• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Microsoft FY2015 Q3: 1.6M 360+XBO Shipped

Intrigue

Banned
You do realise that it took Sony nearly an entire generation, cost them nearly half their user base and cost them an insane amount of funds to get back in the good graces of the community?

So why should all be forgiven for Microsoft 2 years removed from them trying to do things far more heinous than anything Sony tried to pull?

Because in America, Nobody is left behind, we are all winners, and everyone needs 2nd/3rd/4th/5th/..... chance.
 
You do realise that it took Sony nearly an entire generation, cost them nearly half their user base and cost them an insane amount of funds to get back in the good graces of the community?

So why should all be forgiven for Microsoft 2 years removed from them trying to do things far more heinous than anything Sony tried to pull?


I'm going to guess the difference between the 2 is one of them actually went through with it.
 

Swass

Member
I'm going to guess the difference between the 2 is one of them actually went through with it.

What exactly is this "it" you are referring to? As far as I'm aware all Sony did was have extreme hubris with the reveal and launch, have a terrible price point, and did not include rumble in their controller for reasons. If you mean they left bluray in the system. well that was a fundamental part of the system design so I don't think it could easily be reversed.
 
You do realise that it took Sony nearly an entire generation, cost them nearly half their user base and cost them an insane amount of funds to get back in the good graces of the community?

So why should all be forgiven for Microsoft 2 years removed from them trying to do things far more heinous than anything Sony tried to pull?

I am pretty sure cumulatively Sony did worse than MS basically doing a poor version of steam, which people are fine with.

Just imagine where Sony would be if they didn't work very hard with money to bring the PS3 back.
 
My guess is that if CoD really doesn't have an exclu deal with MS anymore, they are more likely to go platform Agnostic. But I guess we'll see, the rumor is that Sony indeed picked up the tab (and I can't imagine why with already Battlefront and possibly MGS V in the fall). :shrug:

Well I work for Microsoft* and from what I hear which is not the most reliable so take with grain of pudding, I that COD just won't have any exclusive deals, done because MS wants to put a huge amount of marketing with Halo which would be cut by also promoting COD. Put all the butter on the bread and spread it yum.

I personally think this is a logical guess regardless of the unreliable source.

*Retail store lol.
 

DieH@rd

Banned
Oh wow.

We're never going to know the X1/360 breakdown, are we?

PS4 really almost sold 2 million in two months!? What was even out then?

Does that mean we don't yet know numbers after games like Bloodborne and ...what other major games released with BB anyway? Battlefield?

Yeah, PS4 sold really really great in January and February, proving that it is the console of choice of majority of console gamers worldwide. The number of games being out is not that much important anymore, PS4 is for many "best console for multiplatform games" and is most desirable console on the market.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1003288

Sony's financial report for last quarter will be out in a week. Then we will know a bit more about PS4 sales.
 
My guess is that if CoD really doesn't have an exclu deal with MS anymore, they are more likely to go platform Agnostic. But I guess we'll see, the rumor is that Sony indeed picked up the tab (and I can't imagine why with already Battlefront and possibly MGS V in the fall). :shrug:

I think this is the most reasonable scenario. For Sony to acquire marketing rights to both Battlefront and COD is quite... overkill.
 

Servbot24

Banned
So why should all be forgiven for Microsoft 2 years removed from them trying to do things far more heinous than anything Sony tried to pull?

Because I don't care about Microsoft. I care about video games. If MS makes good video games right now, and sells them with a fair business model right now, I will buy them right now. "Forgiving" is something fanboys do, because no one else would hold a grudge against a corporation for trying to make money in the first place.
 
What exactly is this "it" you are referring to? As far as I'm aware all Sony did was have extreme hubris with the reveal and launch, have a terrible price point, and did not include rumble in their controller for reasons. If you mean they left bluray in the system. well that was a fundamental part of the system design so I don't think it could easily be reversed.

That's all Microsoft did too basically the difference is they didn't launch with the controversy and you're saying that they should suffer as long as sony did because they didn't do something.
 

BibiMaghoo

Member
That's all Microsoft did too basically the difference is they didn't launch with the controversy and you're saying that they should suffer as long as sony did because they didn't do something.

That is kind of debatable. The Xbox One everyone owns is the same one designed to do those things they reversed. The hardware itself will always be a legacy of those poor choices, and could have been more had they made better ones. I agree with the posts a few up that you don't really hold grudges against a console, but it certainly informs purchasing decisions and mistakes tend to stick in peoples minds. Branding is important to consumers, and they damaged it regardless.
 
You do realise that it took Sony nearly an entire generation, cost them nearly half their user base and cost them an insane amount of funds to get back in the good graces of the community?

So why should all be forgiven for Microsoft 2 years removed from them trying to do things far more heinous than anything Sony tried to pull?

Nobody has to forgive or forget anything. We can all choose not buy stuff (which many people did). But AFAIK this was supposed to be a thread about analyzing a financial report.
Then it became "ok since MS lost 24% revenue in Q3 compared to 2014, let's speculate what MS will do once they get out of the business really hard". Mostly by people who don't even know the difference between revenue and profits and always forget that MS is a ~360bn$ company.
I know many people don't like financial stuff, but for those who do this thread is disappointing. Another console war thread, ok.
 

Conduit

Banned
I love you gaf.
Anyway, I contacted a mod, so I'll wait for the go ahead.
But yeah, since this thread is about financials it's off-topic.

But, to contribute a little bit, Amy Hood just said that Q42015 (apr-jun) is going to show increased revenues in comparison to Q42014.
EDIT: in the xbox division (gaming and devices)

I read that they expect higher sales. How they know how sales will be in the next few months?? Well, expectations is one thing, reality is another thing.
 

Guevara

Member
I read that they expect higher sales. How they know how sales will be in the next few months?? Well, expectations is one thing, reality is another thing.

From the CFO's perspective, she cares about shipping more units out to retailers. Not really what happens after that. She is very likely right: retailers will burn through some inventory and Microsoft will ship more into the channel.
 

EatMyFace

Banned
I don't know something as far as time frame or potentiality. but I'm very confident that they are going to abandon the Xbox console. Well, maybe not abandon. If it makes them money they will keep it, but when speaking about promotion and market share push, that's going to disappear. They have other solutions to the problem whileaintaining a presence in the living room.
I'm pretty confident I know what their e3 "never been done before" surprise is as well. And yes, it's pretty big
Since you're claiming no inside info then this means this is just your thoughts/opinion right? Go right ahead and state your opinion then. That is allowed.

EDIT: Mod has stated we move on. Will do.
 

twospoons

Banned
Apparently the market didn't mind. The stock is up over 8% so far today.

MS did however make it explicit that they would not make hardware they were losing money on again (after the first xbox), I wonder what the margin is on the XBO now.

I wouldn't be surprised if they look at decreasing their cost of revenue on the XBO with a new form factor.
 

joecanada

Member
Because I don't care about Microsoft. I care about video games. If MS makes good video games right now, and sells them with a fair business model right now, I will buy them right now. "Forgiving" is something fanboys do, because no one else would hold a grudge against a corporation for trying to make money in the first place.

so if you cared about water, and a company sold good water, and it poisoned your family and later you saw that water at a good price, you would just buy it again because "they were trying to make money"....

There's no comparison to MS here, but don't try to make it seem like business is just business and there is no consumer trust or ethics involved in business dealings.
 

Conduit

Banned
From the CFO's perspective, she cares about shipping more units out to retailers. Not really what happens after that. She is very likely right: retailers will burn through some inventory and Microsoft will ship more into the channel.

They can't ship more units to retailers if their warehouses ( or shelves ) are full of Xbones. That's a one problem. Another problem is slow sales.
 
Because I don't care about Microsoft. I care about video games. If MS makes good video games right now, and sells them with a fair business model right now, I will buy them right now. "Forgiving" is something fanboys do, because no one else would hold a grudge against a corporation for trying to make money in the first place.

Amen. Too many hurt feelings over business. If you don't like it don't buy it. If they change, and you like it now, buy it.
 
so if you cared about water, and a company sold good water, and it poisoned your family and later you saw that water at a good price, you would just buy it again because "they were trying to make money"....

There's no comparison to MS here, but don't try to make it seem like business is just business and there is no consumer trust or ethics involved in business dealings.

What in the world? So MS, is not poisoning us by abandoning a dumb vision before the console even launched?

This comment is special.
 

Zil33184

Member
That's all Microsoft did too basically the difference is they didn't launch with the controversy and you're saying that they should suffer as long as sony did because they didn't do something.

They did fuck up on launch with the focus on TV and Kinect. What was supposed to be a next gen games console was designed and marketed as a next gen media centre with a gimmicky and incomplete interface. When it came to games, the OS and development tools were in such a bad state Sony pretty much KO'd them in the face-offs.

Microsoft still have a ways to go before they turn it around. Microsoft were and still are behind in first party development dating back to the 360 and Kinect is still a debacle. Sales aren't stellar and getting big name third party exclusives might be a thing of the past. They also haven't added a share play equivalent and are starting to lag behind Sony on that front. It'll be even worse for them if initiatives like Morpheus and PS Now take off.

On the bright side, despite their blunders the gaming press never really turned on them the way they did with Sony all throughout last gen when Xbox was declared the victor.
 
They can't ship more units to retailers if their warehouses ( or shelves ) are full of Xbones. That's a one problem. Another problem is slow sales.

Generally, a company is approximately, able to anticipate to a relatively good degree of accuracy, how much they'd be selling over the next few months, because they should be relatively well aware of how much their stock-holding levels are.
 

Servbot24

Banned
so if you cared about water, and a company sold good water, and it poisoned your family and later you saw that water at a good price, you would just buy it again because "they were trying to make money"....

There's no comparison to MS here, but don't try to make it seem like business is just business and there is no consumer trust or ethics involved in business dealings.

If they poisoned my family they would not be a business anymore.

It's more like,
"We're going to put additives in the water!"
"Ok, well I'm not going to buy it then."
"Oh. Well I guess we'll just sell pure water after all."
"Thank you."

Business IS just business, and if it becomes anything more to you, you need to take a step back from gaming.
 
Trust me, there will be a scorecard which is red if a division of any size misses its targets. That red will roll upwards and they will be held accountable for it.
You mean one of the biggest businesses in the world is run like a business? Shocking! :D

We have scorecards too, and when we fuck up we see red (but we don't fuck up).

To think MS will just sit there and continuously dump money into a falling product year after year is silly - MS isn't in business to sell Xboxes, they're in business to make money. After years of the department losing money, people should start thinking about whether or not the mindshare opportunity MS sees in the division is still worth it. There is a breaking point, and if the XB1 underperforms there's a chance (how big of one no one knows) that MS will wash their hands of the console industry.
 

Feorax

Member
You mean one of the biggest businesses in the world is run like a business? Shocking! :D

We have scorecards too, and when we fuck up we see red (but we don't fuck up).

To think MS will just sit there and continuously dump money into a falling product year after year is silly - MS isn't in business to sell Xboxes, they're in business to make money. After years of the department losing money, people should start thinking about whether or not the mindshare opportunity MS sees in the division is still worth it. There is a breaking point, and if the XB1 underperforms there's a chance (how big of one no one knows) that MS will wash their hands of the console industry.

As has already been pointed out, the whole raison d'etre of the Xbox was to compete in the battle for the living room. That fight ended when everyone got their own personal little screen to consume media.

Both Sony and Nintendo seem to have accepted this, and are simply vying to be a part of this ecosystem now. I'm not sure where Xbox in it's current form or long term vision fits into this.
 

scrambles

Neo Member
I read that they expect higher sales. How they know how sales will be in the next few months?? Well, expectations is one thing, reality is another thing.

MS in the last 7 quarters has now beaten expectations that they themselves have set and that analysts have set (sometimes higher than MS internal speculation).

I'm not entirely sure how they will post more revenue in the next three months. I think the surface is part of the same division as xbox, so they could either be expecting surface to bring in this amount, or if not, they are going to have a pricedrop or redesign of some kind. I don't see anything anywhere that would result in higher xbox sales.
 
You mean one of the biggest businesses in the world is run like a business? Shocking! :D

We have scorecards too, and when we fuck up we see red (but we don't fuck up).

To think MS will just sit there and continuously dump money into a falling product year after year is silly - MS isn't in business to sell Xboxes, they're in business to make money. After years of the department losing money, people should start thinking about whether or not the mindshare opportunity MS sees in the division is still worth it. There is a breaking point, and if the XB1 underperforms there's a chance (how big of one no one knows) that MS will wash their hands of the console industry.

Well said! There is a perception out there that XB division has a limitless credit card and can spend and incur loss without consequence.
 
You mean one of the biggest businesses in the world is run like a business? Shocking! :D

We have scorecards too, and when we fuck up we see red (but we don't fuck up).

To think MS will just sit there and continuously dump money into a falling product year after year is silly - MS isn't in business to sell Xboxes, they're in business to make money. After years of the department losing money, people should start thinking about whether or not the mindshare opportunity MS sees in the division is still worth it. There is a breaking point, and if the XB1 underperforms there's a chance (how big of one no one knows) that MS will wash their hands of the console industry.

Where is the proof for these statements? Since Xbox numbers are reported accumulated with Lumia and Surface, how do you know? If the devices segment is in the red you can start talking, but now?
 
As has already been pointed out, the whole raison d'etre of the Xbox was to compete in the battle for the living room. That fight ended when everyone got their own personal little screen to consume media.

Both Sony and Nintendo seem to have accepted this, and are simply vying to be a part of this ecosystem now. I'm not sure where Xbox in it's current form or long term vision fits into this.

Not really, that's why they are desinged Windows 10 as it is, to get the livng room.
 

twobear

sputum-flecked apoplexy
xbox is definitely on the way out, at least as a console. they've been trying this for over a decade and have failed at everything they hoped to achieve. and this generation, their console is marketed towards AAA gaming but is selling BBB numbers.

i agree that i don't think they'll get rid of the brand. but there will not be an xbox two and at this point it's mere delusion to think otherwise.
 

scrambles

Neo Member
Not really, that's why they are desinged Windows 10 as it is, to get the livng room.

Yes, part of their goals for the future are to go pc streaming to the tv. They've invested a lot into having their own chromecast-like dongle, and windows 10 is perfectly suited for tv interaction.
 

Sydle

Member
xbox is definitely on the way out, at least as a console. they've been trying this for over a decade and have failed at everything they hoped to achieve. and this generation, their console is marketed towards AAA gaming but is selling BBB numbers.

i agree that i don't think they'll get rid of the brand. but there will not be an xbox two and at this point it's mere delusion to think otherwise.

It may not be called Xbox Two, or whatever, but they won't stop making a device for the TV as long as it's a major screen where consumers expect to be able to play their games. They can't say "our goal in gaming at Microsoft is to allow people to play games wherever they are" and stop making a device for the TV. Sony, Apple, Amazon, Valve, and Nintendo aren't going to play along and allow Windows 10 + Xbox Live on their systems, so Microsoft is going to have to provide their own solution.

I think there may be a range of devices in the future bearing the Xbox moniker, ranging from small-form PCs to SteamLink type devices for those who already have a capable gaming rig and just want to play their Xbox games on other screens in the house.
 
xbox is definitely on the way out, at least as a console. they've been trying this for over a decade and have failed at everything they hoped to achieve. and this generation, their console is marketed towards AAA gaming but is selling BBB numbers.

i agree that i don't think they'll get rid of the brand. but there will not be an xbox two and at this point it's mere delusion to think otherwise.

Impossible otherwise they need to restuct how windows 10 works.
 
To think MS will just sit there and continuously dump money into a falling product year after year is silly - MS isn't in business to sell Xboxes, they're in business to make money.

Since you're privvy to that information, let us in on what you know. I mean, the only info I have is that the Xbox division has been profitable since the RRoD 1B writeoff fiasco.

xbox is definitely on the way out, at least as a console. they've been trying this for over a decade and have failed at everything they hoped to achieve. and this generation, their console is marketed towards AAA gaming but is selling BBB numbers.

i agree that i don't think they'll get rid of the brand. but there will not be an xbox two and at this point it's mere delusion to think otherwise.

Nevermind. Let me leave before my eyeballs roll out.
 
Wasn't that the whole point of Windows 8 though? And the "Metro" UI?

Maybe I'm just being naive, but it seems as though that ship has long sailed.

Windows 8 wasn't made to really be an entire ecoysytem, it was more like a test (which is why with Windows 10 they want evryone on the same OS.)

Windows 10 will have many features across mutlipel devices acessed the same way, and those device access the same store for the most part as well as the same apps. Something that windows 8 flopped with.

In fact I don't think Windows 10 did anything right but take up less space and run fast depending on the manufac of the device.
 
xbox is definitely on the way out, at least as a console. they've been trying this for over a decade and have failed at everything they hoped to achieve. and this generation, their console is marketed towards AAA gaming but is selling BBB numbers.

i agree that i don't think they'll get rid of the brand. but there will not be an xbox two and at this point it's mere delusion to think otherwise.

The 360 was pretty damn successful for them. I think its "delusional" to have decided they're definitely not releasing a new console. Given the architecture moving over to be so similar to PCs and their cross-buy/play initiative I think it makes it a much more realistic option they'll go for another box with similar PC parts again to keep things simple and less expensive.

Then again you've gone on record to call the Xbox One a crap product, so its probably what you're hoping, rather than actually expecting.
 

Conduit

Banned
This was addressed earlier in the thread.

I don't think Xbone wins globally just in the US. The overall point was to counter the notion of a 3:1 sales split in favor of the PS4. The Xbones holiday sales will be enough to prevent that.

I thought about your post that Xbone will win from Oct. to Dec. because Halo 5. Quite ambitious actually. As i said, time will tell.
 

twobear

sputum-flecked apoplexy
It may not be called Xbox Two, or whatever, but they won't stop making a device for the TV as long as it's a major screen where consumers expect to be able to play their games. They can't say "our goal in gaming at Microsoft is to allow people to play games wherever they are" and stop making a device for the TV. Sony, Apple, Amazon, Valve, and Nintendo aren't going to play along and allow Windows 10 + Xbox Live on their systems, so Microsoft is going to have to provide their own solution.

I think there may be a range of devices in the future bearing the Xbox moniker, ranging from small-form PCs to SteamLink type devices for those who already have a capable gaming rig and just want to play their Xbox games on other screens in the house.

MS in general has been going back to their roots somewhat, putting their software on every machine. there's no space in that future for the kind of walled garden that exists in the console space.

The 360 was pretty damn successful for them. I think its "delusional" to have decided they're definitely not releasing a new console. Given the architecture moving over to be so similar to PCs and their cross-buy/play initiative I think it makes it a much more realistic option they'll go for another box with similar PC parts again to keep things simple and less expensive.

Then again you've gone on record to call the Xbox One a crap product, so its probably what you're hoping, rather than actually expecting.

the 360 was successful.......once they moved away from everything that made it a 'games console' and turned it into a set top box with game playing capabilities. why do you think MS started this generation by trying the same trick again?

MS wants windows 10 on whatever box you have under your TV; it being an xbox is optional, and from their point of view, a big investment for little gain.
 
MS in general has been going back to their roots somewhat, putting their software on every machine. there's no space in that future for the kind of walled garden that exists in the console space.



the 360 was successful.......once they moved away from everything that made it a 'games console' and turned it into a set top box with game playing capabilities. why do you think MS started this generation by trying the same trick again?

MS wants windows 10 on whatever box you have under your TV; it being an xbox is optional, and from their point of view, a big investment for little gain.

You're looking at the console space individually, think of Xbox as just another device like surface instead, because outside of specific features(like all devices) and games, Xbox One is not going to be a walled garden and neither will the supposed next xbox.\

Windows 10 was made to put everything together and to have options that use it to pull people in at different areas removing multi-million selling products doesn't make sense.
 
Until I'm able to use windows 10 with a remote well, its going to not get the living room. They got the interface right with 8 but using a remote with it was horrible

Windows 8 did a lot badly. Windows 10 it looks like they actually looked athat they were doing of course we will find out.
 

twobear

sputum-flecked apoplexy
also, i think that the current state of xbone represents, pretty much, MS's worst possible revenue expectations for the product. remember that originally they planned to make money through advertising. when the consumer backlash killed the always-on connection and kinect, that went up in smoke. then they're dramatically outsold by their competition to compound their issues.

xbone can't be considered anything but a failure from MS's point of view. 'selling worse than the competition' is not a laudable goal, and it's not what MS planned. they might be able to salvage something, but whatever it is, it's always going to have been mangled by the wreck that was their launch.
 

Sydle

Member
also, i think that the current state of xbone represents, pretty much, MS's worst possible revenue expectations for the product. remember that originally they planned to make money through advertising. when the consumer backlash killed the always-on connection and kinect, that went up in smoke. then they're dramatically outsold by their competition to compound their issues.

xbone can't be considered anything but a failure from MS's point of view. 'selling worse than the competition' is not a laudable goal, and it's not what MS planned. they might be able to salvage something, but whatever it is, it's always going to have been mangled by the wreck that was their launch.

They did? Like, that was the primary method by which they were going to make money?

MS in general has been going back to their roots somewhat, putting their software on every machine. there's no space in that future for the kind of walled garden that exists in the console space.



the 360 was successful.......once they moved away from everything that made it a 'games console' and turned it into a set top box with game playing capabilities. why do you think MS started this generation by trying the same trick again?

MS wants windows 10 on whatever box you have under your TV; it being an xbox is optional, and from their point of view, a big investment for little gain.

Agreed. In the future they're not going to care how they get Windows 10 + Xbox Live under your TV, or any other screen for that matter.
 
Top Bottom