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[Dragon1893]

Like in every industry competition is beneficial for the consumer. Compare 2006 sony to 2013 sony. That happened because the competition gave them a much needed punch in the stomach.
If MS quits videogames someone will take their place. The market is big enough for 3 platforms, especially if they have different approaches that help broaden the appeal of consoles in general.

 

[Papacheeks]

Have you seen Titanfall?

Timed exclusive that doesn't come out till spring of 2014.

It looks great, but isn't the only game coming out.

 

[netBuff]

What makes you think that will happen? If it is a timed exclusive there is no way it's only 6 months.

I would say Titanfall will hit PS4 spring/fall 2015 if at all.

If TitanFall is EA's replacement for Medal of Honor as a two-year franchise, it would make sense to release TitanFall in fall 2014 for PS4 and then its successor in 2015. It seems pretty clear that the game is going to be on PS4 at some point, but as to the exact dates of their partial (console) exclusivity deal: We don't know them.

 

[Klocker]

Jeez, can we let this thing launch before we start talking about doom and gloom.

evidently not... I can't wait until about March NPD when the numbers roll in and ms is breaking hearts because so many are just expecting failure

Timed exclusive that doesn't come out till spring of 2014.

It looks great, but isn't the only game coming out.

well early 2014 is right when this thing takes off. Both consoles will sell all they can make until then

 

[Sapphire Dreams]

Yeah, I'm sure the xbox one will be fine..M$ isn't doomed.

Unless they'd want to sell off their xbox division...didn't investors want this or something?

It's ONE of many of Microsoft's investors. One can't control the direction of an entire company, Executive boards don't work that way, otherwise they wouldn't invest millions upon millions of their money on a new console.

 

[Tuck]

Xbox... doomed?

Nah I think it'll do fine. Eventually.

Timed exclusive that doesn't come out till spring of 2014.

It looks great, but isn't the only game coming out.

Pretty sure he was being sarcastic (Referencing Major Nelson)

 

[I H8 Memes]

I disagree with this analyst. I'm guessing that the Xbox 1 will finish a strong second place this gen far ahead of the Wii U, although with a sizable gap between themselves and the PS4. A second place finish will be an improvement for a MS console. The first Xbox finished a distant 3rd during it's gen, and when it's all said and done the 360 is going to finish in 3rd place for this generation. A solid second place finish in this gen will be an improvement for MS.

MS has too much invested in the console business to abandon it now. The only way they drop out is if they have the same kind of hardware problems with the Xbox 1 as they had with the 360. If that happens they are finished.

 

[Kater]

Xbox dies, Sony joins forces with Nintendo creating the Sontendo to compete with Gaben's Steambox.
The future looks great.

That's a utopian future you are talking about.

 

[DigitalDevilSummoner]

It's time for a British console made with a walnut finish to seize the day

And a built in coaster for your tea.

 

[system11]

In many ways, this COULD be the end of the line for consoles. At some point, it will be easier to give everyone a thin client machine, and have servers be the real consoles.

Services like Gaikai and OnLive will really take off once we get great broadband penetration in the US.

This is a dream. Not the broadband part, the 'having served games work well on connections with latency over a frame' part. It takes more than 40ms for traffic to meander its way through my ISPs own routers before reaching somewhere else, I have a 100mb line. You can give people all the bandwidth in the world but it's the latency that's the real killer.

I can tell you first hand how difficult and expensive it is even to get served desktop sessions running at an acceptable speed within a corporate network, why people think this can ever work for a high speed interactive application (gaming) is beyond me.

It's not going to stop them trying to sell it, of course.

 

[StevieP]

It's ONE of many of Microsoft's investors. One can't control the direction of an entire company, Executive boards don't work that way, otherwise they wouldn't invest millions upon millions of their money on a new console.

Much more than 1 investor wants the Xbox division gone.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

The game industry didn't die when Sega stepped out of the console race and it wouldn't die if Microsoft and Nintendo stopped making consoles either. Someone else would simply move into the space to compete as man others have said.

While Microsoft has certainly gotten off to a bad start, they can recover. They just need to maintain their stronghold in NO and the UK while being competitive in the European Union just like last gen. If Sony takes NA then their screwed.

 

[CoG]

I don't think they're doomed but it's pretty clear they blew it with the Xbone. They succeeded this gen because A) They were really focused out the gate and B) Sony fumbled day one. With the price delta, lack of first party, and lack of focus and vision, the only chance they have is to ride it out on brand loyalty which is a very limited audience (US/UK).

Looking at Microsoft's track record in CE it's a long string of failures. Xbox was immune to the fucktardary up until the Kinect/avatar age and in retrospect it's clear that's when their relationship with gamers started to falter.

As soon as Microsoft realizes that their living room vision is a pipedream I think they will come to the conclusion that they can make a decent amount of revenue being a software company and dumping all the headaches of owning the hardware. This may happen 5 years from now but there's no doubt in my mind it will happen.

 

[dezzy8]

As much as I despise MS right now. I do not believe that they are going to tank. The XBOX brand is just too strong in the US.

 

[Impeccable]

evidently not... I can't wait until about March NPD when the numbers roll in and ms is breaking hearts because so many are just expecting failure

You don't have to want a fail or be a fanboy to see Xbox One is in a questionable position right now. Pretty insane to pretend everything is going to be "okay".

 

[Omnistalgic]

Yes...but it's NOT AT ALL likely to happen...and the same is true for all three companies really, particularly Sony since the gaming division has been bleeding for a while and Kaz is turning around to profit.

No offense to OP...but it's not really work having a meaningful discussion about since it's extremely low X1 won't have some success....

 

[lunlunqq]

Who's Going To Take Microsoft Place?

Amazon? Lmao

Apple? LMao

Microsoft Isn't Going Anywhere. I thought this was Gaf, you people posting like i'm in systemwars.

Of course it's gonna be Samsung... or even better Tencent!!! All hail our new Korean or Chinese gaming overlords!! Gaming will be dominated by Asian companies once again!

 

[DragonSworne]

As much as I despise MS right now. I do not believe that they are going to tank. The XBOX brand is just too strong in the US.

Microsoft will just sell the xbox brand to Doritos and Mountain Dew so they can transform the Xbox brand into junk food targeted at gamers.

 

[DigitalDevilSummoner]

I do believe MS's core IPs Halo and Forza could do a lot better on the PC than Nintendo's IPs would. I mean PC is FPS territory at the end of the day and mario would hardly take advantage of high end graphics anyway.

 

[RukusProvider]

As long as another western powerhouse steps in to take their spot, I'm good with it.

I have no faith in Japanese companies to innovate online and focus on services for the platform.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

See my above post, they are losing marksetshare, if they can't reverse the decline they may just decide to pull out.

Seems like Sony is actually gaining marketshare going into the next generation based on pre-order numbers. Sure, it's early, but seeing that PS3 caught up and surpassed the 360 this generation (coming out a year later, people seem to gloss over that fact, the PS3 has year-over-year beaten the 360 if you look at sales numbers), looking at where the mindset is with the PS4 vs the XBO at this point in all of those polls and pre-order charts (which are all wrong obviously, even if they all show the same exact thing), I think Sony is probably feeling pretty good about their situation going into next gen.

And again, Nintendo and Sony and most companies out of Japan will fight tooth and nail for a position of notoriety for the respect of having tried if nothing else, while a company like Microsoft will look at financials on just about anything and bail on a whim if their previous record is any indication.

I don't want to see a game console go away, just like any product, competing products keep the center in line. But I don't for a minute believe Sony wouldn't go to the mat for the Playstation brand, while I have serious doubts that Microsoft would if it was easier to just abandon ship on it.

 

[Raxus]

Yeah, I think this has run its course. Let's see if we can elevate the discourse beyond tired memes.

Thank you Jesus m0dus.

 

[RayMaker]

Microdoomed?

fixed

 

[DragonSworne]

As long as another western powerhouse steps in to take their spot, I'm good with it.

I have no faith in Japanese companies to innovate online and focus on services for the platform.

I can easily see Nvidia or AMD try and replace Microsoft's spot in the market.

 

[BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO]

They'll be fine

Disappointing if that ends up happening. Competition, yo.

Nintendo would have to step their game up for sure.

 

[Syphon Filter]

Didn't MS say they have a 3 system deal or something like that?

 

[Doffen]

I hope it tanks. That will teach them not to fuck with Scandinavia.

 

[MikeXXIeaf]

Does anyone honestly think One will fail? I feel like I'm living in a different reality when I hear people rail against the console as if it's somehow marginally inferior to the PS4.

 

[alstein]

Yes...but it's NOT AT ALL likely to happen...and the same is true for all three companies really, particularly Sony since the gaming division has been bleeding for a while and Kaz is turning around to profit.

No offense to OP...but it's not really work having a meaningful discussion about since it's extremely low X1 won't have some success....

It's reasonable to argue mild success won't be enough. They are going to absorb a bunch of losses- and much of Microsoft's profit was in XBL, early adaptors to XBL paid around $350 in junk fees alone, which absorbed losses quite well.

Struggling early may lose Microsoft their most valuable customer- and having the junk fees on both consoles is going to strongly discourage double-dipping- you'll see very few folks own a 360 and PS3 , unlike this gen. There's less need for double-dipping, especially if the Xbone lacks a comparative advantage over the PS4- the previous gens Microsoft had a comparative advantage in the hardware and/or services.

While I don't think it will happen, I can see a scenario where Xbone struggles hard to get 25% market share in the US, and that would be a complete disaster for them, and would snowball as that would make it hard for them to get exclusive content.

 

[DigitalDevilSummoner]

I have no faith in Japanese companies to innovate online and focus on services for the platform.

I have no faith in consoles to innovate online personally. Unless inventing paywalls strikes you as innovative.

 

[JordanLMiller]

Oh no, Microsoft is doomed!

 

[sleepykyo]

You Guys Really Think The Industry Will Survive With Only Sony And NIntendo?

Like Be Real.

Competition Is Good.

It survived for decades without Microsoft. It survived the console segment crashing and landfills full of ET cartridges.

 

[Gemüsepizza]

Yeah, I think this has run its course. Let's see if we can elevate the discourse beyond tired memes.

I see you have banned the user which has posted this meme without warning. Does this mean this is now a banned meme? Or are there threads where it is allowed to post it?

 

[Lupin the Third]

In the last 6 years, my internet speed went from 10mbps to 75mbps for the same price.

In the last 6 years, my internet went from 5mbps to about...5mbps for the same price.

My anecdotal evidence is better than your anecdotal evidence.

I see you have banned the user which has posted this meme without warning. Does this mean this is now a banned meme? Or are there threads where it is allowed to post it?

Also, can we PLEASE have some sort of sticky list where users can see which memes/images are banned instead of walking on eggshells when using them?

 

[polyh3dron]

If Microsoft Goes The Game Industry Goes Also. How many threads will be made though? -__-

HaHa No

 

[mr teaspoon]

Analyst: If product doesn't sell, future business propositions potentially at risk.

 

[Bluekaveli]

Two first posters should be banned. So tired of both of those cliches.

Damn lol.

 

[Klocker]

You don't have to want a fail or be a fanboy to see Xbox One is in a questionable position right now. Pretty insane to pretend everything is going to be "okay".

quite the opposite actually

 

[Mononoke]

Dumb question:

Was the Xbox Gaming division (including Xbox Live) profitable for MS? And is so, was it profitable enough to justify the costs of being in the market?

 

[BlackProdigy]

If xbox one tanked and microsoft left the console space

I would be sooo happy

You'll Be Happy Hundreds Of People Lost Their Jobs? Wow

 

[1.21Gigawatts]

Without the Xbox360 the Ps4 wouldn't be that good.
Without the Ps4 the XboxOne would be even shittier.

We need competition.
But I think that we lose Nintendo pretty soon in the home console market. MS will stay.

 

[Uno Venova]

We'll see, I'm certainly not going to insist everything is going to be fine and dandy for the console going forward.

 

[Ushae]

Yep. The same is true for the Playstation. If either tank I think both parent companies will look long and hard at throwing in the towel - especially considering that neither division makes them a lot of money during good years.

Its a long term game, launch will only constitute a small portion of total sales. Only time will tell, i hope neither one tanks.

 

[Toma]

They wont tank, but they wont win next gen either. Weird some people only see this in black and white terms.

 

[Lucifon]

You don't have to want a fail or be a fanboy to see Xbox One is in a questionable position right now. Pretty insane to pretend everything is going to be "okay".

The thing isn't even out?! Preorders are selling out in most places. It's going to do just fine. The doom and gloom from some people on here is just plain stupid. Both of these systems will sell out of their stock.

 

[Copenap]

See my above post, they are losing marksetshare, if they can't reverse the decline they may just decide to pull out.

They lost market share once. Quite strange to conclude a trend from that and I'm pretty sure they will reverse it coming gen as everything is pointing towards it.

 

[pants]

Analyst: If product doesn't sell, future business propositions potentially at risk.

When there are clouds in the sky, best to prepare for a rainy day.

 

[alstein]

I have no faith in consoles to innovate online personally. Unless inventing paywalls strikes you as innovative.

This is why I think Microsoft leaving the market (and Nintendo reaching Jaguar-levels of irrelevance) would doom big-box console gaming as we know it. Sony would be rather aggressive with its monopoly, just like the PS2 days- except this time there are alternatives to console gaming that didn't exist 10 years ago, or weren't widely known- such as tablets and PC gaming.

We'd see the market adapt away from the AAA console experience- and that would lead to big changes. (probably good ones for consumers)

 

[CoG]

Dumb question:

Was the Xbox Gaming division (including Xbox Live) profitable for MS? And is so, was it profitable enough to justify the costs of being in the market?

It's been profitable the last few years but the returns are a drop in the bucket compared to their cash cows like Office and Windows. Plus the entire Xbox project is about $6B in the red but chalk that up to sunk costs.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

The premise of this thread is about as likely as Lebron forgetting how to dunk.

Next.