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The Successes and Failures of the XBox

Posted by Zonk on from the many-and-varied dept.

thegamebiz writes "Amped IGO continues its 'XBox Retrospective Week' with a great two-page feature breaking down exactly where Microsoft went right and wrong with the XBox. From the article: 'Both lists have included hardware and the acquisitions of developers, but both have ended by reverting to the big issue: games...No matter how many impressive technical specs are shoved down our throats we must remember one simple fact: in the end, it's all about the games.'"

2 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. ybox in the next six months. by GoNINzo · · Score: 4, Informative
    So the Xbox 360...

    SUCCESSES:
    5. VIRAL MARKETING: Check
    4. THE HARD DRIVE: Not the standard in all machines, which is major key to the original xbox. This might lead to a failure of the system.
    3. XBOX LIVE: Check, all your box are belong to us! More invasive than before, even.
    2. NORTH AMERICAN MARKET PENETRATION: Check, maybe, if the supply chain holds up.
    1. THE ACQUISITION OF BUNGIE: Check, sorta, they are still there but without any radical or life changing games in the pipeline. Time to ressurect Marathon?
    FAILURES:

    5. THE "DUKE" CONTROLLER: The new controller is a lot different. Until I actually use it...
    4. THE ACQUISITION OF RARE: This is going into the success column, I think, cause the new games they are working on.
    3. THE CANCELLATION OF TRUE FANTASY LIVE ONLINE: Check, still not there. I'm sure they'll be working on MMO's for xbox 360 though. Hard drive required.
    2. NO ASIAN MARKET PENETRATION: Without a massive games lineup change, I don't see this happening.
    1. LACK OF GENRE VARIETY: On launch, the differences between xbox 360 games and previous gen games is so small, I think this is a major failure.

    We'll see how the launch goes. Not much time left though...

    --
    Gonzo Granzeau
    "Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for.." -Roy Batty
  2. These "successes" by SetupWeasel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Are all overshadowed by the amount of money MicroSoft lost. Look, the Xbox 360 would need to be the most profitable console ever for MS to break even on this venture. No other company could sustain this level of loss. In fact, this sort of business model is precisely the sort of thing that our anti-trust laws should prevent. Microsoft must be paying some politicians a lot of money to overlook the Xbox subsidy in every Windows or Office license the government buys. It is a fucking joke to call this preversion of our economic system a success.