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J_Allard on 23 November 2012
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TC_Squared said:
J_Allard said:

That article and its citations don't paint the same picture you are trying to though. There's a big gap between wanting to slow down Sony's intrusion into the home entertainment market and wanting to monopolize gaming through Xbox Live. They aren't even really the same thing. Hell, the monopolization of gaming through Live doesn't even make any logical sense.

I am sure it was a goal of MS to succeed in every market and sell well. Just like that is the goal of Sony. In that regard they have both failed. But that's not what the thread is about, it's about the supposed failure of Xbox Live. Whether or not it has failed depends on how you want to look at it. From MS's view it has been nothing but a stellar success, something Nintendo and Sony would just LOVE to have in their corner. From a consumer standpoint it depends on whether or not you believe the fee to be worth it. And then it just becomes a matter of opinion that is pointless to debate.

Funny thing is if we pretend your marketing perspective is factual and relevant (it's neither) then it would appear MS succeeded. It said they wanted to prevent Sony from dominating home entertainment and having that success seep over into personal computers and the Xbox has done exactly that.

No it hasn't. MS is now the minority in Japan, both video game consoles and system software. What has greatly happened is the east and west have split, Sony winning the east and MS winning the west. That's not what MS wanted (or Sony for that matter). MS is certainly preventing it from worsening, but they're not regaining ground in the east like they wanted. That's why they're failing. Even more, MS's greatest failure this generation was what no one expected. MS wasn't simply targeting Sony, it was more Japan (because Japan is replacing MS Windows software). MS doesn't care if they buy Sony computers, as long as it runs on MS software. Sony was just the link to Japan. As MS greatly succeeded in bringing down PS sales, what they never expected happened. Nintendo took the lead. Although that is not as bad for MS as Sony holding the lead (because of various Sony products), it is still a Japanese company, which is preventing MS from regaining ground in Japan, both hardware and software.

Monopolizing--if you will--gaming through Xbox Live makes perfect sense. It was originally working. Remember how many games and DLC they used to get exclusively because of XBox Live?

Also, you're taking the word monopoly too literally. If we always did, the word would never apply. Technically, MS never had a monopoly, but they were to some extent close to it. People always referred to them as having a monopoly, even though it was metaphorical. I was speaking metaphorically when I said "more or less monopolize". MS's goal was to bring it back to what it was, which was the closest to monopoly a world company had the 20th century. MS wants people to, by default, choose Xbox Live over PSN (hence, monolopy metaphore). It used to be that way, but not so much any more. That's how Xbox Live is failing.

Failing: to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved

 

Your mistake is assuming the east and west markets are equal in importance. Also, Sony doesn't really rule anything in the east either. Not in the world of video games. Which just makes your assumption that they're trying to dominate Sony with a world wide monopoly all the sillier. In the most important market, Sony has went from just obliterating the competion to being 3rd place. Again, this is strictly the home entertainment/computers we're talking about. If you want to assume MS entered the console world just to stop Sony from stealing PC marketshare from them, as your very own link suggests, then it's clear they succeeded.

And 360 got many "exclusives" this gen because they launched first. LOL @ some timed exclusive DLC or snatching up exclusive rights to a game being trying to "monopolize gaming through Xbox Live". Someone hit the crack pipe hard this morning it seems.