5 mistakes Microsoft won't want to make again with Xbox next gen

[J_Allard]

Were any of those really mistakes?

1. Cheap components. AFAIK the RROD was caused by solder, not a cheap component compromise.

2. Add-ons divided market. Did they? The multimedia strengths of the 360 are still doing very well, even if they launched with an SKU that had no HDD included. The article says MS is unlikely to repeat this... well no ****? The industry is going towards digital distribution. Just look at how each console manufacturer has steadily upped the size of hard drives this gen. No duh they won't be launching without some sort of internal memory next gen.

3. Gimmick external features. Why do they use the plural tense but then only bring up one? Face plates are certainly a bit of a gimmick but a mistake? Why? It was just an optional way to customize the outside look of your 360.

4. Gambling on the wrong format. I don't know how much MS invested into HD-DVD, but whatever it was, sure, that was a mistake. But using the DVD format on the 360 was not a mistake. I'd consider their HD-DVD backing to be separate from the Xbox 360. Including it is like including the Zune. I did chuckle at the "future proof" part. Any sort of physical media format on their next machine would be just as future proof as the DVD format they use now. And it's hard to call the DVD format itself a mistake when they've sold a ton of consoles and we are yet to see any real reason for BluRay being a necessity.

5. This is a mistake? Reaching for straws here, plain and simple.