Will Microsoft target Nintendo in the next generation?

[Infamy79]

Fumanchu said:
@Infamy

There are still risks inherent to being the 'jack of all trades master of none' as you could be neglected by both sides. I wholeheartedly agree with you as to this strategy but I still feel that the majority of consumers seeking a casual kid friendly fix will likely go with the Nintendo successor again, for it's specialised and subsequently larger library of games that appeal to a younger demographic. Maybe the features of the bundled games will be the differentiating factor - 'Wii Sports vs X Sports' in which MS will have to do more than just imitation but innovation to win here.

 

I agree with you, but I think Microsoft need to do it because we know that they want to be out in the market place first and it means that they have all bases covered. I think a lot will depend on Sony's performance in the next 24 months and their ability to respond. It's very unlikely that Sony can release another super powered console in the short term so will Microsoft move to cover this market?

I think Microsoft & Nintendo could cohabitate in the market place reasonably well, Nintendo focusing on casuals yet still releasing core titles for their fans and focussing more on new experiences. Microsoft with a more set top box approach with more traditional features, higher end graphics and better online but still have their range of motion games, musical rhythm games and other more casual focussed titles. The PS2 was probably the best example of the perfect set top box type balance, so there's definitely a market for it, the PS3 just clearly pushed it too far.

Even in 2-3 years we won't need to get any better resolutions on a TV screen than 1080p and the hardware required to run that will be far cheaper to run 1920x1080 natively than what there is now. This will make it far easier for both Nintendo & Microsoft to blur the boundaries between the core and casual markets by offering HD performance in a console that is still mass market price.