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Adinnieken on 29 April 2013
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Carl2291 said:
VGKing said:

Microsoft isn't a cool or hip company. Microsoft knows this which is why they left their branding out of the XBox 360 retail boxes.

Xbox however is a very popular console and it is "cool". What we've seen recently is Microsoft milking the Xbox brand for all its worth to try to push a music service and other stuff that doesn't even make sense and has no business having "Xbox" in its name. The only reason Skype is still Skype is being the service is very popular already. If it wasn't, you can bet Microsoft would call it "Xbox Video Chat".

Recently though, Microsfot has fumbled with Xbox. They're trying to move it away from what makes it cool and hip to try and make it more family and kid friendly with Kinect. If Microsoft succeeds is making it the family console, it wont' be the "cool" and "hip" thing anymore. It'll be the next Wii and we saw what happened there.

(The above paragraphs are just my paraphrasing of the article. They may or may not reflect my views.)

Right, thanks.

Xbox is going the way of Wii.

Imagine how popular the console will be if/when Microsoft retain the 3rd party support that made Xbox so strong in the 1st place. Could see PS2 levels of popularity!

This.  VGKing would be correct if Microsoft didn't have strong 3rd Party support.  Look at VGChartz software sales, for example.  Routinely the Xbox 360 version outsells the PS3 version.  The heres and whys of that aren't important, what is important to developers, is that they know if they put out a game on the Xbox 360 it'll sell.  The same should hold true for the Xbox 8.

Nintendo has suffered because it couldn't retain it's third-party support, often scoffing at them, and worse they couldn't attract them after the fact.

Between the Xbox and Xbox 360, Microsoft sat down with developers and asked them what they wanted, and Microsoft has continually made an effort to deliever that.  I don't think that's going to change any time soon.  Microsoft has always been a company of developers, built for developers.  So the day Microsoft fails to listen to developers is the first day in the end of Microsoft.

I don't think Microsoft's future plans are bad for the company at all.  I think they help to put the Xbox in a stronger position and into more homes.  Maybe this means that more people use the console for non-gaming purposes, but when those households have children or people need something to do during downtime, they can turn on their Xbox and play games.

I think this strategy is what scares a lot of Playstation loyalists.  If Microsoft succeeds in getting into more homes due to it's media and communication services, then it'll have a foothold in houses as a gaming system where one didn't exist before.  With that foothold, it undermines Sony's and Nintendo's chances of entering the household. 

Microsoft doesn't have to build it's core gamer business.  The evidence is there that it already exists and it's strong.  If both Sony and Microsoft are even next generation on core gamers, then the opportunity for growth is once again going to be in non-gaming, social gaming, and casual gaming.  Microsoft has been building its services up and making acquisitons to put it in a better position with non-gaming and social gaming. 

I don't see doom and gloom for Microsoft.