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Soundwave on 17 March 2015
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Shadow1980 said:
Soundwave said:


People don't want a game console that does nothing but play games anymore. The GameCube tried that and Nintendo was forced to cry daddy after getting beat by both Sony and even newcomer MS.

 

If people wanted a console that did more than just play games, people would have been all over the "All-in-one Xbox One." As it was initially marketed, it was supposed to be the ultimate extension of all the non-gaming features added to the 360 over the course of last generation. That obviously didn't help them any. People buy game consoles to play video games. MS made the mistake of assuming that because lots of people were using their 360s to watch Netflix that that was a necessary feature. Of course, it seems obvious now that people were using their 360s to watch Netflix because it was there and they probably didn't have a smart TV or Roku. The 360 grew into its role as a "not just games" game console, but it didn't sell on the merits of its non-gaming features. It was selling well before Netflix was added in 2008. Sales didn't exactly budge when it began adding more non-gaming features.

The idea that non-gaming features are major selling points seems rather ludicrous. Systems sell on other merits, namely the right combination of games library, pricing, and marketing. That's why the GameCube didn't sell well. That's why the Wii U isn't selling well. That's why the PS2 dominated (standalone DVD players were already cheap by 2000, so don't bring that up), why the PS4 is on top, and it's also why the 360 beat the PS3 in the U.S. Consoles don't need to be bloated with a bunch of non-gaming apps to sell. Considering all the options available today for streaming video, social networking, and whatnot, it should have been clear than the XBO as an "all-in-one" platform wasn't a good idea, and that non-gaming features aren't true selling points. I have a smart TV for Hulu and Netflix, and I bought a good low-price Blu-ray player over two years before the PS4 came out. Why would I need all that stuff on a $400 console that won't even be out for another three years?


There's really nothing fundamental the "all in one" XBox One does that the PS4 doesn't. 

People want Netflix, Hulu, NFL/NBA/NHL streaming, online store access, maybe Twitter/Facebook integration. The PS4 does all the same things. 

The X1 doesn't even record TV, it just piggybacks off your existing cable box. 

Given the $100 difference between the two at launch it was fairly obvious Sony was going to start fast, and that's just snowballed now, the average joe is more inclined to buy a PS4 because average joe's friend already has a PS4 and he wants to be able to play Calladooty online with him/her. So it becomes a snowball effect that MS is having trouble countering now even with a lower price. 

Even the TV remote functions of Kinect ... you have to speak very carefully and say pretty exactly the right thing other wise it doesn't work half the time. After about ten minutes of trying it I just switched back to my TV remote. Far easier, far faster.