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Colin Was Right: Xbox's E3 Gambit (Feb 23)
- Thread starter Icolin
- Start date
tiredheadcrab
Member
I agree with pretty much everything he says. Except maybe the Xbox games on PC. I dont think MS is loosing as many sales on hardware as Colin likes to think. Plus you are still buying into the xbox ecosystem when you do anyway.
I actually am in the same boat that Scorpio will be marketed as a new Xbox console, or at least MS will treat it as such and eventually drop support for xbox one in like 2020. It will be a faster xbox one sure. But Scorpio 2 will be a faster scorpio and so on. I think they will drop the Xbox one brand name on the system and market it as new hardware. I am sure the PS4 Pro was what they had in mind when they were designing this, but seeing how they are a ways off from launch they have had time to pivot.
I actually am in the same boat that Scorpio will be marketed as a new Xbox console, or at least MS will treat it as such and eventually drop support for xbox one in like 2020. It will be a faster xbox one sure. But Scorpio 2 will be a faster scorpio and so on. I think they will drop the Xbox one brand name on the system and market it as new hardware. I am sure the PS4 Pro was what they had in mind when they were designing this, but seeing how they are a ways off from launch they have had time to pivot.
I'm pretty sure they're simply not producing a lot of them. They started to sell out again after the 'Beast Mode' news and this is something only really dedicated people would really know about.
Jaguar Victory
Member
When did they announce the price? Stop trying to downplay the system before you even see it. That's not constructive.
RichiRamjag
Member
What the hell do you need to know other than its limited to the same games as the x1? If it had actual exclusives, it would be pretty damn awesome. I'm sure the games will look great and that awesome for people who want that, but folks are acting like it does more than announced.
If it has 100% BC including discs (I assume it will), and they can show a new Halo at E3 taking full advantage of hardware? That's gonna tempt me and I've never owned an XBox.
7DollarHagane
Banned
Microsoft is on the back foot and almost on their ass.
I cant imagine any Xbox only owners not being a little jealous of the last few months of ps4 only titles.
Never count them out but I'm worried that this is just going to make them stick to their halo/Forza/gears/buy another exclusive strategy.
That isn't going to get more Xbox one owners.
I cant imagine any Xbox only owners not being a little jealous of the last few months of ps4 only titles.
Never count them out but I'm worried that this is just going to make them stick to their halo/Forza/gears/buy another exclusive strategy.
That isn't going to get more Xbox one owners.
VectorVictor
Member
It will if it's the superior console hardware on the market and Microsoft's exclusives support it. Plus, Microsoft is really going to be the first one to *sell* the brand ecosystem of gaming (not unlike buying into an Android or iOS ecosystem)--something Sony really dropped the ball on so far with the PS4 Pro.
QuantumZebra
Member
No, because PS4 Pro clearly wasn't a mistake. It's the bridge to hold everyone over till PS5.
In fact, if it plays out the way I think Sony has it planned... we will see:
PS4 Pro holds the graphics and power crown till Scorpio drops, and even then serves as a bridge in the power gap... 6 months to 1 year later we will get rumors of the supercharged PS5, and everyone will forget about Scorpio.
Its damned genius, if that is what they were hoping to do.
Ppl are going to rush out and buy Scorpio at a premium price just to play the same tired games with some visual embellishments? I don't see that happening.
Microsoft's problem is that they don't have strong compelling exclusives. An uprated Xbox that still only plays Xbox One games isn't going to change that.
Microsoft's problem is that they don't have strong compelling exclusives. An uprated Xbox that still only plays Xbox One games isn't going to change that.
Jaguar Victory
Member
Some people are upset because he didn't like the idea of a PS4 Pro but is a bit more bullish on the Scorpio. In some people's minds Pro = Scorpio.
I actually don't believe for a second that Scorpio won't have exclusives. Maybe not year 1, but they will come.
xabbott
Member
I wonder if that has more to do with global distribution. In the US there hasn't been a shortage. Especially online. There's even been sales, and games tossed in during the holidays and even this past weekend with Newegg/Ebay frontpage.
As far as Scorpio. I've mostly played XB1 this gen despite having all the consoles. Now that I have a pro I thought I would play it more but its hard to leave behind certain things. I'm fine with the Scorpio being my third party machine and the pro being Sony exclusives/Japanese game console. I don't think it's going to make an impact on global market but at least in the areas where they do well they have something for the tech hungry fan base that don't want to go to PC.
Jaguar Victory
Member
Does a GF1080 suck because it pays the same games as the GF950? Can we be excited about new hardware making games look better?
I'm expecting a similar performance as the Pro in regards to sales.
MeisterLeder
Banned
Uhm they will have all the big AAA 3rd party games this fall alongside State of Decay 2, Crackdown 3, Forza 7 and Sea of Thieves.
I dont see whats the issue here.
It's really silly -- especially considering that many people that say that having games on PC hurts console mostly play multiplats on a console (i.e.: games available on PC).
Most of the top selling Xbox and PS4 games are on PC. The gaming console industry as a whole would be in trouble if having games on PC hurt. People buy consoles to play popular games -- whether those games are exclusive or not.
I do agree with others that the Scorpio will more than likely be advertised as a new Xbox and break away from Xbox One branding outside of talking about game and accessory compatibility. No game exclusives but simply different branding to separate itself from the Xbox One to give the console more attention.
Yes to this. :|
Lord of Ostia
Member
They need to have a killer E3 with an amazing software lineup if they want Scorpio to be some huge success. Otherwise it's gonna perform similar to PS4 Pro, if not worse depending on price and the fact that it's a beefier Xbox One instead of a beefier PS4. They also don't have VR to leverage it, though maybe they will announce some sort of partnership for that at E3. I just don't see people abandoning the PS4 ecosystem for Scorpio just because it's more powerful, when multiplats are going to run similarly no matter what. Also the Xbox exclusive lineup at the moment doesn't look like a console pusher.
Trust me I won't, there was tons of other stuff to disagree with in there lol
SenjutsuSage
Banned
The forum is going to be fucking epic during E3. 
Get the popcorn ready!
And, yes, like someone else said, stop underestimating the significance of big 3rd party releases. Microsoft's consoles are never only defined by what exclusives they possess, but for all we know Microsoft may actually have an exclusive that breaks the forum. Let's see what they do at E3. Will be fun to see either way.
Get the popcorn ready!
And, yes, like someone else said, stop underestimating the significance of big 3rd party releases. Microsoft's consoles are never only defined by what exclusives they possess, but for all we know Microsoft may actually have an exclusive that breaks the forum. Let's see what they do at E3. Will be fun to see either way.
InterMusketeer
Gold Member
To be honest, I'm not really sure what the point was to this video. In any case, I don't agree with its conclusion.
His first point is that Microsoft will do their press conference a day earlier, which is somehow good. That just sounds like desperation to me. The problem was never that their conference was on monday, or even that it was the first for E3. The problem was that the announcements themselves were underwhelming. People would remember their conference after E3 if it was good. It never really was. This year's E3 is not going to be any different because of an earlier conference. It will stand or fall based on the announcements contained within, like always.
Like others have said before in this thread, the Scorpio won't change a thing either. The Xbox is simply not as appealing to a lot of people, and offering somewhat better hardware to purchase won't do much to change that I imagine. I think the only way Microsoft can attract new customers is by increasing software output, add truly new and unique features, or lower the price.
Then he mentions software, and how Microsoft can't really compete with Sony. Well that's the entire issue, now isn't it? Nothing has really changed in terms of dev studios or software output for Microsoft, so all signs point to them having a lackluster line-up yet again. He says Microsoft could "win E3" by showing the games they've already announced. Games that, as far as I can tell, most people just don't care about as much. As long as they don't realese compelling software, they will always be in the shadow of the other companies.
So his point just seems to be exactly what he put in the video description: Anything could change in the blink of an eye. Yeah, just like every moment. Nothing is particularly special about Microsoft or this year's E3. They could turn it all around, but there's honestly no reason to assume this.
His first point is that Microsoft will do their press conference a day earlier, which is somehow good. That just sounds like desperation to me. The problem was never that their conference was on monday, or even that it was the first for E3. The problem was that the announcements themselves were underwhelming. People would remember their conference after E3 if it was good. It never really was. This year's E3 is not going to be any different because of an earlier conference. It will stand or fall based on the announcements contained within, like always.
Like others have said before in this thread, the Scorpio won't change a thing either. The Xbox is simply not as appealing to a lot of people, and offering somewhat better hardware to purchase won't do much to change that I imagine. I think the only way Microsoft can attract new customers is by increasing software output, add truly new and unique features, or lower the price.
Then he mentions software, and how Microsoft can't really compete with Sony. Well that's the entire issue, now isn't it? Nothing has really changed in terms of dev studios or software output for Microsoft, so all signs point to them having a lackluster line-up yet again. He says Microsoft could "win E3" by showing the games they've already announced. Games that, as far as I can tell, most people just don't care about as much. As long as they don't realese compelling software, they will always be in the shadow of the other companies.
So his point just seems to be exactly what he put in the video description: Anything could change in the blink of an eye. Yeah, just like every moment. Nothing is particularly special about Microsoft or this year's E3. They could turn it all around, but there's honestly no reason to assume this.
kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Scorpio could be a diversion tactic. Ultimately, MS is more concerned about keeping their Windows OS relevant in the smart phone age. Windows 10 is far more important to Redmond than Xbox One.
I believe MS is going remove the distinction between consoles and PCs by adding an "Xbox Mode" to Windows 10 that would be able to run both Xbox One and Xbox 360 games. There'd be hundreds of millions of Xbox One compatible PCs in one stroke. It would be the logical step for Microsoft after making the Xbox One run on Windows 10, introducing Universal Apps and Xbox Play Anywhere. If MS would allow other manufacturers to make their own "Xboxes", they could completely crush Sony's dominance in the consoles market. And scare the bejeesus out of Valve.
I disagree at a slightly obtuse level. And here's why.
Consoles have actually done this many times - everything from Atari's 2600/5200/7800 to Famicom Disk Drive PC Engine SuperGrafx, to discrete DSPs like SuperFX and so on - but more importantly, gamers used to buy small personal computers as consoles because they had better tech. Players who didn't care that a Commodore 64 or BBC Micro or Atari ST or Amiga, was even a computer at all. They just wanted the games (and frankly, easier piracy) and those all spanned generations by making incremental or radical improvements.
And I'm not even counting handhelds, with Game Boy Color, DS, 3DS etc.
And the tech improvements have shifted from memory and capacity to GPU and CPU (and memory).
My point being that the phenomenon is actually a long-standing one for gamers specifically. And for devices in general (including consoles).
That's my beef.
Yeah I'm hoping they have more than just the games they've been showing the last few years, I think Cuphead and Crackdown 3 have been shown like the past 2 or 3 E3s and I still haven't seen release dates yet
Besides Forza/Gears/Halo obviously
MatrixMan.EXE
Member
The video was a good watch I think. I guess my feelings are that I still don't understand why there are large swathes of people that think this will change anything. I'll give it to Microsoft that their vagueness at E3 2016 and letting that bubble for a year is doing them favours as far as hype goes, but will this thing live up to the hype? Who knows.
Another thing I noted in the video was the mention of exclusives. In an ideal world, Microsoft would be going ham, flashing their cash about buying up third party and second party exclusive games, building up new studios to compete with the likes of Naughty Dog etc. but where are these games going to come from? That's also assuming that Microsoft is even interested in taking those kinds of risks anymore. If I had to guess, I'd say no.
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with their approach to games at the moment because as far as I'm concerned it's just the reality of their situation as a platform holder, but it's definitely not a future what their most ardent fanboys are probably picturing. Just not sure a beefier Xbox One that plays the prettiest version of Destiny and Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to cut it.
Another thing I noted in the video was the mention of exclusives. In an ideal world, Microsoft would be going ham, flashing their cash about buying up third party and second party exclusive games, building up new studios to compete with the likes of Naughty Dog etc. but where are these games going to come from? That's also assuming that Microsoft is even interested in taking those kinds of risks anymore. If I had to guess, I'd say no.
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with their approach to games at the moment because as far as I'm concerned it's just the reality of their situation as a platform holder, but it's definitely not a future what their most ardent fanboys are probably picturing. Just not sure a beefier Xbox One that plays the prettiest version of Destiny and Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to cut it.
PdotMichael
Banned
What changed? Xbox gets outsold by Playstation year after year like forever. Microsoft never fixed their poor standing outside of the USA.
get2sammyb
Member
As I posed earlier in the thread, who's going to make them?
I don't either. It's the only way Scorpio has a chance of moving a lot of units. All this talk of beast-like power is irrevalent when it can't even be used to offer new gameplay experiences.
I think MS should accept they've lost this gen and drag the Xbox One S for a couple more years while putting their efforts into a real 2020/1 X1 successor. Such a strategy has the benefits of ditching the tarnished Xbox One name and potentially getting a headstart on the PS5.
This Scorpio project is dumb because the console will be limited to being a machine that simply enhances games made for a 2013 platform (if what Ms is saying is true).
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
I wouldn't say I'm jealous considering 3rd parties have been delivering great games to.
Lord of Ostia
Member
This is the question, there aren't as many players in the industry as there used to be, especially big players capable of delivering AAA exclusives. Microsoft has a few studios of their own, but they've all either just released a game, or we know what they are working on and it's not extremely exciting. So...who is going to do this? All the third party exclusives on Xbox One performed poorly, and the studios that made those have all moved to PS4 exclusives or multiplatform games. Games don't just appear out of thin air.
Doug Heffernan
Member
Microsoft definitely needs to step up their first party game. They certainly tried hard in the beginning but unfortunately had a lot of bad luck with the bets that they made (Obsidian, Black Tusk, Twisted Pixel, Ryse, Fable Legends, Scalebound, etc.) They need to execute better, which is an odd thing to say especially since Phil used to run first party back when they were doing so well in that area.
If they do that, they will be going back on their MULTIPLE statements that it is part of the XB1 family and they will all play the same games. I agree that they will need to have Scorpio exclusives eventually, but they are going to whip up a PR shitstorm if they do
how the games actually look ? the actual specs ? price ? and what the fuck does "limited to xbone" actually mean, its just a bullshit excuse to downplay the specs
you could run halo 5 or gears 4 on xbox 360 with lower settings and other cutbacks so why is it that important to cut ties with xbone in order to shine ? its a jump from 1.4tf or whatever to 6tf. that is a big jump no matter how you frame it. everything about this machine is an upgrade over xbone thats not something you can say about pro.
also that guy was talking like its all set in stone and his predictions are the lords gospel.
Sony has barely marketed the PS4 Pro
If Scorpio is just a Xbox One Pro, then it won't have a huge impact. Sony also can start double downing on actually marketing the Pro more this time and having. Perhaps some decent Pro Bundles, Gran Turismo Pro Bundle, Uncharted DLC Pro Bundle, COD Pro Bundle, Destiny 2 Pro Bundle and etc.
If Scorpio is just a Xbox One Pro, then it won't have a huge impact. Sony also can start double downing on actually marketing the Pro more this time and having. Perhaps some decent Pro Bundles, Gran Turismo Pro Bundle, Uncharted DLC Pro Bundle, COD Pro Bundle, Destiny 2 Pro Bundle and etc.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
The creator of Cuphead posted on here that the game is coming out this year.
Heavy's Sandvich
Member
Was a very fierce critic lats week but I agree with this one today.
xabbott
Member
Wii U was outsold by XB1. With some excellent first party devs, games, and cheaper price. So no, 25+ million doesn't mean it isn't appealing to enough people. Increasing first party output and having more exclusives is also not the only way to success. In fact chasing Sony's success would probably be a costly failure for most competition.
I think the play anywhere stuff, the way they handle save syncs, the much better network experience are some things they can lean on for a slower but successful way to gain consumer trust. Keep improving the windows store and court third parties to take advantage of the cross device features. If they could do what Valve was going for but in reverse (not easy I know) they could become a spot where people prefer having their library.
get2sammyb
Member
Or they could market all of those games alongside (what will be) a $200 PS4 Slim and absolutely explode. Which is what they'll do.
The Pro is a great console, but it's not mainstream. Just like Scorpio is unlikely to be when it'll be positioned next to a $200 Xbox One S that plays the same games.
It doesn't matter the casual market don't care. This is why the PS4 Slim is still selling like hotcakes because it's cheap and has all the games like COD and etc. I've told plenty of friends about the PS4 Pro and none of them are interested, in fact one of my friends bought a PS4 recently and bought a cheap slim for £200 with a game bundled.
Scorpio is not a new generation which means it won't have a huge impact.
Equanimity
Member
The forum is going to be fucking epic during E3.
Get the popcorn ready!
And, yes, like someone else said, stop underestimating the significance of big 3rd party releases. Microsoft's consoles are never only defined by what exclusives they possess, but for all we know Microsoft may actually have an exclusive that breaks the forum. Let's see what they do at E3. Will be fun to see either way.
Which games come to your mind?
I don't think Microsoft can reverse the fortunes of the Xbox One with the Scorpio. There's absolutely nothing Microsoft can sell to PC gamers hardware-wise thanks to Play Anywhere. I think Microsoft's biggest news coming from E3 is more exclusive games rather than the Scorpio being the center of attention.
First post stays winning.
Scorpio and Pro are mid-generation upgrades and will probably have very similar effects on their respective brands.
Calling one a mistake and expecting the other to turn its brand around shows a lack of common sense.
LukasTaves
Member
I didn't watched the video and won't, but it's clear Ms and Sony strategies are completely different.
Ms isn't just launching a more powerful console. The bigger bet is the universal platform, and how it will be a lot easier to develop for both at the same time.
And the potential of that is much bigger than just being a mid gen upgrade
Ms isn't just launching a more powerful console. The bigger bet is the universal platform, and how it will be a lot easier to develop for both at the same time.
And the potential of that is much bigger than just being a mid gen upgrade
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
Phil said in the past that they were never gonna sell PC audiences on Scorpio.