X-Box 360 and the lack of top tier games

[Rasputin]

Another reason i like the XBOX360 over PS3 is the ability to use my playlists on my computer of music t oplay during games. makes a lot better listening value.

Although i have now copied my 8 Gig of music onto the PS3 too.

[DrSpike]

I spent most of today setting up and testing my new speakers and AV reciever. Because of the earlier adaptor problem I've been playing in SD, so now that everything is here I've simultaneously moved from crappy sound to great sound and nice graphics to excellent graphics.

I finished Gears tonight and it looked and sounded so damn great. The fight near the end with the flying badguys beside the moving train was mind-blowingly awesome.

[DrSpike]

Oddly though I've probably spent more time over the last couple of days playing Rockstar's table tennis game. I only bought it because it was cheap at Amazon and I thought it would provide some light relief.

It turns out it's really addictive. One of those games you can play in about 5 minutes but keep subtly improving at. I think I'll look into other sports game like this as it is something I've missed in recent years in my PC gaming.

[DrSpike]

I took this from a thread at the team X-Box forums. Not sure how true it is but should make for interesting reading.

Source: The blog of Roger Ehrenberg, president and COO of investment analyst service Monitor110, as picked up by Newsweek, Wired, and others

Microsoft, Channel Stuffing and Desperation: Old Tricks for a New Era

Because you are feeling desperate. But why? Xbox is doing pretty well, right? Well, not good enough, and giving ground fast to the Wii. Let's consider what's gone on in gaming consoles over the last two generations. Last go around Sony got the jump on Microsoft and Nintendo with the PS2, beating the original Xbox and Gamecube consoles to market by about a year. The result: Sony kicked some serious butt, selling around 100 million units to 20-25 million units each of the Microsoft and Nintendo offerings. So Microsoft thinks to itself "Ha, I'm going to pull a Sony and get a jump on these bastards for our nextgen console." So it releases Xbox 360 in November/December 2005 versus November 2006 for Sony and Nintendo, a full year jump on the competition. The results to date: 9.7 million Xbox 360; 6.6 million Wii; and 3.1 million PS3. So, the Wii has achieved around 2/3 of Xbox 360s sales volume after only four months, and this after conceding a 12 month head start. From Microsoft's perspective, this can't feel too good or bode well for the future.

Further, both empirical and anecdotal evidence point to increasing interest and resources being devoted to the manufacture of the Wii, with some of those resources coming directly out of those currently associated with the Xbox 360.

[ZargonX]

I think those numbers are pretty close to accurate, globaly. However, this is where Asher steps in and says that the rest of the planet Earth doesn't matter

[DrSpike]

But 6.6 million Wii already (4 months), compared with 9.7 million X-Box 360s, despite the extra year it had.

Even if it is driven by sales in Japan it's still quite striking.

[flash9286]

Maybe, the 360 and Wii are competing for different markets. And if that is so, then Microsoft doesn't really have to worry about the Wii just the PS3.

[Asher]

Originally posted by DrSpike
But 6.6 million Wii already (4 months), compared with 9.7 million X-Box 360s, despite the extra year it had.

Even if it is driven by sales in Japan it's still quite striking.

Price is huge. Wii is cheap, 360 is not.

Further, both empirical and anecdotal evidence point to increasing interest and resources being devoted to the manufacture of the Wii, with some of those resources coming directly out of those currently associated with the Xbox 360.

Since when?

I've not heard of a single 360 game canceled -- actually, there's been a ton announced or jumping ship to the 360?

The Wii and the 360 are different markets. The Wii will end up with a ton of hardware unit sales due to the novelty factor, its target market, and its price -- but its software sales (the true value of a console) will pale in comparison again due to its target market.

Do you think those senior citizens who bought the Wii to play bowling are going to buy lots of games?

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Asher

Price is huge. Wii is cheap, 360 is not.

I think you're oversimplifying here. If it were the case that price was such a huge factor then the optimal strategy for Microsoft would have been to release a cheaper scaled down Xbox, and have sold a lot more consoles. They didn't, and I think they've made the right choice.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Asher
I've not heard of a single 360 game canceled -- actually, there's been a ton announced or jumping ship to the 360?

The Wii and the 360 are different markets. The Wii will end up with a ton of hardware unit sales due to the novelty factor, its target market, and its price -- but its software sales (the true value of a console) will pale in comparison again due to its target market.

This is the better argument. I would tend to agree with both points.

[Asher]

Originally posted by DrSpike
I think you're oversimplifying here. If it were the case that price was such a huge factor then the optimal strategy for Microsoft would have been to release a cheaper scaled down Xbox, and have sold a lot more consoles. They didn't, and I think they've made the right choice.

If MS scaled down their console, it wouldn't be as successful as it is. It needs to be powerful.

The Wii's price and the novelty factor will allow it to accumulate more sales fast. The sales will slow down as the graphics age even more (they truly look horrendous on HDTVs), and the novelty factor wears.

The 360's sales, on the other hand, will ramp up as the price drops over its lifetime.

[asleepathewheel]

Well, I think that once the Wii starts to really slow down, say by 2009 N will do a hardware revision that takes it to similar tech levels as the 360/ps3. I have no problem with a 250$ console (or really a $200 console) having a life of 3-4 years so long as its mostly backwards compatible.

[Asher]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
Well, I think that once the Wii starts to really slow down, say by 2009 N will do a hardware revision that takes it to similar tech levels as the 360/ps3.

A year before the PS4/Xbox 720?

[DrSpike]

Does the Wii look dreadful in HD or is Asher just exaggerating as usual?

[Asher]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Does the Wii look dreadful in HD or is Asher just exaggerating as usual?

I'll take a picture...