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XBox Delayed
rumrum writes: "From CNet: 'The company says it will delay the launch of its video game console by one week to Nov. 15 but declines to clarify exactly how many units it will have available at launch.'" AP has a slightly more informative article which points to production problems, and the LA Times has a story noting that production hasn't yet begun.
Did anyone read penny arcade today? They make a good point about how marketing is done in stores. Hardly any store is actually actively marketing the N-Cube (because they are both supposed to come out November).
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Desperate parents will probably be able to pick up one up for their whining spawn off eBay for $25,000.
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Not that there is anything new, but...
Nintendo's advertising will probably start shortly. While Xbox may be building hype right now, Nintendo has year and years of name brand recognition and several widely known franchises (Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, et al) to their advantage. One good month of advertisements and kids'll be hocking their N64's like there is no tomorrow. Nintendo doesn't need to work as hard as MS to have the same (or greater) effect.
Second, Microsoft is in the unenviable position of having the most expensive console. Sony could potentially drop the price of the PS2 to $250 now that they're over a year into mass production. The Nintendo GameCube has always been targetted at a much lower price point ($200) so it has a fairly good advantage over Sony and MS both in that regard.
Finally, the recession is on the way (face up to it, boys and girls) and that means less money sloshing around to spend on toys. If a full-fledged depression hits, then Nintendo and Microsoft and Sony are all going to take a hit, and the odd man out, Microsoft in this case, will probably fall by the wayside.
Anyway, this doesn't touch on the issues that others might find problems with like (a) having to buy a special remote to use it as a DVD player (b) the network adaptor being effectively useless until at least March 2002, and (c) the lack of real support from Japanese companies. (Token games, for sure, just to test the waters, but they'll probably pull back real quick when the recession hits full on.)
Curmudgeon Gamer: Not happy
The scene: Xbox marketing and development lab conference room. Two MSX-droids hash out the ongoing
problems with the Xbox project...
Drone #1: Our box needs to kick ass, or we lose big time. The guys over in the hype machine have set the
bar seriously high! The later it gets, the better it has to be! We might not ever get done!
Drone #2: Yeah it is almost a PC now, maybe we should have thought that Dell offer through a little
more... It will be ok though because that is what we do best --hype now and build later. Half of them
don't even know the difference!
Drone #1: What are we going to do about the price? I mean everything but the kitchen sink is in there!
Parents know how much PC's cost, we have to drop that image, or they will never buy. They will say they
already have one. Everyone knows there is a difference between a PC and a game machine.
#1: That's ok, we will make it up on the licensing. Thats how those Sony and Nintendo guys do it.
Besides the hardware guys know what they are doing.
#2: For that it has to be closed. Damn! that means we have to get it right the first time. No
upgrades...
#1: We can use the expansion port! Everyone has one on their systems right? Anything we need to add goes
in there.
#2: Not everybody buys them though. Expansions make it messy for the dev guys. Remember they said they
would port if the environment was stable. If it gets ugly they will probably just stick to the PC. We
better just make sure we are covered on the hardware front and take the hit on the price. We have deep
pockets -everything will be ok. Remember the chief did say 'at any cost'!
#1: What if we don't have the best games? Damn Sony and their contracts! The bigger the initial loss the
more games we have to sell.
#2: Are you kidding? We have great games. Between Sega, the PC ports, and those cool guys over at the
Microsoft Game development team, our games are going to rock! We don't have to have the best games
silly, we just need the games that people are willing to buy. Remember Sony seems to mix in a lot of
that Jap Crap, we have an all American line up. What could be better for America than American games?
#1: Ok, we are covered on the games. Sounds good! --Wait! What about all those hippy Open Source Linux
running geeks?!? They are going to make webservers, mp3 players, emulators and all sorts of things on
cheap hardware we paid for! What about that!
#2: Linux does not run on Xbox, whats the big deal? Quit worrying.
#1: Man, Linux runs on everything! It's even on a wristwatch for Gods' sake! You don't get outside the
campus enough. Besides we promised the Hollywood guys that it would be closed and cheaper than Sony.
You know how they hate to pay one of their own for distribution -gives them fits just thinking about it.
It's our ace in the hole!
#2: We will just have to make sure it will never run. We can encrypt the ROM and CPU like they do with
some of the Arcade games. That combined with special hardware will make it tough. Who said you get to
leave campus? Running Linux are ya?
#1: No, never... b-but it's all over the web, just look at Slashdot! There are ports mentioned every
couple of weeks! Besides, if our stuff runs, then they can look at that to make their stuff go too. We
would just be adding to the price in order to put them off.
#2: Slashdot-Trashdot, that is why the DMCA was passed remember? You worry too much. Besides I hear
that we are buying another law. It will be perfect! Linux will be illegal because it is not certified
by hollywood and us to run, so even if they run it, they are screwed!
#1: So, does that mean we have to include a contract that requires owners of an Xbox to buy our games?
That is not going to make us look good at the DOJ. They seem to have backed off, but a lot of people
are still pissed.
#2: Which people? Oh, you mean the ones that don't have any money? They won't matter, we have some of
the best inside help working with us on this one. By the time they scrape together any sort of a plan,
this thing will go through right to the top!
#1: Maybe you are right, it is just complex. Why can't we just do what we need to do without all these
hassles?
#2: Ok here's the plan just in case. Every Xbox connects to a phone line and we set up a new free online
service like Sega did with PSO Online. When the machine comes on it checks its boot media, if a non
Microsoft OS is there, it stops and reminds the users of their duty as a citizen to follow the DMCA.
#1: That does not sound like a very fun game machine. Tech support is going to kill us. They are already
buried with product activation, and this will send them through the roof. Ever talk to a pissed off
Apple user. Clueless and angry, enough to drive you nuts! They are nothing compared to the parents who
have to call about the game machine they bought to keep their kids busy!
#2: It will be fine. Lots of things connect to the phone these days. Don't worry about it. Look at all
those cable users with a phone line on their box. The geeks even like their TVIO machines with a phone
line.
#1: The new rage is cell phones, college kids all over the place don't even have a normal phone, and how
are you going to do game parties? They don't want phones, they want ethernet!
#2: Ok you make the call, we have to have more input on this.
#1: No way! I remember what happened last time. That is why you are #2 --remember?
(In walks #3 fresh from school with visions of stock options in his head.... )
#3: Hey guys! What's with the long faces?
#1 & #2: Just in time! Hey we have a little project we would like to to head up for a while, you seem
ready for something new. Lets meet in our office later today to discuss the details.
To be continued...
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