Microsoft recently announced their price cuts on the Xbox 360, effective today, but what is motivating them? Microsoft’s not going to make much additional money by passing off the savings to the customer but they will, more than likely, sell a bunch of great new Xbox 360‘s to a new crowd of gamer.
Motivation? Sony.
“I’m not at a point where I can say we’re going to beat Nintendo,” says Don Mattrick, senior vice-president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business. Indeed, Nintendo is likely to run away with the lead in the current generation of console gaming, leaving Microsoft and Sony to battle for second place. (businessweek)
Who would have thought Sony and Microsoft would be battling out this generation for second place while Nintendo breezes through with their Wii console and a handful of games with mediocre game reviews? Don’t answer that, it’s a rhetorical question. If you saw this coming and you’re not on the marketing or project planning for one of these console makers you better prep your resume!
The battle isn’t cooling, Microsoft drops their price to compete with their big competitor Sony which also brings it closer to the price tag on the Wii getting two bird with one stone. The reason Wii is winning is clearly due to its broad demographic of grandpa and grandma non-gamers along with hardcore gamers who have to collect all the consoles and younger gamers that want to fit the trend.
Microsoft’s clearly shooting for second place by installing more units into the consumers home as possible. They’ve got a great library of first person shooter titles, a few RPG’s and RTS titles and the typical contraversial titles like GTA and Saints Row with more hot blockbusters (read: Gears of War 2) arriving soon.
I see this as a great opportunity for casual game developers to get into the Xbox Live Arcade market and start making themselves (and Microsoft) some money off the new gamers that will buy their first Xbox 360 for $199 and up. Microsoft’s getting closer to the low-budget gamer crowd with their price cuts so it would be great if they can take advantage of that market with lower cost titles as well.
If you’re a game developer looking for console stick time and you want to grab the attention of a large pool of gamers, the Xbox 360 isn’t a bad start!
While Microsoft isn’t aiming at Nintendo just yet, there is no doubt Nintendo will be in their sights if they can smoke the pants off Sony in the near future (by this holiday).
… are you guys stalking me?
I recently started watching ProtonJon’s let’s play of Superman 64. This guy played the game only to point out various bugs.
Top seller?! It means a lot of people got suckered in 🙁
@SOPA:
Sure it will come back. Immediate power to shut down any website you want? What administration wouldn’t like that?!
@R18+ bill to be voted on by Australian Parliament on 7th February:
Fingers crossed for the Australian gamers 🙂
Just as mentioned before, parenting is the job of parents, not the governments. Governments’ job is … governing :P.
Jonah, did they screen Final Destination 5 in Australia? 😉
@Vita sales continue to freefall in Japan:
Really?! What CEO in his right mind forecasts such a drop and takes no measure to prevent it?
I also call ‘bullshit’.
Thing is , Sony desperately needs a hit (in the meaning of a successful product) to compensate PS3 and the Vita.
@Starbreeze states they don’t look at games from a genre perspective anymore
😐 ok, like Paul said, the speech sound nice. As for how much it is actually worth, well, let’s just let their future work speak for itself.
“Chronicles of Riddick” was indeed a pretty nice game, in several departments: graphics, story, game mechanics.
@QOTW:
The universe needs to be recognizable. So while the stories might tackle different time intervals, the game play should be slightly familiar but with enough innovation. And while using the same universe, do use a different story.
STALKER – Call of Prypiat is a great example of a good sequel (for Shadow of Chernobyl).
@SOPA
Yes it will keep on coming in subtle forms until it succeeds, and I have the feeling that the only purpose of this was just to slowly get us ready to an eventual similar law to be approved.
@Vita sales
Not that I am an expert on this, but I never believed it would succeed. I don’t think any portable console will have the success of Gameboys, NDS or even the original PSP.
I know that hardcore gamers still prefer having a portable console than a mobile device to play games, but I don’t think hardcore gamers were ever the main market of these consoles.
@Guild Wars 2
I am unsure about this, I absolutely loved the first one, but now I am more used to sandbox open worlds with action game styled combats. I don’t think hitting tab key to auto-target will cut it for me.
Still, the original Guild Wars was one of the most fun games I played. Not a traditional MMORPG at all. It was all about competition, I love that.
Guild vs Guild fights in that game, were awesome, highly strategic and very fast paced.
Hopefully this premise continues in the second game.
@QOTW
It is easier to say what I hate in a sequel, which is the game being dumbed significantly. A big example of that was Black and White 2. Mr Mollineux was so out there talking about how much of a different experience Black and White was, and it was indeed. When the second came out it was just another RTS.. I also fear that the Elder’s Scrolls series are taking this path.
That said, I look for a sequel that fixes the problems of the first game and offer some new experiences. I heard The Witcher 2 was a good sequel? I am yet to try it.
@SOPA
unfortunatelly, some kind of law like this will pass, if not now, in a near future.
@r18 Australia
good for them! video-game industries are not only for kids and should not be treated like so.
@Vita 18k sold week 4
foreseen?? BS! BS! otherwise sony needs to fire their (dont know the word in english) foreseer (sorry)
@QOTW
i’d agree with paul, is a hard to get combination between nostalgia and innovation wich will lead veterans and newcommers to a sequel
take battlefield 2 to the 3 for example: they implemented complex open maps for different strategies to veterans like operation firestorm and made very simple and linear maps so the newcommers know where is the enemy and still give a chance to employ a flanking strategy like operation metro and grand bazaar
upgrading the engine is tough trough sequels but valve nailed the half-life 2 game and made it brilliantly
btw, agreed with herr alien, STALKER had an awesome sequel – Call of Pripyat and IMO an even better prequel – Clear sky
@Herr Alien
could i add you to my steam friends list? 🙂
i’d like to give you guys a suggestion:
after you finish the flashback on the worst games ever, if you are willing, make a flashback on crash bandicoot trilogy for the playstation original 🙂
awesome, keep it up guys!
Test comment because I’ve been trying all week to post one.
For some reason, my long comment isn’t being posted. I know you have probably already recorded the podcast, but I’m just letting you know I still listened to it.