LiquidSolid
Member
Wasn't that true last year anyway? A real improvement would be only in-engine footage of first party titles.
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Microsoft FY2015 Q3: 1.6M 360+XBO Shipped
- Thread starter ZhugeEX
- Start date
Wasn't that true last year anyway? A real improvement would be only in-engine footage of first party titles.
gundamkyoukai
Member
Could be but since Sony also have there own show i expect them to save stuff .
For eg PSX could be first time we see GOW4 gameplay .
Obliterator
Member
Very true. I bet they'll save some big stuff like GOW
pixelation
Member
See?, that's news to me! Thanks dude.
Nightengale
Member
Yup.
The CGI trailer narrative is overblown. It's only 3 games in the last 10 minutes of the event.
Ascenion
Member
Well there's some interesting news. I'll buy a slim Xbox One if only for more desk space (college student).
LiquidSolid
Member
I thought so. It's still pretty shitty though, announcing a bunch of 2016 games with CG trailers because they're too early to show gameplay.
WhiteRabbitEXE
Member
So is "Xbox is doomed" the new "Nintendo is doomed"?
pixelation
Member
...Neither is new as far as i know...
Night Angel
Member
Are you saying it's unreasonable to be underwhelmed/worried when the XB1 is down (sales) YOY (this quarter) with a price reduction?
I'm more concerned than anything personally
GoonerTRON
Banned
Looking forward to desperate Ms this gen, more exclusives hopefully!
Hans.Gruber
Banned
Don't think so, the EU (excluding UK) is scorched earth for X1 (1:4 sales ratio vs. Sony in Germany IIRC).
MS must show the good stuff in Vegas when US mainstream media will be there.
No need to be concerned. Xbox is a vehicle to get young people on MS ecosystem, if Win10 4 free fails you can be concerned. Anyways it's -24% revenue in a slow Quarter, not profits.
sg-1000 barely counts, I don't think it was released outside of Japan? THIRD CONSOLE CURSE IS REAL!
They were juniors, so yeah, it's permanent.
GHG
Gold Member
I think all signs are pointing towards this being their last generation in the dedicated console hardware business.
This e3 will be the most significant e3 in the brands history. They need some heavy hitters, and fast (like 2015 fast).
The biggest issue they face is that most people who are in it for the long running franchises like halo and Forza will have most likely already bought a console due to there already being 2 Forza games and the halo collection.
So where do they go from here? All that's really left in terms of big hitters that are tied to the brand is Gears really. I'm not sure how many consoles Fable will move, especially considering the direction they are taking the franchise.
This is what happens when you neglect and misuse your 1st party for so long. All those franchises/studios that they have neglected and allowed to fall to the waste side such as PGR, all the Rare games, rallisport, the RPGs from last gen, etc mean that out side of the couple of regular exclusives (Forza and halo) they don't really have much that is synonymous with the brand anymore. There hasn't really been a long term strategy with their 1st party and it really shows now. Buying 3rd party exclusives only gets you so far.
Meanwhile Sony is only just warming up in terms of their 1st party this gen. Big hitters and long standing franchises that are synonymous with the playstation brand like Gran Turismo, Uncharted, God of War and Ratchet have yet to have iterations release this gen, but yet the console is still selling like hot cakes.
Xbox is in trouble this gen no matter how you try and spin it.
This e3 will be the most significant e3 in the brands history. They need some heavy hitters, and fast (like 2015 fast).
The biggest issue they face is that most people who are in it for the long running franchises like halo and Forza will have most likely already bought a console due to there already being 2 Forza games and the halo collection.
So where do they go from here? All that's really left in terms of big hitters that are tied to the brand is Gears really. I'm not sure how many consoles Fable will move, especially considering the direction they are taking the franchise.
This is what happens when you neglect and misuse your 1st party for so long. All those franchises/studios that they have neglected and allowed to fall to the waste side such as PGR, all the Rare games, rallisport, the RPGs from last gen, etc mean that out side of the couple of regular exclusives (Forza and halo) they don't really have much that is synonymous with the brand anymore. There hasn't really been a long term strategy with their 1st party and it really shows now. Buying 3rd party exclusives only gets you so far.
Meanwhile Sony is only just warming up in terms of their 1st party this gen. Big hitters and long standing franchises that are synonymous with the playstation brand like Gran Turismo, Uncharted, God of War and Ratchet have yet to have iterations release this gen, but yet the console is still selling like hot cakes.
Xbox is in trouble this gen no matter how you try and spin it.
Hans.Gruber
Banned
MrCookiepants
Member
So sales are even worse than last year when they were flopping. Oh my.
ChosenPredator
Banned
I doubt this is their last generation - I see this as only the beginning of going down the correct path. It'd be a waste of potential things like hololens/minecraft and whatever else they are so vigorously working on. The focus of meshing all their products into one ecosystem.
I'm pretty positive the games are going to be steller and at the end of the day if your not a numbers guy the gamers are going to win from whatever they decide to spit out in desperate mode.
I could see the next Xbox after this basically being a Windows PC with the Xbox app front/center for (easier) crossplay purposes but I can't see this being the last gen for Xbox. They are doing too much integration work right now and I can't see them wanting to completely dump the money they are making from Live.
Forza probably -- I don't agree with Halo though. There are people (PS4 owners included) who are waiting for Halo 5 to come out to buy the system as it's the first true Halo for this current gen.
hydrophilic attack
Member
Well, he's only saying that there will be more gameplay than CG. Not that there will necessarily be more gameplay and less CG than last year. The conference could be 51 % gameplay and 49 % CG and that tweet would still be true.
BrokenIcarus
Member
Anyone pull out the chalkboard yet? No?
Oh well Xbox had a great holiday fueled mostly by super aggressive price cuts. The question was always if they could sustain that.
Oh well Xbox had a great holiday fueled mostly by super aggressive price cuts. The question was always if they could sustain that.
hydrophilic attack
Member
So, you're saying they would turn Xbox into a PC where you would have to pay for online? They should just give up on the spot if that is their great plan for the future.
I'm simply speaking in terms of the next system's build as they really seem to be pushing crossplay and that would seemingly make things easier for that feature.
But honestly, is this really much different from now though? The Xbox One is getting a ton of updates outside of just gaming making it more than just a gaming box obviously.
__________
Yeah, I think we'll see a slim model earlier than last gen; Sales from new people as well as current Xbox One owners who want a replacement.
NoPiece
Member
Well, the FY2015 Q3 results that started this thread don't seem particularly healthy.
It isn't about Microsoft vs Sony, it is about whether Microsoft's greater interests are served by being in the shrinking console business, or are they better off focusing on mobile, tablets, desktop, and cloud services. When Microsoft is considering it's existential competition, it is worried about Google, Apple, Amazon, and even Valve, not Sony.
Everyone thought the battle for the living room was going to determine the future for companies like Microsoft, but it turns out that convergence happened in people's pockets instead, and Microsoft totally missed the smartphone and tablet market. That's really where they need to recover, and they are a little bit with Surface. If Microsoft pulled out of the console market, what would the negative be for the company?
I agree in terms of comparing it to last gen but I think it would be a good way to get more sales as some current Xbox One owners would get it too.
Honestly wouldn't be too surprised if we'll see a new model in 2016.
NoPiece
Member
I agree just trying to make PC users pay additional money for Gold would fail. They already tried with GFW and it didn't work at all.
But there are other ways to try and get that money. What if they did something like making Windows 11 available via a $10 a month subscription, and it included access to Office and was bundled with all the Xbox Gold functionality? So you aren't paying for it directly, but they are using it to make a Windows subscription palatable.
geordiemp
Member
I think hardware can be attractive in its design and capabilities in itself....
So I would say 360 was an attractive piece of kit in its time as it was so efficient and strong for its vintage and generally praised.
Surface 3 looks cool and a viable approach to the market. imo.
Xb1 is often viewed as a miss step in hardware optimisation by todays gaming hardware by many, not sure what MS will do as its too late to change it.
So I would say 360 was an attractive piece of kit in its time as it was so efficient and strong for its vintage and generally praised.
Surface 3 looks cool and a viable approach to the market. imo.
Xb1 is often viewed as a miss step in hardware optimisation by todays gaming hardware by many, not sure what MS will do as its too late to change it.
GHG
Gold Member
Ok, so since you seem to be so knowledgable on this subject can you point me towards these figures? Preferably ones in 2015.
Most things are pointing towards them transitioning "xbox" into a service, such as windows (PC, tablet and phone) integration and cross play/buy. They have already rebranded their media player on the windows platform to being "xbox" so moving forwards I think we are just going to see the lines blur more and more and for it to just become an ecosystem spanning multiple platforms. Eventually they will just have a streaming service and no dedicated console hardware to speak of IMO. I also see Sony going in this direction for what it's worth but the feeling I have is that Microsoft will move first on it due to the long standing internal debate that they seem to be having about the console hardware business and whether it has been a worthy venture or not from a profitability standpoint over the last decade and a half.
No doubt there are people waiting and it will move consoles but I'm not sure it's on the scale it once was. Especially considering the MCC debacle and the fact that many long standing fans don't have faith in 343 to take the series forward in the right direction.
Wouldn't you normally go with a price cut first to clear in channel stock, then roll out a new slim model? So depending on sell through, you'd have a price drop heading into the holidays, then a slim intro in q1 to boost sales through the quieter first half?
I agree that Microsoft are like likely to move towards a model that doesn't necessarily require a big box. They have time to see how their new xbox on PC strategy pans out before that though. Also hololens being standalone hardware works well with that approach too - VR requires strong local hardware so it would put demands on a Ps5, but hololens would work just as well with a lower powered box under the TV which streams games.
I agree that Microsoft are like likely to move towards a model that doesn't necessarily require a big box. They have time to see how their new xbox on PC strategy pans out before that though. Also hololens being standalone hardware works well with that approach too - VR requires strong local hardware so it would put demands on a Ps5, but hololens would work just as well with a lower powered box under the TV which streams games.
Randomizer123454444
Member
To catch up with PS4, Xbox needs to:
- Have equal or greater number of desirable games than PS4
- Have a perception that it's easy to play games with it
People will forgive everything and come in droves, as long as you have unique games that are desirable to play. But here is a mistake that these big companies make: the brand new FPS, Desert Shooter Bang Bang, isn't something very unique or desirable in a world of multiplatform Call of Duty and Battlefield. Watered down Zombie Massacre Simulator isn't something unique either. What should MS do to get unique games? I'm not sure. Aggressively pursuing indies? They are not AAA games, but AAA games usually want to be multiplatform anyway, thanks to high development costs.
I'm hoping MS will have something exciting to show at E3. They can turn this around, if they take the right approach.
- Have equal or greater number of desirable games than PS4
- Have a perception that it's easy to play games with it
People will forgive everything and come in droves, as long as you have unique games that are desirable to play. But here is a mistake that these big companies make: the brand new FPS, Desert Shooter Bang Bang, isn't something very unique or desirable in a world of multiplatform Call of Duty and Battlefield. Watered down Zombie Massacre Simulator isn't something unique either. What should MS do to get unique games? I'm not sure. Aggressively pursuing indies? They are not AAA games, but AAA games usually want to be multiplatform anyway, thanks to high development costs.
I'm hoping MS will have something exciting to show at E3. They can turn this around, if they take the right approach.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
Thats not a good result.
Bioshocker
Member
So Microsoft are in a similiar state as Nintendo were with the Wii U after the same period of time on the market. They've failed to get owners of their old platforms to upgrade to the new ones. Nintendo lost their audience to mobile gaming and social media gaming, Microsoft's lost them to Sony.
A lot of 360 owners, myself included, have bought a PS4 instead. And I think very few of them will end up owning both consoles (although I personally will). These customers are lost for this entire generation.
A lot of 360 owners, myself included, have bought a PS4 instead. And I think very few of them will end up owning both consoles (although I personally will). These customers are lost for this entire generation.
Hans.Gruber
Banned
http://www.trefis.com/stock/msft/mo...IDER_4f3bafbafd3829ea10eeb9593465b445f02c1004
On this site you can pretty much find out for yourself, that Xbox accounts for 170m$ of MSFT profits. Office and Dynamics is at 17 billion $.
Important takeaway for you: Xbox is peanuts. But profitable peanuts. So a drop in revenue (not profits) for a Quarter means as much as you losing 25 cents on the streets. Seriously, I bet the CFO of MS doesn't even know what Forza and Halo are exactly.
But losing Xbox would mean losing living rooms/young people and be a PR desaster.
GHG
Gold Member
I've never said they will lose xbox. But what they are doing is changing what "xbox" is and means. If you can't see that then you can't have been following much over the last couple of years.
The acquisition of Minecraft is key to the transition as it means they will be able to keep millions young people locked in no matter what they do next, even if that means moving away from dedicated console hardware. They want "xbox" to be bigger than just a console. It's now becoming an ecosystem spanning multiple devices. Already, the majority of the devices out there with "xbox" on them are not consoles.
And the battle for the living room isn't even where the big bucks are anymore.
And for what it's worth what you linked still doesn't give you any definitive information on the xbox divisions profits since it's grouped with the surface and windows phone divisions. But the fact they group all of those 3 things together in their reports should tell you everything you need to know in terms of the direction the division is heading in.
Hans.Gruber
Banned
OK moving target, I get it. Ask 100 people in the streets what "xbox" is and then you will see, that all your speculations are unfounded in the forseeable future. Xbox means dedicated hardware. But maybe you can produce other sources that back up what you are speculating about.
It's common to lump minor divisions together. Closest number available.
John Bender
Banned
Yeah, it's way too early for a PS4 or Xbox One Slim-Version.
2016 (or even 2017) is my guess.
Yep, terrible numbers.