Interesting article on new xbox

[Jedi2016]

The problem with the outlook that Solo describes (and I agree that you're probably correct, BTW) is that MS has never had much success trying to get into markets that are already completely dominated by not just one or two other companies, but many. Theirs usually ends up being a "too little, too late" approach. Their current attempts to push their way into the phone and tablet markets is, at best, a joke. The Zune was a disaster from day one.

Yes, they're pushing into a new market, rather than the traditional games industry. But there's no room for them there.

I fully understand the need to bring new things to market.. that's the only way we innovate. But innovation has never been MS's strong suit. They also seem to have missed the ball entirely on the TV front. All of this was probably planned quite a while ago, when live TV was actually something that people cared about. We've moved on since then to the land of DVRs and Netflix, and then MS releases a device that would have been great at around the time the X360 launched. People don't watch TV live, except for a small handful of things like the nightly news or the Superbowl. A device that's catered almost exclusively to live TV is targeted at an audience that simply doesn't exist anymore. We already have hardware in our living rooms that do everything else the system does.

A true all-in-one system is truly all in one box. This box is in addition to all those other boxes, when it should be replacing them. If they really wanted this thing to work this way, I should be able to pull out my Blu-ray player, DVR, cable box, and my other game consoles, and install this ONE box in their place, that would do ALL of the functions that those other boxes could do. Until they can do that, this system is "just another box" that people will have to try to fit into an already overflowing entertainment system. That's why I'm not their target audience.. because I have absolutely no use for the system, except as a game console.

And they need to call it something different. Xbox is firmly rooted in the public consciousness as a video game system. All the marketing in the world won't stop non-gamers from saying "but I don't play video games" every time an Xbox TV commercial comes on, no matter how enticing the features may otherwise be.

 

[Wes R]

Not to mention a lot of the features parents won't dig as it's more stuff they have no idea to keep track of so their kids don't get into trouble. And parents won't like having to pay full price for used games and other extra costs.

 

[The Terminator]

Yah, but, like I said, you aren't the target market. Or at least, not the PRIMARY target market. Not anymore. That's the thing that I think gamers are really reacting to: MS isn't really selling to them anymore.

and my point was/is that since there's already a product that does these things namely a smart tv, why on earth focus on that? Stooopid.
Not to mention there are already other media devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops etc all of which already plays games. I don't need a DVR or VCR since I can simply just plug in a HDD or a flashdrive directly into my tv in order to record tv shows and what not. Like Jedi2016 mentioned it's like the Zune, too little too late. I stopped watching live tv years ago.

This thing they are trying to shove down our throats is looking less and less like an Xbox. Why even call it Xbox? Pay 500 bucks for yet another system, 50% of which my regular tv can do on its own :lol no thanks.

 

[niennumb1]

I don't really see any forced shoving down our throats of anything right now. They just stated what it is. What is does will be revealed more in-depth soon, just like the PS4 we vaguely know about right now.

 

[Solo4114]

The problem with the outlook that Solo describes (and I agree that you're probably correct, BTW) is that MS has never had much success trying to get into markets that are already completely dominated by not just one or two other companies, but many. Theirs usually ends up being a "too little, too late" approach. Their current attempts to push their way into the phone and tablet markets is, at best, a joke. The Zune was a disaster from day one.

Yes, they're pushing into a new market, rather than the traditional games industry. But there's no room for them there.

I fully understand the need to bring new things to market.. that's the only way we innovate. But innovation has never been MS's strong suit. They also seem to have missed the ball entirely on the TV front. All of this was probably planned quite a while ago, when live TV was actually something that people cared about. We've moved on since then to the land of DVRs and Netflix, and then MS releases a device that would have been great at around the time the X360 launched. People don't watch TV live, except for a small handful of things like the nightly news or the Superbowl. A device that's catered almost exclusively to live TV is targeted at an audience that simply doesn't exist anymore. We already have hardware in our living rooms that do everything else the system does.

A true all-in-one system is truly all in one box. This box is in addition to all those other boxes, when it should be replacing them. If they really wanted this thing to work this way, I should be able to pull out my Blu-ray player, DVR, cable box, and my other game consoles, and install this ONE box in their place, that would do ALL of the functions that those other boxes could do. Until they can do that, this system is "just another box" that people will have to try to fit into an already overflowing entertainment system. That's why I'm not their target audience.. because I have absolutely no use for the system, except as a game console.

And they need to call it something different. Xbox is firmly rooted in the public consciousness as a video game system. All the marketing in the world won't stop non-gamers from saying "but I don't play video games" every time an Xbox TV commercial comes on, no matter how enticing the features may otherwise be.

Very possibly, yeah. I'm not saying MS will succeed in what I think is their endeavor here, but I think that's the goal. However, to address a related issue...

and my point was/is that since there's already a product that does these things namely a smart tv, why on earth focus on that? Stooopid.
Not to mention there are already other media devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops etc all of which already plays games. I don't need a DVR or VCR since I can simply just plug in a HDD or a flashdrive directly into my tv in order to record tv shows and what not. Like Jedi2016 mentioned it's like the Zune, too little too late. I stopped watching live tv years ago.

This thing they are trying to shove down our throats is looking less and less like an Xbox. Why even call it Xbox? Pay 500 bucks for yet another system, 50% of which my regular tv can do on its own :lol no thanks.

...Right. You and I have smart TVs, and blu-ray players that do Netflix, and other tech gear that lets us rip our entire movie collection to a single hard drive, and so on.

But we're not representative of the American consumer, let alone consumers world-wide. Most people aren't hooking up 200GB SSDs to their home theater. Hell, most people don't have a home theater! They have a 46" LCD TV that was the one with the brightest colors when it was set to "torch mode" at BestBuy. They have the blu-ray player that the blue-shirted sales associate convinced them to buy. But they didn't spend the next $1000 for the 7.1 receiver. They have a DVR from their cable company. They've never used the SmartTV features on their TV set, so while it can do Netflix, and Amazon Prime videos...they've never really tried using it.

(For what it's worth, I found that the wi-fi on my TV was pretty crappy, so watching Netflix was actually preferable on my Xbox of all things, which is primarily what I use it for now.)


My point here is that WE are not the target audience here. People who are not technophiles or audio/videophiles are. For them, the Xbox One MIGHT actually be a one-stop solution for their media needs.



That said, I do agree that a lot of MS' products are "also rans." They have a hard time competing with other brands. But that may be why they went with "XBox" as the brand for this device. If its gaming reveal looks decent enough, it's a well-known brand. I mean, would you buy an Xbox or the new Microsoft MediaBox or some other random name? I think people would at least LOOK at the Xbox whereas they'd skip some other name.


Anyway, we'll see how this plays out. I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea -- for MS -- even if the system is an "also ran." Better that than a "didn't run at all." I could see where the Playstation ends up actually being left behind in future years as development hews more towards "media centers" rather than dedicated consoles, the same way development shifted from PCs to consoles.

At any rate, most people here are looking at this from the perspective of highly tech-savvy gamers, rather than "middle America." Put yourself in THAT mindset and this move starts to at least make some sense, even if the conclusion ends up being erroneous.

 

[The Terminator]

They've never used the SmartTV features on their TV set, so while it can do Netflix, and Amazon Prime videos...they've never really tried using it.

I checked them out but never used them and never will. But still great to have there since that means you save money from not buying the Xbox THREE. :darnkids

 

[niennumb1]

Tons of people still do not have Smart TVs. They are very cool and I wish it was equipped on my Samsung 58" Plasma when I bought it because it's a beautiful display, but no way was I going to go out for a new one just because of Smart TV functionality. It would be a waste of a perfectly good set when I already have those net enabled services on my XBOX 360 and Blu-Ray player as it is.

If you think of the percentage of people out there who have TVs, many still haven't even gone HD, and of the amount that does have HD, a fraction of those have replaced those sets with Smart TVs, so I think it's a pretty small demographic who already own huge Theater system sets with smart tech enabled TVs.

 

[Solo4114]

That's my point. Most people, even if they have the devices with the capabilities, aren't setting them up to do it. And not everyone even has such devices. This is why they go buy AppleTV or Roku. OR they run it off their X360 currently.

Personally, I've found the interfaces on my Panasonic devices to be clunky, and the wifi capability to be CRAP. Even wired, they're still somehow "slower" than my X360. If I had a Roku or AppleTV, I expect that'd be different -- as I expect the X1 to be. It's the difference between the device being primarily a player or TV that can sort of do Netflix, too, or a dedicated device that can do Netflix and can also do some games.


Don't get me wrong. I think this is a risky move for MS. But I think they likely feel that staying JUST in games is a dead-end ultimately, and will inevitably lead them to full streaming services anyway. That's why they've been developing the Dashboard and adding app functionality. On my X360, I can currently watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, and the online component of my Xfinity subscription through Comcast. If I had Hulu I could do that, too, as well as youTube, and a bunch of other services. Meanwhile, I can get stuff directly from Xbox if I want it (e.g. films and TV), or I can download games like Arkham Asylum or older games like Psychonauts or Halo 1 (although not the Anniversary Edition).

I still play games on my 360 when a good game comes out that I can't play on my PC, but for the most part, I've switched back to PC for dedicated gaming, and use my X360 as exactly the kind of device the X1 is -- a multimedia platform that can also play games.



Of course, this begs the question why I'd give it up in favor of the X1 or expand to add the X1 at all, but that's a separate issue. I would expect they'll simply drop hardware support (e.g., no more replacements for RROD/RLOD) and count on attrition alone to push people towards the newer system. If my 360 died and I couldn't get a refurbished one, or if MS stopped supporting it for Dashboard and XBL purposes, yeah, I'd get an X1 probably. I'm just not in any rush, given what I know right now, adn given the other devices I have.

 

[Lord Boron]

I see where Solo is coming from, but the problem with that strategie is that the average joe isn't going to fork out $400-500 for something as bulky as this when they can get a tiny Roku, or AppleTV for $100. Ad most don't even do that. I can't walk through my living room without tripping over something with built in Netflix, Skype, and the rest.

 

[Solo4114]

Right, but what if all those could play GAMES! And had KINECT!!! OMG!!!!

I think that's what MS is counting on. I'm not saying it's a brilliant strategy, but I think when you look at it from this perspective it explains why they've taken this direction instead of just directly competing with PS4 for the title of "Best Next-gen Console."

 

[Jeyl]

Is it bad that the MS reveal actually made me want to go out and buy a WiiU? lol

It's a good system. You can even borrow some of my games if you want.

 

[Wes R]

I started out with a nintendo and it'll probably be the last system i buy before they toss me in the ground. I wasn't fond of the n64 but none of their systems have ever let me down. The games have but not the system.

 

[jcoffman99]

Microsoft And Game Publishers Will Reportedly Take A Cut Of Xbox One Used Game Sales - Forbes

 

[Jeyl]

Microsoft And Game Publishers Will Reportedly Take A Cut Of Xbox One Used Game Sales - Forbes

Well, I guess we now know who Game Stop will be supporting in the long run.

 

[JD]

Microsoft And Game Publishers Will Reportedly Take A Cut Of Xbox One Used Game Sales - Forbes

From that article: "This is good news for both Microsoft and game publishers, of course, who currently never see a penny of used game sales. And to be honest, it’s a much more equitable system than the one we have in place now."

Meh. How is that equitable? MS and Game publishers got their cut when they sold the game. It's like Ford or GM getting a cut of a used car sale. In the end, it's going to cost the consumer.

 

[cboath]

Damn, I can see them wanting a cut for themselves and the publisher, but 90%? Restrictions on what price the gamestops of the world can sell it for?

Sounds like the beginning of the end frankly. If the new version costs $60, they can just make the used game cost $50. No one will buy it. At 10%, Gamestop type shops are likely to go under. I dont' have a problem with a more equitable setup, but a heavy handed setup that gives all the benefits to MS and the publisher is wrong.

As for the car analogy, it doesn't apply. Your buying a physical car with one and a license to run software with the other. The software will always be as good as the first use. Can't say that about the car. There's no difference between a used game and a new one at all - gamewise.

33% across the board is fair and equitable. 45/45/10 is flat out not.

 

[ironman42]

Game stop and similar stores have been sticking it to customers. You trade in a gameand get what? 20% of what they sell that game for in credit? So you get nothing, cost them nothing and they make real money on the used games. Only deal was on 2-3 yr old games (which you would get nothing in trade value for anyway) and most good games sell new for 20 after that amount of time anyway. If xbox is now taking a cut and they still want that much for used games it will be the end of used games which is also BS. Still the customer loses again

 

[Solo4114]

Fact:

Used games as a concept will die in the next 10 years.


Get used to this idea now, because as long as streaming services and broadband connections continue to spread and increase in speeds, there is zero incentive for content producers to give you a physical copy which you can then give to someone else. Hell, if it were possible, they wouldn't even let you store the game on your hard drive and you'd have to stream it live EVERY time. That's infeasible at the moment, but trust me, they'll move towards that as soon as it's possible, too.

You buy a license to play the game. You don't own it. You own the disc, not the game on it. Why would a publisher want to continue providing you with discs -- which it costs the publisher money to produce, and which let YOU then give the disc to someone else -- when they can charge EVERYONE to use the game?

Complain all you like, but this is the direction all published media is headed. Eventually, assuming it's technologically possible, EVERYTHING will be live-streamed. NOTHING will reside on any device that plays the live-streamed content.

 

[JD]

Fact:

Used games as a concept will die in the next 10 years.

Fact: you're wrong.

Unless manufacturers do something to disable any and all past or present gaming systems, standalones, etc. there will always be some sort of used game sales market... concept or otherwise.

Will they be able to sell used games for future systems? Probably not.

 

[Solo4114]

Fact: you're wrong.

Unless manufacturers do something to disable any and all past or present gaming systems, standalones, etc. there will always be some sort of used game sales market... concept or otherwise.

Will they be able to sell used games for future systems? Probably not.