There are a lot of things I want to comment on here!
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Originally posted by: Darc Requiem
Not only that. The X-box 2/Xenon won't have a hard drive and may not have backward compatiblity. I'm not a big MS fan but at least here in the US they have a bit of momentum. They are actually going toe to toe with the PS2 in sales. By not having Backward compatibility...they will lose the momentum they have. People that currently on the X-Box won't feel obligated to purchase X-box 2 to play there older games. I thought backward compatiblity was unnecessary before but the blind purchasing of the PS2 at launch despite the lack of quality titles proves me wrong.
I'm still not convinced that backwards compatibility is a big factor in buying new systems, but maybe I'm wrong. I knew people who were really into the PS2 when it was new, and they were more excited about the graphics and power and all-around coolness of the system than the games. I do think the lack of a harddrive will tick a few people off. Taking away features that users have become acustomed to is not a great idea.
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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
A large part of the Xbox's appeal is that it's the most powerful system on the market. The fact that it has the best graphics is big reason why it's got so much hype going for it and why some of the prettier Xbox games get a lot of pre-release hype regardless of how good the game turns out to be (ie: most MS first party releases). Plus it's part of the image. It's the console equivalent of the fully loaded sports car with the really loud and powerful engine.
Absolutely. I think this is the biggest mistake of launching early. Even if Microsoft really pours on the power, chances are this system won't be any better than PS3 or Revolution in terms of graphics, and if Nintendo or Sony decides that having the most powerful system is important, there's nothing MS can do about it. Of course, I think system power is becoming less important, but being able to claim that you are the most powerful still means something to people...especially the people that bought Xbox.
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Right now MS is the console equivalent of a one-hit wonder. As a first party they're relying a lot on one really popular game and as a hardware manufacturer they've only released one console. They don't yet have that brand name that allows them to cut a console life short by a year.
I also definitely agree with this. Sony can do pretty much whatever it wants, its huge fan base will wait for the next PS3, because they think they're going to get Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Grand Theft Auto, and other games they love first, and possibly exclusively, on that system.
Of course, launching the Genesis early worked for Sega, why not Microsoft? I think it depends on a few things:
How cocky is Sony? One reason the Genesis worked was because Nintendo thought it was invincible, and didn't come up with a coherent strategy to fight the Genesis until Sega had already taken a good chunk of the market away.
I think Sony has some problems with cockiness...they lost a lot of exclusive third party support this generation, and the company is in no hurry to release a new system even though the PS2 is getting somewhat old. On the other hand, I'm quite sure Sony knows that Nintendo and Microsoft are real threats and I expect Sony to take every measure possible to slow down sales of "Xenon" if it's early to market. Sony deflated the Dreamcast with PS2 announcements and the same trick could really hurt Xenon since power was one of Xbox's big selling points.
Can Sony be out-cooled? Sega also saw and exploited weak points in Nintendo's image: a LOT of Sega's advertising in those days focused on Nintendo being uncool, which worked especially well since a lot of Nintendo's old fans were growing into teenagers at the time. Who doesn't want to grow up and be cool at that age? Even Sony hopped on the "insult Nintendo" bandwagon when the PSX came out.
I don't think that will work against Sony. I have heard that Sony is having some image problems lately. Maybe people bought too many Sony products that broke! I know I did. Still, while Sony may not be as super-cool as it once was, I can't imagine it actually being considered uncool the way Nintendo is by many people. I admit that Microsoft has done a good job of making Xbox cool...maybe even cooler than the PS2. But it was extra power and luxuries like the harddrive that made Xbox cool in the first place. If PS3 and Revolution come with nifty new gameplay gadgets and have more power than the Xenon, where does that leave Microsoft? Squaresville!
Last, but not least, where is Halo? With Halo 2 coming out this year, there's not much chance of a Halo game for Xenon's launch and I'm not convinced that anything else will really sell Xenon. Perfect Dark could make an impact, but it's not a safe bet like Halo would be. Knights of the Old Republic and Dead or Alive are popular with a lot of Xbox players, but I'm not sure if either of them were system sellers. I think launch games are going to be more important than ever, because I don't think the new technology is going to blow people away like it did in previous generations.
I think it will be pretty exciting, though. It's fun to watch someone take a gamble, and there is still a possibility that Microsoft will pull it off. With the right launch games and enough hype, the Xenon could potentially grab a nice lead. I dislike Microsoft, but I wouldn't mind seeing them take the wind out of Sony's sails.
Edit: tried to shorten this way-too-long post.
Topic: Potential Dumb Move By MS (Read 5336 times)
