Why Microsoft's Keeping the Next Xbox Under Wraps

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Why Microsoft's Keeping the Next Xbox Under Wraps

Posted by Soulskill on Monday March 26, 2012 @06:33AM from the still-figuring-out-how-to-make-it-infinitely-social dept.

donniebaseball23 writes "Microsoft recently confirmed that it's not going to be talking at all about its next Xbox, codenamed Durango, at this year's E3, instead keeping the focus on Xbox 360. Forbes columnist Chris Morris explains that Microsoft likely doesn't have games to show for the system yet — and why should they take the focus off Xbox 360, which currently has a lot of momentum? Ultimately, though, the decision not to show the next system 'could have a ripple effect on the rest of the industry,' he says. And by pushing Durango's unveiling back a year, 'Microsoft could find itself going head to head with Sony in a battle of features, even if the machines don't hit shelves at the same time.'" The latest rumor is that an ARM-based Xbox 'lite' is planned for 2013, with a true successor to the 360 coming some time after that.

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My personal opinion by MasterMan · 2012-03-26 06:33 · Score: 4, Insightful

I think that while Microsoft would certainly like to release the new Xbox already, they are afraid of doing so. Not because of Sony, but because of Nintendo.

The last generation surprised everyone on the console front. Hardcore gamers kept playing with PS3 and Xbox360, but Wii ultimately won the round by attracting general population into gaming. Suddenly you had millions of new people introduced into gaming, especially girls. While Microsoft has always produced quality products and by far they are the best on the industry on lots of products, they don't know how to capture that market. They want it badly, but they want to look how Nintendo succeeds with their Wii successor. By delaying the release they can learn from Nintendo's mistakes and hit them hard next year and become the #1 of next generation consoles.
1. Re:My personal opinion by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-26 06:37 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Well, the red ring of death would seem to indicate that MS's gear isn't always the highest quality...
2. Re:My personal opinion by P-niiice · 2012-03-26 06:40 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Wii won in unit sales, but they have turned a generation off with a (yes, huge-selling) fad device and continued rehashes of old franchises.
  
  If they don't steal some core players from MS and Sony, they're sunk this time around. they need to out-power the big boys and deliver some adult games that compete with the exclusives that Sony and MS own.
3. Re:My personal opinion by djdanlib · 2012-03-26 06:53 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  I recall that Microsoft did everything they could to deny the issue (including telling retailers not to process returns) until the magnitude of the problem became so obviously large that a hardware redesign and recall was required. Were you around Slashdot back then? It was full of stories about that. I do think we are partly to blame for them finally owning up to it, quietly though that was.
  As for the PS3, I have no idea how Sony handles it, but that may be because I don't purchase Sony products anymore. Nintendo has excellent customer service according to the reviews I've seen, although I nor nobody I know ever had to send their Wii in for service - even after blatant abuse by children, animals, drunk roommates etc.
4. Re:My personal opinion by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-26 06:55 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  The red ring of death issue was majorly overestimated...
  I do, however, appreciate Microsoft's honesty and not trying to hide the issues from users.
  Wow. Why do you shill for MS?
  From Tech Digest [www.techdigest.tv] - A survey of retailers has found that as many as 30 percent of all Xbox 360s are being returned for repair. This goes against Microsoft's assertion that Xbox 360 is well within standard industry failure rates of 3 - 5 percent.
  From HCW [www.hardcoreware.net] After vehemently denying there being a problem, Microsoft has finally caved in and extended the warranty of the XBOX 360 another 3 years across the board, for those who have the RED RING OF DEATH problem.
  I could go on and on and on... Use google and see how MS really treated their customers when the RROD was first reported.
5. Re:My personal opinion by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-26 06:56 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Really? An estimated 33% of Xbox 360s were sent back for repairs and you think it's overestimated because it has some lights on the front? Both the Wii and PS3 have hundreds of error codes, along with warning lights and beeps that inform the user of a problem.
6. Re:My personal opinion by blackicye · 2012-03-26 07:20 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  The red ring of death issue was majorly overestimated, and you know why? Because Xbox360 actually does show error messages on failure while PS3 and Wii do not. It became it's image, just like the blue screen of death. Image wise it would had been better for MS to just show nothing in both cases. I do, however, appreciate Microsoft's honesty and not trying to hide the issues from users.
  Because the PS3s and Wiis kept failing, and their owners cluelessly continued using them and enjoying their games until this day for many of the consoles?
  As opposed to the Xbox 360 developing the RROD which you otherwise could have mistaken for normal operation in some cases as early as 3 to 6 months after purchase, and often repeatedly after getting it back from RMA, and being such a fiasco that the warranty was retroactively increased to 3 years?
  Hmm you have a point I guess, or not.
7. Re:My personal opinion by tgd · 2012-03-26 07:31 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Wii won in unit sales, but they have turned a generation off with a (yes, huge-selling) fad device and continued rehashes of old franchises.
  And, more to the point, lost *badly* in game sales. There are a LOT of people with Wii consoles, and most of them have Wii Sports and maybe another game or two.
  That didn't put Nintendo out of business, as they don't sell the Wii at a loss, but it sure limits the upside of each sale. Sony and MS make dramatically more money per console sold, because they sell so many more games per console.
8. Re:My personal opinion by AngryDeuce · 2012-03-26 07:38 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Yeah, okay dude.
  I don't actually know anyone that hasn't had to replace their Xbox 360 console at least once due to it either getting the RRoD or that bullshit where it just stops reading the fucking discs. I'm on my third, the first one died 2 years after purchase, sent it in and got it replaced, it died again about a year and half later (just after the 3 year extended warranty, of course), so I had to purchase a new one out of pocket since obviously I'm not about to just say fuck it when I've got like 40 games and a ton of accessories for it. Now that one is even making a grinding sound and taking forever to load discs so I'm sure I'm going to have to replace that one soon, too. At least I can keep using it as a Netflix box, I guess, but considering I've invested already $700+ dollars into it ($500 for the Elite that died, $200 for the replacement Arcade unit), that does little to soften the blow.
  My PS3 and Wii are both still going strong 5 years later. My Playstation 2 is still going strong (although I admit I had to readjust the laser height at one point) and I bought that at least 10 years ago, my N64 still works at 15 years old, my SNES, NES, and Gameboy still work, they're all over 20 years old. Hell, my original Xbox even still works (although I hardly ever use it, not since I last played through KOTOR 1 & 2 a year or so ago in preparation for The Old Republic).
  My point is, obviously there is something different about the 360 when all these other consoles are still going strong after so many years (and I put more hours than I can count on some of them, I'm big into JRPGs, so my PS2 had many, many 12 hour days, as did my SNES). Meanwhile, it seems like you fucking breathe on a 360 funny and the thing self-destructs.
  I admit, I don't know what the quality is like with the newest consoles with the redesigned cases and ventilation and everything, but Microsoft really screwed the pooch with their older models. Either that, or it's all a ploy to get us to buy the same fucking console over and over again, in which case I'd say they succeeded spectacularly. I know one thing, I'll be damned if I buy the next one right away. I'm giving them at least 2 years to get the kinks worked out first because lord knows they're probably going to need it. I'm not even a Microsoft hater, I've put a lot of hours on my 360, but nowhere near what I've put on those older consoles, and certainly not enough to justify it's ridiculous failure rate even just in my own personal experiences, and like I said, I don't know anyone that has had a vastly different experience than I have with the hardware.
So much for the traditional 5-year lifespan by crazyjj · 2012-03-26 06:42 · Score: 5, Insightful

Just keep in mind, MS and Sony, that every year your systems age is another year for more of your users to look at their friends' new PC's and say "Wow, that blows away my console!" Being more-and-more obsolete is not a good position to be in in the videogaming world. Every time I've turned away from consoles in the past, it's been because I was impressed by how advanced the PC's had gotten compared to the consoles.

--
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
1. Re:So much for the traditional 5-year lifespan by Joehonkie · 2012-03-26 06:44 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I know, Microsoft loses so much when you buy a Windows PC.
2. Re:So much for the traditional 5-year lifespan by 0123456 · 2012-03-26 06:45 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Every time I've turned away from consoles in the past, it's been because I was impressed by how advanced the PC's had gotten compared to the consoles.
  Fortunately 90% of PC games are now just crappy console ports so they don't have to worry about the PC looking better.
3. Re:So much for the traditional 5-year lifespan by Xphile101361 · 2012-03-26 07:02 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Damn, wish I could do those sort of things on the computer.
4. Re:So much for the traditional 5-year lifespan by 0123456 · 2012-03-26 07:27 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Within a few phone generations (which are remarkably short) we'll have pretty staggering graphics capability on our cell phones.
  Indeed. In a few years you might be able to play a game on a tiny phone display which looks as good as a current console.
  You might even be able to play it for ten minutes before the battery goes flat.
5. Re:So much for the traditional 5-year lifespan by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-26 08:52 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  So you're a Linux user, eh?