a monopoly.

Just cause they failed doesnt mean they are not trying.

They're not going to try because such a thing is illegal, and the last thing they need to do is keep paying multi million dollar fines.  

As a side note, the charges that the EU and other groups bring against them because of their "monopoly" venture into the ridiculous.  Microsoft makes Windows and they make Internet Explorer, yet they are forced to not bundle one piece of their own software in with another piece of their own software?  I can see wanting to UNinstall IE.  (This used to be very hard to do in Windows, but no longer is.)  But telling a company it can't bundle its own browser into its own OS is absolutely stupid.  People are not complete idiots.  If you use a computer with any regularity, you know about Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and all the other smaller name browsers as well.  If you want to switch to one of them, you will.  Hell, I'm a HUGE fan of Microsoft's products, and I ditched IE a long time ago, first for Firefox and recently for Chrome.  IE usually only gets opened when I'm first installing Windows on a machine and need to get my browser of choice from the web.  

It's popular to call Microsoft a monopoly, but it's not true.  It's also popular to say Apple computers are infallible, but that's not true either.  It's just what the commercials, the web forums, the news sites, etc. like to tell you.  Do some homework before agreeing with them.

 




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Dark Chaos on 18 January 2010
Azelover said:
MS leads an ideological dictatorship. Their goliath ways of buying press, buying message board opinion and buying publishers has left the public with little chance to make a legitimate choice.

They spent the first 7 years of their gaming existence buying it up with their revenue in other industries. This creates a situation where companies in the future cannot hope to compete, and who knows whether or not Nintendo themselves won't have trouble staying alive from all this buying up of gaming Microsoft does. It's very unbalanced long term, and creates an unhealthy situation, where innovating can only happen from a place of technology and what's being dictated from Microsoft. Just look at the features Microsoft has mandated on all Xbox 360 games from the beginning.

Even still, they're not winning now. But they're still the ones whose participation in the industry is most dangerous long term. So yes, I would like to see them leave. Hopefully it can return to the ways of entertainment, and these technology companies(Microsoft and looming Apple) can have other focuses. There's a reason why Sony created Sony Computer Entertainment to carry out the PlayStation. They were a technology company in origin, but they were well aware this was an entertainment business.

Wow. I'm surprised that people still can be this ignorant. Last time I checked SONY has more developers than Nintendo and MS combined so I guess the real dictatorship is Sony. Also MS has brought tons of innovation from XBL, Natal, HDD, bringing pc games to the consoles..etc And I don't see any developers complaining against MS on any of their so called 'tactics'. BTW MS has their own entertainment division as well which is already profitting and in a better position than SONY. And what publishers have they bought this gen???



Dark Chaos on 18 January 2010
RareglovE said:
As much as i like to see M$ fall,i doubt very much M$ will leave the video game industry, in fact its better for them to stay, in return there will no be a monopoly in the videogame industry. Companies like Sony and Nintendo will then start to innovate them selves and a sense of competition will arise like what is it now. we have to thank M$ for what they did, cause in return it changed sony's tactics in doing business in the industry.

However one thing i hate is, M$ ways of doing business which is, in simple terms very f**king dirty.


Explain what they have done this gen that is regarded as 'dirty' and only they have done. Last time I checked the PS2 had timed exclusives(GTA:SA) itself



Domicinator on 18 January 2010
Dark Chaos said:
Azelover said:
MS leads an ideological dictatorship. Their goliath ways of buying press, buying message board opinion and buying publishers has left the public with little chance to make a legitimate choice.

They spent the first 7 years of their gaming existence buying it up with their revenue in other industries. This creates a situation where companies in the future cannot hope to compete, and who knows whether or not Nintendo themselves won't have trouble staying alive from all this buying up of gaming Microsoft does. It's very unbalanced long term, and creates an unhealthy situation, where innovating can only happen from a place of technology and what's being dictated from Microsoft. Just look at the features Microsoft has mandated on all Xbox 360 games from the beginning.

Even still, they're not winning now. But they're still the ones whose participation in the industry is most dangerous long term. So yes, I would like to see them leave. Hopefully it can return to the ways of entertainment, and these technology companies(Microsoft and looming Apple) can have other focuses. There's a reason why Sony created Sony Computer Entertainment to carry out the PlayStation. They were a technology company in origin, but they were well aware this was an entertainment business.

Wow. I'm surprised that people still can be this ignorant. Last time I checked SONY has more developers than Nintendo and MS combined so I guess the real dictatorship is Sony. Also MS has brought tons of innovation from XBL, Natal, HDD, bringing pc games to the consoles..etc And I don't see any developers complaining against MS on any of their so called 'tactics'. BTW MS has their own entertainment division as well which is already profitting and in a better position than SONY. And what publishers have they bought this gen???

@Dark Chaos:  Agreed.  

Apple, on the other hand, I would HATE to see enter the gaming arena.  5% of the OS market is enough snobby Apple users for me.  Plus, I would hate to see all the obscure ways they would hide the options menus on their console, just like they do in OSX, an OS that is a jumbled mess if you're trying to do anything other than launch an app from the dock.  




Dark Chaos on 18 January 2010
NightAntilli said:

Lord N said:

First of all, the 360 hasn't done anywhere near as well this generation as is being suggested in this thread.

- Uhm.. Yes it has. Especially compared to last generation. That it's even able to compete with the playstation brand is a whole accomplishment on its own.

The 360 is in a distant, unprofitable second place with an insignificant lead over the 3rd place console. Oh yeah, that's exactly where it was last generation. It sells moderately well in North America, okay in Europe, and basically nothing in Japan. The only system that it's managed to outsell all generation is the PS3, which makes the 360 the second-worst selling system of the generation, a distant fourth behind the PSP.

- Lol.. So first, the PS3 is in third place, which means you don't count the handhelds, and suddenly, when talking about the X360, it's in 4th place and handhelds matter? Not really a sound argument there buddy. And, see a few lines above, why outselling the PS3 is a achievement in itself.

To be honest, the only reason it even has a lead over the PS3 is because it had a year headstart and because Sony fucked up so badly, and if the PS3 has poor sales, then it's really not a good idea to use it as a standard to measure the success of another system, including the 360. Hell, there were about 5.3 million 360's sold when the PS3 launched, so from that standpoint, the 360 has only sold about 200 000 more systems in the same time period.

- Again.. See my first argument. But in this case. Let's go further. The X360 is still keeping up with the PS3. You say Sony fucked up so badly? Tell me this. What can be a bigger blunder than the whole RROD fiasco? And even after the whole RROD AND E74 thing, the X360 is still holding strong. What would the X360 have been if the RROD-thing never happened? Hm? And what's the deal with the"if the PS3 has poor sales, then it's really not a good idea to use it as a standard to measure the success of another system" part? You mean we all must say the PS3 is successful even if it isn't? You crack me up. And remember, the Playstation name is a well known name, and the Xbox, not so much.. Well.. Now it is.. THAT's why it's measured as a success...


If you want to examine this further, look at software. The best-selling games of the generation are on the DS and the Wii. If you make a list starting with the best-selling game, 360 titles don't start to appear until about 17th or 18th on the list. For all of the 3rd party games that have been sold on the 360, it's still more profitable for devs to support the DS and the Wii.

- And now suddenly the DS matters.. Handhelds do not compete with home consoles.. And the Wii is a different audience, and we all know they're beating the crap of BOTH the X360 and the PS3. Anyway. The X360 has been consistently selling more software than the PS3. Basically every multi-plat sells more on the X360. There are a few exceptions, but those are really limited.. And then there's the exclusives.. High quality games like Uncharted 2 and supposedly KZ2, can't outsell the likes of Gears of War, let alone Halo. The X360 as a console is way more profitable than the PS3, both on hardware and on software. Therefore, MS is here to stay. And let's not talk about accessories..... Actually, let's talk about accessories. MS is selling more accessories than Nintendo, and gaining more money than Nintendo in that front =)

Simply put, the 360 appeals only to core and hardcore gamers. It simply doesn't have mass appeal. You can argue for Xbox Live all you want, but most gamers out there don't really care that much about online play. Only 50% of Xbox 360 owners even have a gold account.

- Are you saying the PS3 or PC has more appeal? I highly doubt that... And with Natal coming up, the X360 will largely broaden its audience... And the Wii is basically getting nothing but complaints from the hardcore crowd.. The X360 is balancing that out.. PS3, don't know, since the wand still seems to try and focus on hardcore gaming. Wii doesn't seem to be doing anything drastic to appeal to the hardcore gaming.. Seems like MS is trying to find balance, while the others are simply doing their thing... The X360 will have more mass appeal if this keeps up..

In regards to the topic, MS will release another system, but they'll probably be done after that.

- Sorry but... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

The only reason Microsoft even ventured into the market with the Xbox is because they saw the PlayStation as a threat to their OS monopoly.

- Can someone explain to me what the hell he's talking about?

Now that that threat is over, the market has rejected Sony's(and Microsoft's) convergence plans, and given the fact that MS still hasn't even achieved mass appeal or consistent profitability(even when aided by Sony's colossal mistakes), there really wouldn't be much more reason for them to keep making systems.

- Your reasoning doesn't make sense at all......

Why is it that people's opinions are so biased, illogical, and full of hatred for MS in here -.-

Couldn't have said it better myself. People(fanboys) need stop and remember how Sony entered the industry before bashing MS.



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xman on 21 January 2010
LordMatrix said:
Lord N said:

First of all, the 360 hasn't done anywhere near as well this generation as is being suggested in this thread.

The 360 is in a distant, unprofitable second place with an insignificant lead over the 3rd place console. Oh yeah, that's exactly where it was last generation. It sells moderately well in North America, okay in Europe, and basically nothing in Japan. The only system that it's managed to outsell all generation is the PS3, which makes the 360 the second-worst selling system of the generation, a distant fourth behind the PSP. To be honest, the only reason it even has a lead over the PS3 is because it had a year headstart and because Sony fucked up so badly, and if the PS3 has poor sales, then it's really not a good idea to use it as a standard to measure the success of another system, including the 360. Hell, there were about 5.3 million 360's sold when the PS3 launched, so from that standpoint, the 360 has only sold about 200 000 more systems in the same time period.

If you want to examine this further, look at software. The best-selling games of the generation are on the DS and the Wii. If you make a list starting with the best-selling game, 360 titles don't start to appear until about 17th or 18th on the list. For all of the 3rd party games that have been sold on the 360, it's still more profitable for devs to support the DS and the Wii.

Simply put, the 360 appeals only to core and hardcore gamers. It simply doesn't have mass appeal. You can argue for Xbox Live all you want, but most gamers out there don't really care that much about online play. Only 50% of Xbox 360 owners even have a gold account.

In regards to the topic, MS will release another system, but they'll probably be done after that. The only reason Microsoft even ventured into the market with the Xbox is because they saw the PlayStation as a threat to their OS monopoly. Now that that threat is over, the market has rejected Sony's(and Microsoft's) convergence plans, and given the fact that MS still hasn't even achieved mass appeal or consistent profitability(even when aided by Sony's colossal mistakes), there really wouldn't be much more reason for them to keep making systems.

U sir are an idiot plain and simple.

I second that.  How can you say MS is doing bad when its beating the PS3 and about profitability the PS3 is taking  a bath they are STILL losing money on each system sold.  MS has been making money on the xbox 360 for almost two years .  YOu are correct it does not sell well in japan but luckily the japenese market is no where as imortant as America and Europe.  Also the japense historicaly dont buy non japense systems.  I welcome the next xbox (minus RROD). Even though sony is taking a beating on profit I welcome the PS4 (minus hte $600.00 price tag). 



PS3, WII and 360 all great systems depends on what type of console player you are.

Currently playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Fallout 3, Halo ODST and Dragon Age Origins is next game

Xbox live:mywiferocks

pelenow on 21 July 2010

What a stupid question. Microsoft innovated this gen. Sony replicated what Microsoft did. Sony's only 'true' contribution this gen is Blu-Ray and well, did not take off like they hoped.



Jo21 on 21 July 2010

i think they will eventually,they have no reason to be in the market in first place, other than recovering 6bm they lost trying to get in in first place.

only reason they went was to trump playstation domination, while sony it's third place it selling alot of consoles at a 299$ price point and nintendo got first and most of the profits either way.

they never going to be first while nintendo or sony exist.

profits? they are now,but it will take years to get back what they lost, this gen will be over before it, and next gen R&D will be a few billions too, if they want to remain with at least updated technology.

games? most if not all of them are made by pc developers and likely hit PC. eventually

microsoft success only windows (which slow compared to unix based systems and less secure) and office.

windows mobile, zune, got no marketshare-



WilliamWatts on 21 July 2010

I don't care either way. They are there on the merits of what they bring and/or how much money they are willing and able to lose to stay in the market.



Scruff7 on 21 July 2010

Nope, but I hope Activision do.



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