I would say it's very different... I think pushing blu ray was, quite frankly, a lot worse, for several reasons:

1) The PS3 was $600, and that was 7 years ago. Especially adjusting for inflation, that makes it way more more expensive than the X1.

2) Bluray didn't give an expanded experience. It prevented multiple discs from being used, but didn't add anything new to gaming.  (Granted, for those who wanted a blu ray player, it was a good deal) Kinect on the other hand adds more capabilities, gaming and otherwise.

3) Bluray was slower. Since it was new, it was actually slower, back then, than a DVD drive. So PS3 games, pretty as they were, came with longer load times and sometimes lengthy mandatory installs.

Now in this new gen, I haven't purchased either system yet, the first game that interests me enough to want to get on a next gen platform (even though it'll be on the 360) is Titanfall. What may cause me to get an X1 before that, though, is the voice control. Maybe it's growing up watching Star Trek and other scifi, but I love the idea of it recognizing me and responding to voice commands. The fact that it's mandatory is fine with me, because I feel like that sort of stuff is what future technology should be like.

Actually it makes me think of Star Trek 4, when Scotty comes back in time, and tries to use computers from our era. He sits down and stars talking to it and doesn't know why it's not working. Because in the future, everything should respond to our voices and recognize us, right?

*Though I realize, people could say the same about Bluray as a standard. But at the time, it wasn't a standard yet. If HD-DVD had won the war, it would merely have been consumers subsizizing Sony's attempt to decide the new standard.

You can't manufacture HD DVD today and be cost effective. If it was possible, Micrososft wouldn't be paying sony royalties, you can  count on that.

Microsoft will make billions by selling the kinect surveilance data to advertising companies and other entities, you can count on that too, if there are enough people to buy the console ofc. Microsoft doesn't care about people's personal data, the way google does. It's just that this kind of thing pays massively right now. And microsoft likes money.

My "ridiculous" comment about the kinect, seems to be very well reflected in the NA & UK market right now, previous Xbox strongholds. And once the honey moon period of the console is over, I bet xbone sales will tank hard.

It would be point to even try to manufacture HD-DVD given Bluray is an option, that's where new movies go, and its dirt cheap. Would ever MS is paying in royalties, I doubt its very much. Sony is still paying DVD royalties, that's just the way it goes.

If MS is going to be selling peoples information like Google, well that makes their Scroogle campaign kinda pointless. Oh, news flash, all companies like money. Sorry if you didn't get the memo on that.

Your ridiculous comment also ignores the original Kinect sold over 20 million units. Furthermore, you're ignoring the X1 is still a very expensive console. Sometimes sales get better with price cuts, refer to PS3.

Dead formats are dead for a reason. You can spin it all you want, it doesnt change the fact that they are not viable. For a dozen different reasons. And microsoft will pay sony(and others) to use blu-ray.

Micrososft scroogle campaign is obviously pointless, even though Google is a far greater evil.

The original kinect achieved a 25% attach ratio? Hardly a success.

Kinect is a fad, but its not the only problem. I't just that xbone is a product that costs more and offers less. In capitalism, this doesn't work. Even if microsoft removes kinect from the sku, xbone can't be saved.

The only thing ridiculous btw is your offensive attitude.

Very Blu-ray is awesome Kinect is not big difference

Yeah, the people behind HD-DVD predicted digital was future and format war wasn't worth investing in. It seems like games are now the primary reason people have Bluray discs.

An expensive perhiperal selling 20+ million units isn't a success? It boosted 360 sales, brought a casual audience (something Sony failed to achieve with Move), and helped push millions and millions units of software. If that isn't a success... well maybe you have unrealestic expectations.

Yes, there is no saving the Xbone, for it is doomed. Oh well, MS had a good run...

You're accusing me of having an attitude? Hmmm...  okay.

Please try to remember were the Xbox brand was around 2009, before Kinect. And look where it is now. You call that a success? My grandma would do better than loosing worldwide sales to the PS3.

Microsoft has done nothing but failures in the last 5 years, it has nothing in common with the company of Bill Gates era. Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Phone 8, Surface. The Xbox One is but the latest addition in a long list of failures.

MS went from getting trounced by Sony to being a major competitor... I would consider that success.

Even if MS devices aren't selling particularly great, the company is doing fine. No need to worry about them.

And now they are going back to being a minor competitor. X360 could have easilly wiped the floor with PS3 instead of finishing runner-up.

360 could have wiped the floor with PS3? No, no, no... no.

Well maybe if they bought GTA and CoD as exclusives... or bought the Playstation brand. But lets be realistic.