genghisbahng

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    • When Will Microsoft Own Up to the XBox 360 Bomb? [view article]
      I am not an analyst, but a game industry professional. I'd like to clarify a few things:

      1) check your data. as Roger indicated in his article, 360 has clear #1 market share WW over Wii and PS3

      2) as has been proven many times over in the gaming space, it's about the SOFTWARE. is the DS outselling PSP 2-to1 because it is more powerful, has better graphics? no. it dominates the handheld market because of the incredible number of games that CAN ONLY be found on that system, while PSP has very little to offer that isn't already available on other systems. PS2 crushed its competition by having the widest array of killer, original content available for that generation. Nintendo has a hardcore fan base that will buy any console they make just to play the latest iteration of Mario / Zelda / Pokemon / etc.

      3) yes, the Japanese are nationalistic, but honestly, that is at the bottom of the list of reasons why 360 (and Xbox before it) is failing in Japan. what's the #1 answer? because it doesn't offer any original titles that the Japanese want to play. (Halo isn't enough.)

      4) MSFT must a) develop more original IP that is so compelling it will drive hardware sales, and b) court the big Japanese publishers (Capcom, Namco, Square, Konami) to develop original content for 360.

      5) the boys in Redmond did get 1 very important thing right - Xbox Live. their online infrastructure and community are the most robust of any of the players, far outstripping Sony. they need to continue to leverage this advantage with episodic content, user-generated content, and improved integration with home entertainment (Media Edition works... barely.)

      so don't stick a fork in 'em yet. as has been mentioned, $5B is couch change for these guys. the brand has tremendous value with the ever-growing gaming community and if they play it smart, these first 5 years of operating losses will seem like an excellent bet.
      Apr 20 05:14 PM
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