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X07 Not Happening This Year
For the first time since 2004, there won't be an XO event in Europe this year. Gamespot suggests that Microsoft's annual press event is superfluous this year, as last year it fell directly within the timeframe of the Halo 3 launch. "Speaking on the E3 podcast of Microsoft fan site Squad XP, Xbox Live marketing manager Aaron Greenberg flatly said that 'There's not a real X07 this year.' And while Microsoft's official spokespersons refrained from comment, last night Xbox Live director of programming Larry 'Major Nelson' Hyrb posted a small note (pictured) on his heavily trafficked blog morosely confirming X07's demise."
It would have been nice to at least give a short description of what XO is. From the blurb, we do understand it has something to do with Xbox, but for those of us who aren't Microsoft zealots, XO means nothing.
There are so many inaccuracies in this post that I don't know where to start.
1. The 360 is selling poorly? Look at the user base.
2. Peter Moore was fired? Uh, no, he resigned, and he received a 7-figure golden hello from EA to compensate him for lost earnings at Microsoft. Why would EA give him over $1 million if he was on the street?
3. Execs sell shares all the time. At a company the size of Microsoft, I'd be shocked if you could find a single month in the last 10 years where one exec or another wasn't selling off some of his stock.
4. HD-DVD is dead? Most people don't even know what HD-DVD or Blu-Ray are but you're ready to declare a winner already? What else can you see in your crystal ball?
And those are just the ones that jump out. Almost every statement that you've made is challengable on some level.
I'm sure that most people who know Microsoft will tell you that losing money on Xbox in generations 1 and 2 probably doesn't faze them at all. Screwing it up the first time, making a semi-decent product the second time and then getting it right on the third attempt is practically a tradition at Microsoft.
Right now, this generation of consoles looks like being a big win for Nintendo, with Sony and Microsoft slugging it out for second place. But write off Microsoft at your peril.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
Now that is provably false. The XBox sold a mere 24 million units in the 4+ years it was on the market. In comparison, the 360 sold about 10 million units in the first year. Unless sales fall off dramatically, Microsoft is still in a better position than they were with the XBox.
In addition, movements like Wii60 are causing many gamers to see the 360 as a companion to the Wii rather than a competitor. This has driven the consumer thinking of, "I'll use the Wii for 'fun' games, then use the 360 for FPSes, Simulations, and HD Entertainment." I see this thinking on a daily basis, so it would appear to be working.
I'm no fan of Microsoft, but they've done just as much right with the 360 as they have done wrong. I'm actually *happy* that they've screwed up the hardware yields so royally as it's one of the few things keeping them from getting a stronger hold on the market.
This is true. However, Microsoft doesn't actually need Japan to sell well. Japan is the center for quite a bit of gaming, but there's enough game development elsewhere in the world to keep Microsoft's machine running.
According to VGCharts, Microsoft has managed about 3.18 million in non-Japanese international sales compared to their 6.5 million domestic sales. That's hardly "a fairly small number". In fact, it's about 30% of their market.
The truth is that the 360 has expanded Microsoft's hold considerably. It's costing them a very large fortune to hold it, but it would be foolish to let it slip through their grasp now.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
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