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[Agent X]

Technically, the full name of the show is Electronic Entertainment Expo, so it could encompass forms of entertainment that aren't strictly defined as "gaming" or even "interactive".

That said, most people have an expectation of E3 of a show that focuses on games.

Double edge sword really. Gamers (GAF) will be less than pleased with the E3 showing, however the more casual crowd may begin to sway to MS' side as they push a heavy media center focus & will likely build on that with their next system.

I agree with this. Some news outlets seemed considerably more impressed over Microsoft's deals with HBO or ESPN or using a motion camera to do a Bing search, compared to anything Sony or Nintendo had to show from a strictly "gaming" aspect. That's not to say Microsoft doesn't properly cater to gamers, just that when the media spotlight is on them they have a good way of talking up a multi-faceted approach to entertainment.

Perhaps there's a bit of reverse psychology involved. People might automatically assume that games will have strong representation on the show floor anyway, so Microsoft might be giving time in their conference to highlight non-gaming functions that aren't traditionally expected.

 

[Bgamer90]

Probably, but they've really been selling it these past few years. It's made for disappointing E3s at the very least. I didn't bother to even watch their conference last year.

Yeah and part of it is due to this gen coming to an end. They still want the 360 to sell well so they have to target it to people who don't already have one this late into the gen. I'm pretty sure that most core gamers bought a 360 before 2008/2009.

 

[Harlock]

If you not have games, and can´t show the next console, it´s what you have. But it´s a let down.

 

[CountAntonius]

Everyone just go with Nintendo, they are the only saviours next gen.

Maybe when they learn to do online gaming on par with the original xbox.

 

[Tookay]

I think there is that too. I have to deal with alot of younger gamers frequently for focus testing etc and I find that most of them who play 360 near exclusively basically dont care what happens as long as they have a Halo or Call of Duty to play.

Interesting; can't say it surprises me though. There's not the sort of brand loyalty around Microsoft that's there around the other two. I'd say it's even reflected in this forum. Not that we're a representative sample of the mainstream, or anything, but we certainly are representative of the more dedicated segment of the gaming community. You see Nintendo fanboys, Sony fanboys... Microsoft not so much.

 

[SeanR1221]

Calling it now. Mini console, no disk drive, used for apps and XBLA games, will be announced. It will be cheap, but only include a 4GB HDD (although you can use the newer Xbox HDD on it).

 

[Captain Tuttle]

It's a risky move imo but if they get some bad press out of their E3 conference they can just do a marketing push on games. They're probably got alot of people working on next-gen games so I guess this isn't unexpected.

 

[starmud]

well, games are on their way to becoming a service. for where MS seems headed.

just another feather in the cap of the 360?

 

[jet1911]

Well these new services better be fucking amazing.

 

[KingJ2002]

speak on the history of the 360 and it's accomplishments
showcase new xbox 360 / xbox live features
showcase third party support.. mix in thin first party lineup
big halo 4 feature
hint at the future.

end microsoft showing.



honestly... this is what i expect and it would satisfy. This generation is coming to a close... no need to have a huge show... save that energy for next year.

 

[Derrick01]

It's a terrible idea from gamer's perspectives. You're going to show up at a game conference and pimp your shitty apps that you need to pay $60 a year just to access instead of showing games? I hope they get booed off the stage but I'm sure they'll give out free 360s or some shit to all of the game journalists there to ensure applause and positive reviews.

 

[RukusProvider]

Good idea. Core gamers have made their bed and the hardcore that might deflect are easily overcome by the mass consumer market if the approach works.

Personally, I know that games will be there and my use case as of late has been using the entertainment apps. Expansion in this area is much more appealing to me than 1 or 2 more exclusives that year.

 

[Tookay]

I agree with this. Some news outlets seemed considerably more impressed over Microsoft's deals with HBO or ESPN or using a motion camera to do a Bing search, compared to anything Sony or Nintendo had to show from a strictly "gaming" aspect. That's not to say Microsoft doesn't properly cater to gamers, just that when the media spotlight is on them they have a good way of talking up a multi-faceted approach to entertainment.

I think everybody understands the business realities of such a decision, but it's difficult not to be disappointed that they're continuing in this trajectory.

 

[GillianSeed79]

it's gonna be: Halo 4 gameplay, COD playthrough of water level, Tomb Raider gameplay, Kinect footage, but what new service could they possibly be showing off?
Sounds like it's gonna be EXACTLY like E3 2011's presentation.

Except with more Apps and App-related graphs. I think I might take a shot every time someone mentions the word App on stage.

 

[dream]

well, games are on their way to becoming a service. for where MS seems headed.

just another feather in the cap of the 360?

Right. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive; you'll be able to play games and you'll be able to do other equally fun things too. Why try to keep things insular?

 

[GarthVaderUK]

The only thing I really care about at MS's conference at this point is seeing more Halo 4 - I'd love to see some XBLA stuff too but they usually don't bother showing much of that during their conferences so I won't get my hopes up on that front.

More services doesn't interest me greatly, they seem to have the things I care about already covered...maybe they'll surprise me?

 

[Bgamer90]

speak on the history of the 360 and it's accomplishments
showcase new xbox 360 / xbox live features
showcase third party support.. mix in thin first party lineup
big halo 4 feature
hint at the future.

end microsoft showing.



honestly... this is what i expect and it would satisfy. This generation is coming to a close... no need to have a huge show... save that energy for next year.

Agree and I agree with your predictions for their E3 conference (and the order as well).

It's a terrible idea from gamer's perspectives. You're going to show up at a game conference and pimp your shitty apps that you need to pay $60 a year just to access instead of showing games? I hope they get booed off the stage but I'm sure they'll give out free 360s or some shit to all of the game journalists there to ensure applause and positive reviews.

lol someone's mad...

 

[Ponn]

Oh man, i'm getting my popcorn in bulk from Sam's. E3 is awesome on GAF when you learn to not get emotionally involved and just sit back and spectate. The meltdowns will be glorious.

And then you realize this is the tip of the iceburg.

 

[bangai-o]

Except with more Apps and App-related graphs. I think I might take a shot every time someone mentions the word App on stage.

Is e3 tomarrow? what shots of?

 

[GDGF]

Maybe when they learn to do online gaming on par with the original xbox.

I think the Wii U just might surprise you

 

[GillianSeed79]

Is e3 tomarrow? what shots of?

Liquor dude. Relax.

 

[Riposte]

Microsoft managing to lose at E3 earlier this year than usual.

 

[Truth101]

2008 all over again.

 

[Chatin]

Are there any non-gaming related businesses showing at E3? It was always my impression that the show was solely about gaming, otherwise it would come across more like CES and everyone would want in.

As far as a gaming-focused E3 goes, what is the percentage of non-gaming related content in a presentation at which a business should no longer be able to make said presentation? Should Facebook be allowed to have a 2 hour presentation at E3 on Timelines?

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Don't really care. E3 gets less important as each year passes and publishers decide to make announcements throughout the year.

 

[EvB]

Can't say I'm fussed about any new content providers, especially as they usually require some kind of extra money.

Interesting he mentions dashboard stuff, I wonder if they can salvage something a little better out of the 360 metro interface?

Can't wait for some More Halo and the whole exclusives thing doesn't matter to me this late on in the game, it's not like we are short of stunning multi format games. I'm not going to throw my toys out of the pram just because other people can buy it on PS3, which seems to be the way some people think.

 

[Mutanthands]

Microsoft managing to lose at E3 earlier this year than usual.

I'm sure Microsoft gives a shit, seeing as it impacts console sales and wha...oh wait.

 

[VibratingDonkey]

If they remember that Europe exists as these services are announced it might be an alright idea.

 

[HylianTom]

Hmm..

What if Microsoft is saying this to lower expectations? And then they go a bit above expectations, and people end-up happy.

Regardless, to anyone surprised that Microsoft is using gamers/gaming to further their non-gaming agenda: really?

 

[Somnid]

People will buy your console for games, not services. Services are alternate revenue streams for you to get from your audience because if they already have the hardware and it works then they will try to get the most out of it. However, you can't sell a box because it has Netflix or Hulu or ESPN. I would advertise them at e3 but I wouldn't center a whole press conference around it.

 

[RoboPlato]

It actually seems like a good decision to me. They're probably just gearing up to put a ton of push behind Halo 4 so the system can go out with a bang before the successor comes next year and many gamers already have the system. Kinect expanded their audience a lot and they want those people to buy into Live and they need to show them that it's a service worth paying for compared to competitors' free services. These are the people that are going to keep the 360 selling after the successor launches, PS2 style. They want the 360 to be an entertainment center now that they've gotten into more living rooms. It seemed to me like this is the way they were going with their conference since the title was announced.

 

[BurntPork]

Except with more Apps and App-related graphs. I think I might take a shot every time someone mentions the word App on stage.

That's suicide.

 

[PaulLFC]

Now I feel better about possibly having to miss MS' conference with work the next day (it starts at 2am here).

 

[Hiro_Kunimi_80]

I wanted to break this into a separate thread since I feel it is an interesting discussion point.

On the latest episode of the Bonus Round, Pachter mentioned that Microsoft told them their major focus is on new services and multimedia content as opposed to games.



My question is, do you feel this is a good idea or not, and why?

it's a bad idea of course.. but seems legit if you check the near-future(2012) situation..

- H4 launch, first as non-bungie halo ( so a big focus is needed)

- Windows 8 launch (major product for Microsoft)

- Windows phone convergence among tablet-smartphone-console and of course W8

- Microsoft Passport and Microsoft "woodstock" (aka new audio store)

- Microsoft and barnes noble Partnership as well as Skype


and of course... it's the LAST (finally) E3 with X360 as only console platform for Microsoft...
i believe that most of the project ( ryse included ) are planned for next hardware...

sadly i believe that anything would be shown aside Forza Horizon and Halo4 as first party titles

kinect stuff will be there but probably even Microsoft has realized that the "casual tide" is turning

 

[Kazuma Kiryu]

man, all the people trying to spin this as if it's a good thing. screw games!

 

[Barry Burton]

Bad idea. Games should always be front and center of an E3 press conference.

 

[GeoramA]

Sucks if you're a gamer, that's for sure. I'm debating whether I should watch this debacle of a conference or just wait for the fallout afterwards.

 

[fernoca]

I think is a good idea.
If they announced more Kinect games, some of the gaming media and gaming forums will be complaining that they abandoned gaming ,they don't care about hardcore gaming...
And if they showed and focused on more games, they would be wondering "why" and saying is a waste because "the next Xbox is coming soon".


At the same time it sounds like they gave Pachter the usual "generic response". Another fancy way of saying "we don't comment on rumors or speculation".

They have Halo 4, Forza Horizon, Fable the Journey, Ryse which they haven't talked much or anything ...and you can bet Black Ops II will be there and a few other unannounced games here and there, is not like there won't be games at all; so..we'll see.

 

[Y2Kev]

Microsoft "selling out" is a pretty fascinating story this gen.

Eh, predictable. The more interesting question is do the reset with the next console or do they keep the focus from the start?

 

[Fox Mulder]

I'd laugh if they come out with another dashboard revision, this one sucks so goddamn bad.

But I couldn't care less about their conference, especially since it's already been about kinect the last few years. They know that gamers will still turn on their 360 for xbla and 3rd party titles, plus there's a NEW HALO! I even think it's too late in the gen for me to get a ps3 unless there's a steep price cut.

 

[Haunted]

It's bad idea for me because I don't give a shit about Xbox services not related to gaming.

I also don't give a shit about Kinect.

I do give a shit about good games, but I don't feel that Microsoft can really deliver on that. Too many sequels that have already gotten (several) outings this generation, I can't really get excited about this, especially if they run on the 360 and not new hardware.


I'm feeling really pessimistic about this E3 from Microsoft (and Sony).

 

[Kacho]

Is this a new trend for future console generations where the focus on the front end is centered around core gamers, only to see the focus shift on broader market appeal as the console generation goes on?

 

[linko9]

I'd like to say it's a terrible idea and they should only focus on games, but honestly, seeing the sales of the 360 over the last year, I think they know what they're doing. Of course, last E3 was heavily services-oriented for MS, and they seemed to have payed off.

Of course, what you say at E3 is only going to have a minimal impact on your sales, so it doesn't really matter. But it's nice to get lots of headlines from mainstream news outlets if you can.

 

[FyreWulff]

Not surprised, MS is a services company.

 

[Cipherr]

This reminds me of Nintendo's E3 2007 where they had Youtube footage and newspaper clippings. It was like proto2012!

If you're posting on this message board, Microsoft doesn't care about you.

This, I dont want to see this crap at E3. I have nothing against them adding these things. Just dont devote your E3 conference to it. Games games games.

 

[bigtroyjon]

Are there any non-gaming related businesses showing at E3? It was always my impression that the show was solely about gaming, otherwise it would come across more like CES and everyone would want in.

As far as a gaming-focused E3 goes, what is the percentage of non-gaming related content in a presentation at which a business should no longer be able to make said presentation? Should Facebook be allowed to have a 2 hour presentation at E3 on Timelines?

These press conferences have no direct affiliation with the E3 show itself, any company that wanted to could put on a show and invite the press. (whether or not any of the press show up is a different story)

 

[Bgamer90]

Is this a new trend for future console generations where the focus on the front end is centered around core gamers, only to see the focus shift on broader market appeal as the console generation goes on?

New trend?

...Most successful consoles have had a "broader demographic" rebranding during the last years of their life. Nothing really new.

 

[BalrogTheMaster]

Oh dear... E3 should be about GAMES, not services. How are we supposed to get excited about a game console with a handful of new games?

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

probably going to focus half the conference on the Zune Marketplace replacement rumored to be called "Woodstock" haha.

 

[Tuck]

Hasn't the focus of E3 always been games? 'Electronic Entertainment' is pretty broad, but honestly, most of the none game stuff should be saved for later. E3 is for games.