Borkachev on 08 April 2008
Adding motion controls doesn't make the 360 "downmarket". I think this is a clear example for taking an analogy where it doesn't fit.
Agreed. This isn't about Microsoft trying to attract "lower tier" customers. This is about them integrating a new and improved feature into their product. Nintendo's success in the mainstream market has to do with more than just their controllers. It has to do with their brand image, the kinds of games they make, and the kinds of games they attract from third parties. If Microsoft slaps a remote on their system, they're not suddenly going to be flooded with mountains of waggle shovelware, because the audience they've built isn't going to want those games. What they're going to do is add support for the remote into the kinds of games already on the platform, and I think that can only be an improvement.
It's more like this. Honda and BMW both make cars, but Honda makes them for a much different consumer group. One day, Honda invents a new feature for their cars -- say, cruise control (I have no idea who actually invented it). The middle class customers they deal with love it, and their sales boost. But that doesn't mean cruise control is a downmarket feature. When BMW steals it, they're not reducing their brand. All they're doing is improving their product with a new and better feature. Rich people appreciate cruise control just as much as poor people!
