Xbox 360 Details and NYC Store

Gamasutra is reporting on some new Xbox 360 details, released today by Microsoft at the Game Developer's Conference Europe (GDCE). From the article:"Quick voice chat with Xbox Live friends will be available at any time on Xbox 360, even if the player is currently using another game. The game will simply pause and the voice conversation will be carried out - the game automatically mutes any other in-game voice." Additionally, the Seattle Times has piece up indicating that Microsoft is planning on battling Nintendo in the streets of New York City, with a possible Times Square store of their own. From that piece: "A retail store would dovetail with Microsoft's recent efforts to raise its profile in New York, an area that generates more than $1 billion a year in business-software sales for the company. New York is also home to the media giants Microsoft is courting with its software for distributing and protecting music, movies, games and television."

Comments

Just marketing

[Red Flayer]

Wow, it's pretty impressive when the suspected plans of a marketing department are news in and of themselves.

Is MS working on brand image? Of course, any big player in any retail industry is.

The real interesting tidbits from the article are:

The President of China is going to the compound of Bill Gates to meet with him.

A huge Chinese real estate company might purchase WTC7 to attract Chinese businesses.

Seems to me like the article about MS was just an excuse to drop a juicy tidbit or two about China-related business.

That's handy!

[OK PC]

- Default, game independent 'gamer profiles' on Xbox 360 will include some extremely broad, optional settings which all games will check, including difficulty levels, Y-axis inversion setting, preferred car transmission type (automatic or manual), and a handful of other extremely common game settings. There is then a requirement that game, on its first boot, checks those optional settings, so if the player always uses FPSes with inverted controls, he will never have to reset it in individual game cases.
This is really useful and innovative. I don't know why they don't talk about it more!

Re:MS Paid For Karma Bombing Slashdot

[vertinox]

Why do people need to defend consumer products so vigorously?

Oh geez. Didn't you watch the indoctrination video when you became an American consumer? You know clause #2: It is your duty as a consumer to pick a brand and defend your choice and support this one brand of product to the death! Failure to do so will mark you as a socialist commie bastard who doesn't support capitalist competition...

Anyhoos....

I could explain this phenomenon as something called consumer loyalty. Many consumers will take offense when told they didn't pick the brand that had the best options which implicates that they were just ignorant people for failing to buy a superior product. I think many people often feel attached or relate to their physical possesions as an extension of their persona. If you insult their car or home or favorite brand of beer they feel personally offended.

I think some of this has to do with corporate advertising and consumer mentality of america.

Personally, I'd like to own them all if I could... Oh wait a minute...