thranx said:
What it comes down to is price. as most things usually do. depending on how ms does this they may actually be the cheapest console, in the united states at least. Most cable providers already charge a monthly fee for use of DVR or HD cable boxes. So replacing it with an xbox with a monthly fee wouldn't cost consumers any more money. If they can do a 100 or less entry fee and than 15-20 a month to the cable company I think it can be a great mover. If they charge a normal console price and a monthly fee i dont think it will. |
I think to some extent it does work that way. Sony and Microsoft make competing products and Nintendo makes something cheaper and different. In the mind of consumers (not including us who buy multiple systems) they think do I want Nintendo or do I want Microsoft or Sony. That's the first decision that is made. Even if 70% choose Sony or Microsoft Nintendo still has a 30% share and Sony and Microsoft end up wiht 35% each.
In terms of cable. Typically cable is more like 50 to 100 a month for hd cable programming at least here in Canada. There is a major trend of people cancelling cable and just streaming what they want. If anything a cable deal benefits the cable company more than Microsoft. The other factor is that cable users are in conracts already so there is a delayed effect before many people could even consider an upgrade to a nextbox. Cable would help microsoft but not by as much as one might think. If they are the only ones to have a cable box deal i say it doesn't effect Nintendo much but it hurts Sony like bluray hurt Microsoft. Nintendo is a different thought process. It's not an either or thing. If people want a Nintendo system no matter what other technology they have they will purchase it. It's cheap enough and they are buying it for Nintendo games.
