Xbox Chief Robbie Bach on Cross-Platform Gaming, More

securitas writes "The Seattle Times' Kim Peterson interviews Microsoft Xbox chief Robbie Bach about cross-platform gaming, recent Microsoft game developer layoffs, the lack of profitability of the Xbox division, the threat that Sony PSP poses to Windows Portable Media Center devices, the lack of a portable Xbox gaming device, competition from Sony, mass market games, and Halo 2. It's a long interview but worth taking time to read." S!: Also, GameSpot's two-part interview with Yoshihiro Maruyama and Mike Fischer of Microsoft Japan discusses "how they plan on leveraging the hardcore gamer and cultural nuances to increase [Xbox] awareness, loyalty, and sales."

Comments

Microsoft Japan

[hambonewilkins]

Just to get it out of the way, "The Xbox Controller is Huge!" Hopefully, the trolls won't have to use it now.

As far as Microsoft Japan, I think they should forget it. Japan continues to prove a difficult market for the Xbox, for numerous reasons (one being that the Japanese are hostile to American firms).

Microsoft should drop Japan. Their sales have been bad and I'm sure conversion costs for their games are quite expensive. Focus on North America first and grab as much market here as you can.

Re:Microsoft Japan

[Anonymous Coward]

But dude, have you seen the Xbox controller? It's Hu...uhh, BIG!

And please take your 1980s American car company thinking and stick it back in the history books right next to the pictures of slegehammered Corollas in Detroit. The Japan of 2004 is as receptive to high-quality foreign goods (that make sense for Japan) as Americans are to Japanese goods, probably more. Take that as you will.

But you do suggest that MS should drop Japan. Okay by me. Less Japanese developer resources will be wasted on a platform that has proven no need for them outside of Japan, and they can get back to pumping out more of these games for Nintendo and Sony platforms (which I will then subsequently BUY, unlike otherwise).

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:XNA also called "d20"

[nacturation]

Standardizing the plumbing doesn't necessarily mean giving everybody the exact same 3D engine with the same effects, etc. This could be more like giving everybody a set of fully formed OpenGL libraries which have been customized to take advantage of certain hardware features. You can't say that every OpenGL game out there looks identical and has the same feel. They're all calling OpenGL routines to shift polygons around, but how they do so is still up to the developer and there's so many permutations involved in manipulating graphics that each game can have a unique look & feel. However, by not requiring developers to go and write their own 3D libraries from the ground up gives them a huge head start.

BS

[News for nerds]

Japan continues to prove a difficult market for the Xbox, for numerous reasons (one being that the Japanese are hostile to American firms).

Excuse me, do you know the fact that Japan is Apple's second largest market outside the United States?