This week is all about the Showcases, from Summer Game Fest to Microsoft’s Xbox/Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 showcase. It’s over 2 hours of fun, enjoy!
The post Episode 725: Every Showcase But Nintendo first appeared on Gaming Podcast.
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It’s amazing to think we’re in our third year of “next generation” console bliss. Three years have passed since the first Xbox 360 shipped, for good or bad, and it’s time to start thinking about the future.
Or is it?
Bobbie Bach, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices president, seems to believe this generation of consoles will expand out further than the typical four-year release cycle. Perhaps because the console developers have invested so much money in defeating each other in the market and making their console “number one” in the eyes of their investors.
Bach does not believe we’re cresting on the current generation, that is for certain, and we’ve yet to hear any hype over a new next-generation console from Microsoft. They were the first to market so, theoretically, they should be the first in the next-generation as well, right?
Their move to be number one was really a strategic attack which has paid out well, leading them above the past domination of Sony and Nintendo before it. However, they are holding strong with the Xbox 360 and there might be cause to sit tight and let this generation playout before bringing in another piece of hardware.
Bach stated that he believes consoles today are competing at different levels than ten years ago. There isn’t one clear winner, there isn’t one dominating console. There will be victors in different areas of the industry; casual consoles, top game sellers, best graphics and others. It’s not about sheer “units sold” it’s more about being profitable and building a community around your hardware, see Xbox Live as a great example.
Next generation will be full of fantastic new features, ways to connect and crazy hardware specifications, no doubt, but… for many of us, it will take years before we forget the pain and suffering we paid shipping our dead Xbox 360’s back to Microsoft for repairs. Would you be willing to buy into their next generation as their first customer?
(Thanks, 1up)
This week, Jonah has the flu, but still manages to host despite hacking and coughing (which was edited out of the podcast), and having a nasally voice as well. Jordan was not so lucky, and couldn’t make it at all. Despite all this, the crew manages to give Dan a sendoff in his last regular podcast.
The news was also pretty major this week, including:
We also have Reader Feedback and a new Question of the Week: “What kind of microtransactions are acceptable?”
It’s the episode just before Thanksgiving, and both Jordan and Paul have new jobs, as the latter settles into his new Los Angeles home. This week’s Gaming Flashback is the Atari 2600 game Kaboom!
The guys also discuss the following news items:
The question of the week: “How do you buy games most often these days: retail, online retailer, or digital distributor?”
