Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Xbox Losses Double, Xbox Shrinks

Posted by timothy on from the still-early-in-the-game dept.

seldo writes "According to ITWorld, losses in the last quarter at Microsoft's Home and Entertainment segment have doubled. From the article: 'The segment, which also includes Microsoft's TV platform and PC games, posted a quarterly operating loss of US$348 million, compared with $180 million in the same period a year ago.'" An anonymous reader points to similar coverage at news.com, pointing out that the company also reports "profits for Office, and one small note about an undisclosed presumably Japanese company that Microsoft if propping up. So, the big question on my mind is, who is Microsoft secretly holding above water, and why? The fact that they are presumably Japanese, seems to point towards an XBox partner. Could this explain the sudden flood of Sega exclusive games?" Another anonymous reader writes "Microsoft will be showing a smaller sized Xbox at E3 this May. In addition to the smaller size of the hardware, the Xbox Lite will also be integrated with Media2Go allowing Xbox users to download digital content such as music and movies. Wonder what this means for all the current Xbox Mod Chips?"

15 of 592 comments (clear)

  1. So is this good or bad? by sql*kitten · · Score: 3, Funny

    On the one hand, Microsoft are losing money, yay! But on the other hand, if they're losing money they must be selling more and more units, boo!

    Help, tell me what to think!!!

    1. Re:So is this good or bad? by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


      Not necessarily-- could be spending more on R&D.

      You mean giving more money to Apple? ;)

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    2. Re:So is this good or bad? by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      "You mean giving more money to Apple? ;)"

      Man, I had this vision of a white XBOX controller with only one action button. *shudders*

    3. Re:So is this good or bad? by Anonymous+DWord · · Score: 4, Funny

      Man, I had this vision of a white XBOX controller with only one action button. *shudders*

      Yeah, but at least it matches my shoes and my VW.

      --
      "If he thinks he can hide and run from the United States and our allies, he's sorely mistaken." Bush on bin Laden
  2. Re:"Xbox Shrinks.." by ryan89 · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Japan, they probably use the XBOX as a room divider.

  3. Srashdot? by rampant+mac · · Score: 5, Funny
    "and one small note about an undisclosed presumably Japanese company that Microsoft if propping up."

    Nice Engrish

    --
    I like big butts and I cannot lie.
  4. Xbox Mod Chips by gpinzone · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wonder what this means for all the current Xbox Mod Chips?

    It means that MS profits for next quarter will be higher from all the people flooding the market buying old XBoxes. :)

  5. XBox mod chips... by tinrobot · · Score: 4, Funny

    Obvious. The current mod chips are doomed, of course.

    If Microsoft goes through the trouble of reconfiguring the case, then rejiggering the motherboard is trivial. Wouldn't be surprised if they put a bullet-proof kryptonite cover over the chips or soemthing.

  6. What it means for Xbox Mod Chips by jwdeff · · Score: 3, Funny
    Wonder what this means for all the current Xbox Mod Chips?

    The same thing it meant the last time a change was made to the xbox.

    Time to make new mod chips.

  7. Smaller XBox? by bob921 · · Score: 5, Funny


    Now what will I use to crack open coconuts?

  8. Xbox Shrinks? by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    Increase the size of your XBOX in 10 days with our Herbal XBOX Viagra!

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  9. The real question... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    So if MS keeps posting losses on the xbox like this, the real question is, which will happen first?

    -Microsoft runs out of funds and has to close its doors.

    -Our sun dies

  10. Day of the week? by moc.tfosorcimgllib · · Score: 5, Funny

    Help, tell me what to think!!!

    It's Monday, so we like video games, so this is bad news. But it's February, so this is good news. But the day of the week is odd, so we're supposed to only bash Sony and Blizzard. But the day matches the 2-digit year, so we only especially make fun of Macintosh users. But it was posted AFTER lunch, so this is good news.

    Got it?

  11. Their Initial Ventures Never Are Profitable by Greyfox · · Score: 4, Funny
    Microsoft's business plan has always been to give stuff away free or cheap, take over the largest segment of the market, THEN start charging. They can afford to lose a few hundred million until they achieve monopoly status in that arena too. Hell, Bill Gates probably has $100 million or so in his couch. You know how that loose pocket change just falls out...

    I bet you when the Xbox2025 comes out and is the last console on the market, MicrosoftAolTimeWarnerDisney will jack the price up to $2500. Which should just about offset the AOL losses...

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  12. Re:A perspective from a competitor by cascino · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought you worked at Sega?
    How's your Smell-o-vision project going?
    Your educational background is pretty impressive too.
    What about Super Marx Brothers?
    (Thanks Klaruz.)