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Xbox 2 To Be Unveiled on MTV May 12

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft confirmed this morning that the Xbox 2 will be revealed on live TV on May 12. MTV will air a half-hour long special to launch the system. 'It doesn't make sense to unveil the product behind a closed door, at a trade-only event,' according to Microsoft corporate VP Peter Moore. 'We wanted to talk directly to the consumer first.'" More coverage available on GamesIndustry.biz and Press the Buttons.

35 of 445 comments (clear)

  1. Music? Television by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    Just as MTV revolutionized the way the world experiences music
    Wait, wait... Let me get this straight, there is MUSIC on MTV!? This must be like MTV Europe or something...
    1. Re:Music? Television by jcuffe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think they had something like that a few years ago. Then I think they cut everything out except the 30-second snatches of "music" on TRL.

      The thing that makes me sad is that MS views people that watch MTV as their target audience. I don't even want people that ingest that filth sharing any sort of demographic with me.

    2. Re:Music? Television by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny
      Just as MTV revolutionized the way the world experiences music

      Wait, wait... Let me get this straight, there is MUSIC on MTV!? This must be like MTV Europe or something...

      I heard a rumor that they were going to rename it Hip-Hop and Dumb Hotel Heiress Network.

      I used to do my Econ homework with MTV on, now I can't stand the stuff (MTV, not Econ.)

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    3. Re:Music? Television by panaceaa · · Score: 5, Funny

      Silly rabbit, the M stands for Microsoft.

    4. Re:Music? Television by Amoeba · · Score: 5, Funny

      Empty-V: The Shiny Things Network

      --
      Do not taunt Happy-Fun Ball
    5. Re:Music? Television by zardo · · Score: 5, Funny

      The only show on MTV that draws my attention is cribs, and then after a while I find myself cursing at the tv, cursing god and cursing my mass produced crap hole of a house. Why can't I come home to Jessica Simpson sun bathing in the pristine pool in our backyard? Bad for the soul I tell you.

    6. Re:Music? Television by northcat · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Actually it *is* their audience. You might think that all gamers are intelligent beings who like games that mentally stimulate them, but mainstream gamers, just like mainstream-anything, are just mindless mtv-watching zombies who play anything that the media feeds them and play a new version of an American football game every year.

    7. Re:Music? Television by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 4, Interesting
      "Good thing"?

      Elijah Wood will present the half-hour segment that'll be jam packed with celebs gushing over the console,

      Yeah, cause Frodo was an avid gamer in the movies. :P

      Seriously, celebs know dick about politics, economics, or video games. I don't think someone with an artsy-fartsy theater background or "duh captain of duh team" is qualified to review a game system or games.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
  2. I'm taking all bets by Shkuey · · Score: 5, Funny

    3 to 1 it gets a BSOD while on live TV.

    1. Re:I'm taking all bets by macrom · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'll just take that money from you now because we all know the Xbox gets a GSOD

    2. Re:I'm taking all bets by NanoGator · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "3 to 1 it gets a BSOD while on live TV."

      Tee hee giggle snort. If it's funny 300 times, it's sure to be funny 301 times!

      Frankly, I'll take a crash on Live TV over blatant lying about how many millions of polygons can be rendered per second. *Glares accusingly in Sony's direction.*

      --
      "Derp de derp."
  3. PSP by Yeldarb-7 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The PSP "Launch Party" was a flop. Why shouldn't this be also?

    1. Re:PSP by matth1jd · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I knew alot more about the PSP when they had the launch party for that. What it looked like, how much it was going to cost etc.

      Microsoft has been keeping pretty tight wraps on the details. People will probably watch this to just see what the thing is all about.

      /Just saying

  4. Accessibility? by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Insightful
    'It doesn't make sense to unveil the product behind a closed door, at a trade-only event,' according to Microsoft corporate VP Peter Moore. 'We wanted to talk directly to the consumer first.'"

    So they put it on a Pay-TV channel? Ok, maybe I'm the last person in the USA without cable. I'll just have to wait for the regular network commercials to tell me how cool this thing is that I don't really need, but will feel strangely compelled to buy anyway.

    The Rationale: "We'll introduce it on MTV because it worked for Bill Clinton."

    Things to look forward to:

    • Blue Music Video of Death
    • Some unknown girl/guy in the special will eventually rise to stardom for no apparent reason than they look good and/or can dance and sing
    • Days^H^H^H^HHours after the first XBox 2 hits a store shelf before Linux is up and running on one
    • First worm to hit XBoxes, which will be virtually impossible to remove due to the closed nature ot the system
    Remember when MTV was only about Music Videos?
    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  5. Bad move... by Kjuib · · Score: 4, Funny

    Releasing the game console right before starwars?!
    Anyone who is going for the XBox2 Rush will be inline to see Starwars at some theatre that is not going to show it.

    --
    - Your stupidity got you into this mess, why can't it get you out? -Will Rogers
  6. It's that bad? by Quasar1999 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Usually they build enormous hype by not showing it off to the consumer but rather showing it to select few reviewers, who then spill all sorts of happy, wonderful, everything is awesome, best thing since sliced bread reviews... everyone gets all hyped up, and by the time end consumers get to see the product for what it is, full of issues, the hype is so big that no one cares, and they sell millions...

    Why switch the perfect marketing model?

    --

    ---
    Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
  7. "talk to" implies discussion by Raindance · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "We wanted to talk directly to the consumer first."

    Make that, "We wanted to talk directly at the consumer first."

    Sadly, you can't "talk to" anyone via TV (especially MTV-style networks). Let's just call this an (admittedly clever) uni-directional advertisement and be done with it.

  8. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  9. Paid Programming by razmaspaz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Will this be the highest tune in ever for a paid advertisement that is not taking place during the Super Bowl? I mean really, I don't think MTV is giving away air time to Microsoft...right?

    --
    I tried for 5 years to come up with a clever sig...only to realize that I am not clever.
    1. Re:Paid Programming by wankledot · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why wouldn't they? Can you imagine now much a 30 second spot during this show would cost? Existing Xbox games, gamer-focused products, etc. will pay big money to get their ads in. If I were MTV, I would be more than willing to give up an hour for a guaranteed demographic in a focused market (games) and very captive audience. MTV's salespeople would fall all over themselves selling ads during this to EA and any other game publisher.

      --
      My sig is blank, I typed this by hand.
  10. Viral Marketing by magicsquid · · Score: 5, Informative

    This makes perfect sense. Microsoft has started another viral marketing web game for the Xbox 2 (similar to the original ilovebees for Halo2). Check out http://www.ourcolony.net/ The countdown ends on May 12th at 8PM eastern. BTW, the password is play.

    The rewards give out tiny glimpses of the Xbox 2. So far only the controller has been seen.

    --


    "Chances of RHIC-induced Armageddon are exceedingly rare, but... you never know." - MIT Physicist Bob Jaffe
    1. Re:Viral Marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      The rewards give out tiny glimpses of the Xbox 2. So far only the controller has been seen.

      What, they managed to fit the whole thing in one picture?

  11. May 12 should be fine. by bigtallmofo · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't mind this airing on MTV so long as it does not impede or interfere in any way with the airing of MTV's coverage of Spring Break.

    I've seen pornography that was less graphic than MTV in those shows.

    --
    I'm a big tall mofo.
  12. Core Audience by geek_xyu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wasn't the original xbox supposed to be aimed at a more mature market? Instead here microsoft is targeting the Britany Spears/reality tv fans. Not much of a surprise but I don't think Microsoft has a clue what they are doing. They are just praying their new system doesn't lose money when it debuts like xbox 1 did.

    1. Re:Core Audience by javaxman · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Wasn't the original xbox supposed to be aimed at a more mature market? Instead here microsoft is targeting the Britany Spears/reality tv fans.

      You either overestimate the sophistication of Xbox users, or underestimate the age of folks watching Real World/Road Rules Challenge XXXTREME or whatever they're showing on MTV these days. In either event, there probably is a good amount of overlap in the target audience. They're trying to hook eyes of 14-40 year-old bored people with disposable income and lots of free time. MTV is as good a place for that as you'll find, these days.

  13. Re:Definitely Next? by kneecarrot · · Score: 5, Informative
    There have been three semi-official names kicking around:

    • Xbox 2
    • Xbox Next
    • Xbox 360

    There have been no official confirmation of something being chosen, however. Personally, I think they'll go with "The Sony Raper".

    --

    I always save my last mod point to mod up a good troll. You people are too serious.

  14. MTV -- Pimp my XBox by the_skywise · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't think I need to add anything further...

  15. well.. at a trade show.. by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Interesting

    you might be given some hard pressed questions from industry experts asking if the plastic case actually is the machine and if it actually works.

    a show on mtv would be just one way, them pulling all the strings and saying whatever they want of the device - without the possibility for anyone to ask questions about it.

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  16. This could be dangerous for MTV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    By showing what amounts to an ad, they might lose their position of artistic integrity they've developed all these years.

  17. How will they get in a word edgewise? by dr_dank · · Score: 5, Funny

    In the past ten years since the ADHD league took over MTV programming, will this unveiling go as expected?

    Bill Gates:
    Welcome to the next level of home video game enter

    ANNOYING POPUP!-HI THIS IS MEGAN FROM CRAPSMELL, NJ AND I LOVE JAY-Z, WOOOOO!

    its processing power will make its extensive library of

    RANDOM SNIPPET OF VIDEO!

    the Xbox2 will retail for

    HEY ITS CARSON DALEY, LOOK AT HIS HAIRLESS CHEST Aieeee!

    --
    Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
  18. Re:In Other News... by daeley · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wait, am I thinking of a different channel? Please don't tell me the "M" is for "Microsoft."

    The "M" is for "Marketing."

    Marketing killed the video star.

    --
    I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
  19. Re:Interested maybe, not, kinda? by corsican · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dude, they have that already. They call it a "PC."

    --
    --If something I said could be taken two ways, and one of those ways made you cry, then I meant the other way.
  20. Microsoft marketing genius by PhatboySlim · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Am I the only one who sees this as a genius marketing move? How long have consumer electronics been debuted at trade show events without any coverage except on Tech/G4-Tv.

    MTV may no longer play music videos, but they get great ratings, and specifically within those great ratings is the hard to reach demographic that the XBOX should appeal to.

    Congrats to Microsoft for being the first to figure this out. Keep an eye out for Sony to follow their lead if this works out well.

    --
    Be sure to remember the Programmers Prayer
  21. Re:This will be running a G5, right? by javaxman · · Score: 4, Interesting
    How long before someone figures out how to get OS X running on one of these? Or, if it's easier to get a PPC Linux distro installed, then it's just a matter of

    If we're taking bets, I'm going to guess ( for no good reason, without justification ) there's nothing like a Northbridge on this thing, so PPC Linux first.

    Besides, you're not breaking a software EULA to get Linux working on your Xbox, doesn't that mean anything to you people ?

    Damn, I need a sarcasm key for that last line.

    And no, not a 'G5'. Something like it, but likely not actually a G5. A 64-bit PowerPC chip. Not a G5. Though the difference might be slight... it could be significant. The "Cell" for the PS3 is a PowerPC chip, too, but it's quite different from the PowerPC 970.

  22. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion