Microsoft losing big bucks over failing Xbox360 video service

[Asher]

Originally posted by laurentius
Oh yes I almost forgot. X0 software is like titanium compared to the Sony bubble gum code. And yet its the X0 video service that is failing

Has nothing to do with software.

Take a lot of people wanting a service, and service can crumble under the load.

Take Amazon.com yesterday, which was unresponsive for half an hour because people were clamouring for the Xbox 360s...

[laurentius]

ok that was good

[Ninot]

Asher, when will the video service be available in Canada?

I'm anxious to try it.

[Asher]

Originally posted by laurentius
ok that was good

What was good? The Amazon.com outage due to their Xbox 360 sale?

Or my pwn3ge of you?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ninot
Asher, when will the video service be available in Canada?

I'm anxious to try it.

No idea. Depends on when the Canadian film industry and TV networks signs on.

[laurentius]

hehe the joke obviously. It was pretty decent.

You know Amazon.com crashing due people wanting to buy Xbox 360

[Asher]

Originally posted by laurentius
hehe the joke obviously. It was pretty decent.

You know Amazon.com crashing due people wanting to buy Xbox 360

Apparently you're out of the loop.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2006/11/23/6068

Amazon's "loss leader" brings site to its knees

Amazon had a promotion today wherein they were going to sell 1,000 $100 Xbox 360 Core Systems to 1,000 lucky customers. It's a giant loss leader, and you can bet that everyone and their mother who knew about it was banging away, hoping to score the deal.

How did the "loss leader" play out? It was more of a "lost packet" leader, if you ask me. Amazon's entire site buckled under the weight of the promotion, and was completely inaccessible for over 20 minutes from four different testing locations (Chicago, Boston, Indianapolis, New York, with 9 testers reporting). The site was noticeably slow at 10 minutes before 11AM PST, when the promotion was set to start. T-minus 5 minutes, and the site simply stopped responding. Amazon did not appear to host this promotion in a sandboxed environment, so when the throngs of users came, they managed to render Amazon inoperable as a whole, at least in the US. Maybe that was the plan, but we somehow doubt it.

Was the promotion a success? Surely some lucky people scored the deal, and maybe those same people bought a bunch of other stuff in typical loss-leader fashion. From where we sit, however, we wonder if the money lost to 15 minutes of downtime was really worth it for Amazon.

So few people are interested in the Xbox 360 that they brought down one of the largest internet sites trying to get one.

[laurentius]

Seriously I think its a good thing these kinds of services are being offered to console gamers. But on two conditions.

1) They actually work.
2) No DRM autoselfdestructafter5views crap.

[Asher]

Originally posted by laurentius
Seriously I think its a good thing these kinds of services are being offered to console gamers. But on two conditions.

1) They actually work.
2) No DRM autoselfdestructafter5views crap.

If you're against DRM, why are you in favor of the PS3 console? It has a lot more DRM than the Xbox 360. Hell, one of the console's processors is dedicated to DRM, even when in Linux.

Bluray also has way more extensive/draconian DRM than HD-DVD, but you seem to support that.

You need to learn more about what you're advocating.

Sony is also far more interested in satisfying studios than consumers (eg, them forbidding to upscale DVDs on the PS3).

[laurentius]

Originally posted by Asher

Apparently you're out of the loop.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2006/11/23/6068

Amazon's "loss leader" brings site to its knees

Amazon had a promotion today wherein they were going to sell 1,000 $100 Xbox 360 Core Systems to 1,000 lucky customers. It's a giant loss leader, and you can bet that everyone and their mother who knew about it was banging away, hoping to score the deal.

How did the "loss leader" play out? It was more of a "lost packet" leader, if you ask me. Amazon's entire site buckled under the weight of the promotion, and was completely inaccessible for over 20 minutes from four different testing locations (Chicago, Boston, Indianapolis, New York, with 9 testers reporting). The site was noticeably slow at 10 minutes before 11AM PST, when the promotion was set to start. T-minus 5 minutes, and the site simply stopped responding. Amazon did not appear to host this promotion in a sandboxed environment, so when the throngs of users came, they managed to render Amazon inoperable as a whole, at least in the US. Maybe that was the plan, but we somehow doubt it.

Was the promotion a success? Surely some lucky people scored the deal, and maybe those same people bought a bunch of other stuff in typical loss-leader fashion. From where we sit, however, we wonder if the money lost to 15 minutes of downtime was really worth it for Amazon.

So few people are interested in the Xbox 360 that they brought down one of the largest internet sites trying to get one.

Okay, I gotta admit thats pretty impressive. But remember its got year ahead and lots of potential buyers who dont think the original price of Xbox 360 Core is worth it. So when you actually sell it at ehat its worth, this is what you get. Obviously MS has priced its product incorrectly.

Not a long time ago here in Finland a Swedish website was selling Xbox 360 at 39,9 € that was the price I started thinking of getting one myself. But of course turned out it was a simple typo so no X0 for me.

[laurentius]

Originally posted by Asher


If you're against DRM, why are you in favor of the PS3 console? It has a lot more DRM than the Xbox 360. Hell, one of the console's processors is dedicated to DRM, even when in Linux.

Bluray also has way more extensive/draconian DRM than HD-DVD, but you seem to support that.

You need to learn more about what you're advocating.

Sony is also far more interested in satisfying studios than consumers (eg, them forbidding to upscale DVDs on the PS3).

I dont believe you. Please back up your claims with proof.

[Asher]

Okay, I gotta admit thats pretty impressive. But remember its got year ahead and lots of potential buyers who dont think the original price of Xbox 360 Core is worth it. So when you actually sell it at ehat its worth, this is what you get. Obviously MS has priced its product incorrectly.

Considering that sales of the 360 have almost entirely be supply-limited, it's interesting to hear your theory on it being priced incorrectly.

I take it the $600 PS3 is the correct price?

[Kuciwalker]

Considering that sales of the 360 have almost entirely be supply-limited, it's interesting to hear your theory on it being priced incorrectly.

If sales are almost entirely supply-limited I can guarantee that it's priced incorrectly.

[laurentius]

Originally posted by Asher

Okay, I gotta admit thats pretty impressive. But remember its got year ahead and lots of potential buyers who dont think the original price of Xbox 360 Core is worth it. So when you actually sell it at ehat its worth, this is what you get. Obviously MS has priced its product incorrectly.

Considering that sales of the 360 have almost entirely be supply-limited, it's interesting to hear your theory on it being priced incorrectly.

I take it the $600 PS3 is the correct price?

Indeed it is! You get so much more for that amount of money!

For Xbox 360 you need to buy the additional HD-DVD monstrosity and pay for Live etc. You actually get ripped for much less.

[Asher]

Originally posted by laurentius
I dont believe you. Please back up your claims with proof.

Google is your friend.

For Bluray vs HD-DVD -- both have AACS as copyprotection. Fox (you know, that uber right-wing, anti-freedom company) refused to support Bluray until they added even more DRM in the form of "BD+". The HD DVD group refused to add it, Bluray found no problem with it. Then again, Sony found no problem with installing root kits on people's computers as a form of DRM.

https://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/terms/bdplus.cfm

BD+ is the name given to an experimental Digital Rights Management (DRM) mechanism that will be included on BD-ROM discs. The Blu-ray Disc Association was forced into providing this extra layer of protection following pressure from Fox. The HD DVD group did not agree to provide Fox with such a DRM over AACS. The fears about BD+ surround the possibility of studios like Fox theoretically being given the power to restrict Mandatory Managed Copy (a system that allows users to make digital copies of movies and send them around a home network).

BD+ allows for dynamic encryption schemes, meaning that if the protection were to be cracked, manufacturers could simply change the encryption scheme on new discs, so on single crack could not open up all BD-ROM discs. This is, of course a major advantage over the Content Scrambling System (CSS) protection used on DVD discs which was cracked years ago. All old and new DVDs containing CSS can be ripped from the disc to a HDD, or software is available to simply remove CSS on-the-fly.

As for the PS3 not upscaling DVDs -- that's VERY generally known and a quick review of the PS3 would tell you that.

As for DRM, the PS3 reserves one of the SPEs for "hypervisor' use on the processor that ensures all output being sent out -- even while in Linux -- is protected by DRM (HDCP to be specific). This is also widely reported around the 'net -- it's also reserved from in-game use (so 6 SPEs are only allowed to be used in games).