By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Microsoft Discussion - The XB1 wasn't ready for launch in 2013

Dr.Grass on 20 February 2014
endimion said:
other things to take into account.
while Sony is an hardware and entertainment company their schedule on the hardware part is pretty straight forward.... BE READY FOR HOLIDAY SEASON ACROSS THE BOARD....

MS has a lot of stuff going on at the moment year round....
-company wide restructuration less than a year ago
-change of CEO
-MWC end of the month (mobile world congress)
-Nokia acquisition finalization in march (part of the hardware division with XB now)
-all the different game events starting soon
-build conference before E3
-WP8.1 releasing in april for OEM
-W8.1 update 1 RTM happening now

among other things

their schedule is way more busy and cross connected than ever before and top executive must be swamp with work at the moment.... I can't imagine top executive meetings right now they must last a day lol....


XBOX DIVISION

 

JFC



Around the Network
binary solo on 20 February 2014

Of course unless MS used that extra year to put better specs in the box then releasing a less powerful console than PS4 a year later would have been a disaster beyond all imagining. If MS was committed to those specs then they had no choice but to launch with PS4.



“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” - Bertrand Russell

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

Jimi Hendrix

 

Dr.Grass on 20 February 2014
Zappykins said:

Good grief, another one of these threads?

Well, I do kind of agree with you.   But I would say the Xbox One was more ready than the PS4.  Both seem a bit rushed.  And their biggest games have yet to hit.  For both many games were delayed. 

I do not think in any way Microsoft was 'caught off guard' by Sony at all.  And I think they knew exactly what the console would look like - and it would look very much like theirs.  Hence the tweet by one of the Xbox staff poking fun at the reveal that wasn't. 

I doubt they were surprised by the memory much.  But it would be interesting if anyone has the feed from the conference room at Microsoft where they watched the reveal.

Even the WiiU doesn't quite feel completely launched yet, but it's getting there. 

Seems like the perfect launch of recent might have been the Wii - you have Wii Sports to grab the casuals, and then Zelda: Twilight Princess to go those fans, and Wii Play for people wanting an extra controller.


"the Xbox One was more ready than the PS4"

There are zeeeroooo threads stating the above, yet popular consensus to the contrary.

"I do not think in any way Microsoft was 'caught off guard' by Sony at all."

Again, popular consensus to the contrary.

"And I think they knew exactly what the console would look like - and it would look very much like theirs.  Hence the tweet by one of the Xbox staff poking fun at the reveal that wasn't. "

What is the majority view on the looks of the two consoles eh? Which one looks too big and cheap and which one looks sleak and sexy? In any case, YOUR POINT IS MUTE because knowing what a console looks like is NOT a predicate for being prepared for the opposition AFTRER the opisition has already laid it's plans bare completely (that was 20Feb BTW).

"I doubt they were surprised by the memory much"

So they might've been surprised, but not much? More than the average gamer you'd say? Or less? Oh wait, you're not saying anything.

"Seems like the perfect launch of recent might have been the Wii - you have Wii Sports to grab the casuals, and then Zelda: Twilight Princess to go those fans, and Wii Play for people wanting an extra controller."

It might help if you specified a criteria for "perfect launch". The Wii launch was OK for non-casuals, and the sales were stellar. So I'm assuming you're going by sales. In that case the most "perfect launch" of recent times is the PS4.



Chasesdaddy84 on 20 February 2014
Dr.Grass said:
Zappykins said:

Good grief, another one of these threads?

Well, I do kind of agree with you.   But I would say the Xbox One was more ready than the PS4.  Both seem a bit rushed.  And their biggest games have yet to hit.  For both many games were delayed. 

I do not think in any way Microsoft was 'caught off guard' by Sony at all.  And I think they knew exactly what the console would look like - and it would look very much like theirs.  Hence the tweet by one of the Xbox staff poking fun at the reveal that wasn't. 

I doubt they were surprised by the memory much.  But it would be interesting if anyone has the feed from the conference room at Microsoft where they watched the reveal.

Even the WiiU doesn't quite feel completely launched yet, but it's getting there. 

Seems like the perfect launch of recent might have been the Wii - you have Wii Sports to grab the casuals, and then Zelda: Twilight Princess to go those fans, and Wii Play for people wanting an extra controller.


"the Xbox One was more ready than the PS4"

There are zeeeroooo threads stating the above, yet popular consensus to the contrary.

"I do not think in any way Microsoft was 'caught off guard' by Sony at all."

Again, popular consensus to the contrary.

"And I think they knew exactly what the console would look like - and it would look very much like theirs.  Hence the tweet by one of the Xbox staff poking fun at the reveal that wasn't. "

What is the majority view on the looks of the two consoles eh? Which one looks too big and cheap and which one looks sleak and sexy? In any case, YOUR POINT IS MUTE because knowing what a console looks like is NOT a predicate for being prepared for the opposition AFTRER the opisition has already laid it's plans bare completely (that was 20Feb BTW).

"I doubt they were surprised by the memory much"

So they might've been surprised, but not much? More than the average gamer you'd say? Or less? Oh wait, you're not saying anything.

"Seems like the perfect launch of recent might have been the Wii - you have Wii Sports to grab the casuals, and then Zelda: Twilight Princess to go those fans, and Wii Play for people wanting an extra controller."

It might help if you specified a criteria for "perfect launch". The Wii launch was OK for non-casuals, and the sales were stellar. So I'm assuming you're going by sales. In that case the most "perfect launch" of recent times is the PS4.

Complete ownage in every area... Wowo... I wish I could have summarized it all so well. You were spot on with all of your critiques. You were maybe a little too nice on some of the corrections considering how pulled out of his A** some of the statements were. Seemingly just made up just because. Yes the Wii was the perfect launch even though the PS4 just broke EVERY launch record that the Wii previously held. and has continued to sell at a higher rate and we are almost to March... AND the PS4 hasn't even launched in Japan and it is already far ahead of where the Wii was at the same time frame. and the Wii had already launched world wide and become a craze. Yet the PS4 had a better launch and is selling more hardware monthly every month with supply issues (like the Wii had). So the PS4 launch is clearly, factually, significantly better and is clearly the "perfect launch of recent might have been the *PS4*" is what he meant. If he wans't just making sh*t up to fit his narrative and fabricated point of view. 

Moderated,

-Mr Khan



Chasesdaddy84 on 20 February 2014
Noobie said:
I think it would have spelled the end of XB ONE if they had not released it alongside PS4. My point is that if they have have delayed it by 6 months to around Feb - April following were the possible outcome.

- They would not have been able to change the SOC APU (the processor, GPU) as these things need around 10 - 12 months of testing.. and 6 months of testing after the final silicon..
- They would not have been able to change the OS as it would have not been able to redesign the OS
- All the current games would have to be put on hold till they finalize the system and OS which would mean that they game would have been pushed further back.

Sony would have created a total domination in USA and UK.. and when MS would have launched Sony would have been comfortably sitting at 4 million or so in these 2 strongest of MS territories and all the momentum would be with Sony. More and more developers would have gone to Sony like what happened in the PS2 era and it would have been even more difficult for them to secure exclusives.

So i think in the end the justification for keeping XBO would have been difficult for the new CEO.

Like Cerny said they started working by the end of 2007 on PS4. They defined vision and goals set out with surveys and this designing and making of new console is not a matter of months but years.. So delaying would not have i believe removed the fundamental flaw in the XB One..

You are definitely NOT a noob... Holy cow... Your entire post is so on point. You could be getting paid for your opinion. Very well spoken and full of awesome observations/opinions. For me anyways. Loved this comment. It just makes sense to me. 



Around the Network
Landguy on 20 February 2014
Noobie said:
I think it would have spelled the end of XB ONE if they had not released it alongside PS4. My point is that if they have have delayed it by 6 months to around Feb - April following were the possible outcome.

- They would not have been able to change the SOC APU (the processor, GPU) as these things need around 10 - 12 months of testing.. and 6 months of testing after the final silicon..
- They would not have been able to change the OS as it would have not been able to redesign the OS
- All the current games would have to be put on hold till they finalize the system and OS which would mean that they game would have been pushed further back.

Sony would have created a total domination in USA and UK.. and when MS would have launched Sony would have been comfortably sitting at 4 million or so in these 2 strongest of MS territories and all the momentum would be with Sony. More and more developers would have gone to Sony like what happened in the PS2 era and it would have been even more difficult for them to secure exclusives.

So i think in the end the justification for keeping XBO would have been difficult for the new CEO.

Like Cerny said they started working by the end of 2007 on PS4. They defined vision and goals set out with surveys and this designing and making of new console is not a matter of months but years.. So delaying would not have i believe removed the fundamental flaw in the XB One..

The 6 month delay would have allowed some hardware changes.  Remember, both Sony and M$ announced the basic system specs almost 6 months before launch.  I think they wouldn't have bothered to change the look of the system, but they could have certainly made some memory changes.  That alone would have had an impact on the overall system performance quite a bit.  They also might have had a chance to change the GPU, but not as likely.  The gap would have been much smaller just with the memory change.

As far as a domination by Sony if they hadn't launched goes.  Haven't they dominated even with the launch of the XB1?  Sony will have sold close to 7 million(or more) units by May 1.  The XB1 will be behind by 3 million or more by that point.  If the had delayed their launch, they could have had the focus on them all alone.  They would have probably closed the gap from 7 million to 3-4 million by Christmas anyway. THey would have been ready to sell the system in more than 13 countries.  Also, they wouldn't be fighting such an uphill battle perception wise.  They would have a lot of heavy hitters for games and the abilities of the machine would have been up to speed with more time to work on all of the software issues.  It would have had a much better ability to "Wow" people with not having to fight Sony's launch PR and Christmas keeping the focus off of it's machine.  They could have probably launched for $50 less too, losing $20 or so per machine vs. making $10-15 now.  Again, making the machine more appealing.  People don't mind spending a little more for a "newer" thing.



It is near the end of the end....

S.T.A.G.E. on 20 February 2014
binary solo said:
S.T.A.G.E. said:

The only reason they launched the console in 2013 was because of Sony. The media was following Sony's dev kits and said a long time ago that Sony was prepared well ahead of Microsoft. People think I am joking when I say that Microsoft is only in this industry to distract Sony from gaining ground in multimedia and from affecting the console realm. MS has only worsened the issue. Microsoft doesn't like leaving Sony with too much breathing room because they know in the gaming industry that Sony is a dominant force.

Well MS must be preparing its exit strategy, because Sony is a shell of what it was in 2000 when PS2 launched. And Consoles are no longer a realistic prospect as the entertainment hub of the house. Apple/Google TV, Smart TVs and and tablets are where control of the home is at now. If MS wan't to dominate the not just the living room buyt the whole house they need to ddrop out of consoles fast and focus on the devices that WILL own the future.

In terms of MS's over all strategy for the consumer electronics market Xb one was the past before it even launched.


Consoles do more than what stand alone TV computerized TV's do. Gaming will always have a place as long as there are people looking for fun  and a challenge. If there was anyone who would willingly drop out of the console race, it would be Microsoft. Its Sony and Nintendos bread and butter.



thx1139 on 20 February 2014

Funny although trailing in sales the X1 launched with better games and a better user experience. All a later launch would have done would been to give the PS4 about a 12 million console lead. So what early adopters of the X1 would spend $399 in 2014 rather than $499 in 2013.



Its libraries that sell systems not a single game.

Landguy on 20 February 2014
S.T.A.G.E. said:
binary solo said:
S.T.A.G.E. said:

The only reason they launched the console in 2013 was because of Sony. The media was following Sony's dev kits and said a long time ago that Sony was prepared well ahead of Microsoft. People think I am joking when I say that Microsoft is only in this industry to distract Sony from gaining ground in multimedia and from affecting the console realm. MS has only worsened the issue. Microsoft doesn't like leaving Sony with too much breathing room because they know in the gaming industry that Sony is a dominant force.

Well MS must be preparing its exit strategy, because Sony is a shell of what it was in 2000 when PS2 launched. And Consoles are no longer a realistic prospect as the entertainment hub of the house. Apple/Google TV, Smart TVs and and tablets are where control of the home is at now. If MS wan't to dominate the not just the living room buyt the whole house they need to ddrop out of consoles fast and focus on the devices that WILL own the future.

In terms of MS's over all strategy for the consumer electronics market Xb one was the past before it even launched.


Consoles do more than what stand alone TV computerized TV's do. Gaming will always have a place as long as there are people looking for fun  and a challenge. If there was anyone who would willingly drop out of the console race, it would be Microsoft. Its Sony and Nintendos bread and butter.

If M$ dropped out of the console business, they would be giving up all hopes of a unified system to deliver content.  That was the whole point of Windows Phone and Windows 8 and Xbox One.  Soon enough, you will be able to purchase a number of games and content that will play and be usable across all of the M$ platforms.

Gaming isn't Sony's main business.  It just happens to be the only thing making any money for them right now.  They too are trying to keep a foothold in the living rooms.  They also recognize that that isn't enough and are working on systems to sell their vast amount of content through all channels on the internet, not just the PS3/PS4.



It is near the end of the end....

Dark_Feanor on 20 February 2014

@GressDad, no, you are wrong, Sorry, but some devs had the Durango SDK earlier than the Orbis SDK.

They are both using the same CPU and a very similar GPU, why would MS delaied the One eventhough they were working with a CPU/GPU configuration for close to two years? MS would have to spend a lot of money to upgrade their GPU and than rework the memory bus... lots and lots of work and resources to lost one year and gain a few extra pixels in some games.

Also,

Back in 2012 was leaked a MS roadmap (dated 2011) with a new Xbox scadule to 2013.

http://www.kinecthacks.com/what-is-codename-fortaleza/

[Personal Opinion]

Any way, I finally got a XOne and had a extend time with a friend PS4. It´s clear to me that both systems were launched with the same level of shortcommings.

I feel the XOne interface much more sleak and efficient, Kinect voice comands works +90% of the time and it´s very handy. I had no probles with swaping, snapping and multreading.

The PS4 interface just felt like a overbusy early days Android skin.