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Squilliam on 21 August 2009
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SlorgNet said:
Microsoft really, really, REALLY needs to look in the mirror and change the way they do business. Their videogame division has lost them $5.5 billion over 9 years, and they are a marginal player in the console market, far behind the Sony-Nintendo power duo. The original Xbox was a solid machine with a fine roster of games. But the 360 has had serious quality problems and cannot match the PS3 on features (it's a long list: WiFi, BluRay, replaceable harddrive, free online). Nor has Microsoft built up a studio network comparable to Sony or Nintendo.

Ironically, the one feature Microsoft touts as its ace card -- XBL -- is a glaring testament to Microsoft's weakness. Because seamless online is not going to be a console monopoly for much longer. Every cellphone on the planet is going to get into the act. What ringtones were to the age of MP3s, downloadable games will be to tomorrow's mobiles.

I'm not saying any of this out of any hatred for Microsoft -- they're just another big company in a world of big companies. The issue, rather, is this: at its heart, Microsoft remains an OS monopoly wedded to a 1990s vision of desktop computing, and this design philosophy is the cause of most of their videogame woes. It's high time they admitted their mistakes, started over with a clean slate, and gave their game division the managerial autonomy to take some risks and reinvent itself. This will be good for videogaming, good for consumers, and good for Microsoft itself.

Its not a mirror its a window. Shane Kim is looking at Kaz Hurai.

@Thread:

The Xbox 360 has:

  • Xbox Live: Its not free vs paying, its play with your friends vs not play with your friends. The market adoption rate of 2:1 sees to it that most people who want to play online with friends have to play on an Xbox 360.
  • Xbox 360 games on demand + Netflix + instant movies + the best arcade software library. If you want to download, this is the best service, especially for the growing Ipod/download generation and the increased adoption of 20Mbit+ internet. Fully 1/3rd of all music in the U.S by revenue sold is online, only 40% of teens buy CDs.
  • The best library of multiplayer shooter titles, no questions asked. Halo + Gears + Left 4 Dead + smaller titles/Live hits.
  • The best back library of cheap titles and most of these play better than on the PS3 if applicable.
  • Positive margins on consoles sold, which gives them options for bundles etc.


Tease.