Microsoft Aims to Boost the 360's Family Appeal

Bloomberg is reporting on Microsoft's efforts to be more inclusive to 'family' game players. Essentially, Micrsoft admits they're looking to Nintendo as the generation leader this time around, with low cost and family appeal driving their sales numbers ever higher. To that end, Microsoft is looking at a possible price cut and shift in strategies to appeal to a broader audience. This dovetails with comments made by Bill Gates at the AllThingsDigital event regarding motion controls in the future of the console. "Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer wants to avoid the fate of the first Xbox. The console appealed mainly to hard-core gamers, generally males between 15 and 29 years old, and trailed Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 in sales by a 5-to-1 margin ... Microsoft's initial attempts to target children didn't live up to the company's expectations. A November game called Viva Piñata, in which kids build a garden and raise animals that look like piñatas brought to life, didn't make it into the top 20, even with a Saturday morning cartoon created to promote the game." It might not have sold, but VP was an awesome game.

Comments

Excellent work.

[WhatAmIDoingHere]

You've managed to spell Microsoft incorrectly.

5 internets for you!

Exclusive scoop : The secret strategy exposed

[BlackCobra43]

It's pretty simple, really; package a Wii with the 360. The Wii60 package will be a force to be reckoned with and will leave the PS3 in the dust.

Two More

[goodenoughnickname]

Fix Theconstantbreaking

Game Suggestion

[rlp]

Microsoft should create a new line of games for kids. I suggest starting with Super Mario Monopoly. You play an Italian plumber who's running a very very large software company. Your opponent Bowser runs a search engine company. You play by taking money from consumers, collecting other small companies, and throwing chairs at your opponents. Fun for the whole family!

I have a better one

[Anonymous Coward]

It's called "Uncle Festers house of fun", it involves chair throwing, imitating everyone else and making childish threats over unspecified "IP". It'll be fun for all the family, children of all ages can now learn to emulate Microsoft's psychopathic behavior.