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*RUMOR* Kotaku headlines: Xbox One to launch on November 8, 2013!
- Thread starter Xamdou
- Start date
HocusPocus
Member
Can't wait. Glad they aren't launching the same day as PS4. Two weeks earlier would be even better.
famousmortimer
Banned
Between the tech and the language localizations the kinect must cost a fucking ton of money. People keep saying drop the kinect and sell it for $399... I'm starting to think if they never invented the kinect at all they could have launched at $300.
There's already cat shit everywhere.
Garrett 2U
Member
Yep definitely, they are betting on Kinect.
If Kinect is well received by consumers then it could end up working out really well for them.
Nightengale
Member
Which is pretty much supply issues. That means that they were not able to meet their initial targeted units per country and have to rely on units previously allocated to the cancelled countries.
The only way this could had not been a supply issue at all is if demand for the console was insanely high in those 13 countries, to the point that MS would choose to give themselves bad PR and their competition headstart to satisfy those demands.
Unfortunately that is clearly not the case.
TechnicPuppet
Nothing! I said nothing!
They have the data that we don't and they will have a reason for it. I think they are going to try and have as much in the US and UK as possible.
Sony did the same with the PS3 for the whole of Europe and it never did them any harm in the long term.
Probably be a nightmare for retailers. Plus, I've heard it's wise to avoid a Tuesday launch just in case there's a delay in shipping to retailers. I guess it's easier and safer to have stock ready for a Thursday or Friday than a Tuesday.
Iacobellis
Junior Member
But will it be well-received? The major issue is the $500 price, which is out of reach to many people. If the system was launching at $400 or under, it would have been an easier sell to families. The Wii sold like hotcakes because of the absurdly cheap (compared to other consoles) price of $250 with a game.
The high price makes it difficult for people to tell their friends to get the console immediately.
Nightengale
Member
IMO, releasing Kinect 1 for the 360 probably backfired for them in this case.
The first Kinect started strong with great sales and excitement, but it quickly became a gimmick with little to no good games actually using Kinect well.
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
I feel like MS wants to keep the race in NA as close as possible. Even Tretton admitted that the battle is in the west. I suspect they used those consoles to beef up the NA numbers.
It would definitely make that $299 base figure from those leaked Xbox One documents make a whole lot more sense.
TechnicPuppet
Nothing! I said nothing!
No matter what there is a supply issue when launching new consoles. They can't make enough and neither can Sony.
There was rumours of MS having extra problems, it was around the same time as the downclock rumour, who knows if it was true.
Indeed, yes lets delay a console for something we could fix in a software update not much unlike the day patch needed to remove the DRM stuff.
Nightengale
Member
There is a huge difference between not being able to make enough to match customer demand and not being able to make enough to match your internal targets as per the original launch/business plan.
Source: kotaku
Smart move by MS if true, a one week head start will definitely help them a whole lot.
I really doubt the 1 week head start will do much of anything for either side. If reports are to be believed most consoles are already accounted for. The real fight happens when the second shipments arrive.
Moosehole
Member
This is hilarious. MS are releasing in fewer countries because they have fewer units to sell. If they sell out their entire launch stock they still won't win November NPD worldwide.
ALBOFIGHTER
Member
How will this matter if Ps4s sell out anyways? Xbone can come out two weeks early or 2 weeks late and it won't change a thing in terms of sales for ps4.
travisbickle
Member
Except for losing a shit load of money and market share.
Sony/MS need to have enough shelf presence to equal or beat the other. Neither can afford a sell-out if the other has available stock. It'll be interesting to see how things unfold.
Garrett 2U
Member
Yeah I agree. Hands on impressions/demos, reviews, and media coverage could do a lot to reintroduce consumers though.
I always think back to touchscreens pre-iPhone. Touchscreens were always so terribly implemented and frustrating.
But once you demoed the iPhone, your whole perception changed instantly.
We'll see if Kinect 2 can do that for controllerless based input.
I don't know, we'll see.
But if the media and consumers are creating positive buzz about the new Kinect, I don't see the price gap being a huge issue, as the Playstation Eye isn't really even competition for the living room... experience... It just wasn't an area of focus for Sony.
Also, I'm pretty much talking about casual gamers and families here, obviously hardcore gamers are mostly going to choose based on the core games and features.
Mistwalker
Member
When/where is Microsoft expected to actually announce the date?
TechnicPuppet
Nothing! I said nothing!
Well we will likely never know what the case is. It doesn't particularly matter. They have x consoles split between 13 countries and Sony have y consoles split between 32 countries and neither x or y is likely to be enough.
TechnicPuppet
Nothing! I said nothing!
You can't blame that on launching late in Europe. What was their excuse in the US then?
It could be about accents and dialects rather then the language itself.
Nightengale
Member
Yeah, it doesn't really matter. MS shot themselves in the foot on this anyway. You never commit to the actual list of countries until it's 100% confirmed. They should have done what Sony did and only say US + Europe.
What you're implying is significantly, very significantly harder than it sounds.
If MS really wants to get into the accents/dialects game of voice-recognition, half the world will not get an XB1 even by 2016.
zero margin
Member
MastaKilla
Member
If Sony is so ahead with development and production then it's surprising to find out Microsoft is launching first. It'll be interesting to see what a 1 week advantage gives if any. I'm sure initial allocations from both PS4 and xbone1 will be sold out either way.
When they know how many units they can produce and deliver at launch. Should be a special event or just a press release.
Black Republican
Member
We need Cboat
Hopefully this week at PAX.
Mistwalker
Member
Guess they're still shuffling the numbers and finalizing allocations...
Holy cow, almost forgot about PAX! Cheers!
BleachAndPepsi
Banned
And after months of getting nearly everything right, Sony hands Microsoft the early victory right off the bat.
That bolded section suggests one thing that's impossible to accurately gauge and a second thing that's near impossible to say with a straight face.Kotaku said:
Note however that, unlike every other date listed, the Xbox One's lacks a "confirmed" status, suggesting Microsoft is yet to lock the date down.
The fact it's not locked down of course means the day could change, but it also suggests it's a recent decision. Almost as though Microsoft were waiting for Sony to commit to a day before scheduling their own launch, in order to get the jump on the PS4...
Microsoft was waiting for Sony specifically to announce their release date on August 20th before they made any decisions about when they would release their console? After bringing the 21 launch countries down to 13 due to widely-reported yield issues? One of the biggest companies in the world is going to base their actions on what the competitor is doing instead of knowing what they are capable of shipping reliably themselves?
Also, where is this writer getting that the fact that a release date being unconfirmed means "it's a recent decision" to have put down the November 8th date at all?
Nightengale
Member
We'll see. I'm personally skeptical.
IMO, 2 more things are needed before controllerless-based input can be the next big thing.
1. holographic projector ala Iron Man/Jarvis. ( so that you can actually see what your hands are manipulating in the air instead of on a TV-screen )
2. a very, very rich natural & contextual language understanding. ( I don't want to say Xbox Volume Up. I just want to say 'up' or 'slightly higher volume' and Xbox will know what I meant. )
No.1 is still too expensive, and no.2 is well... Google will reach there before MS does.
I'm sure both companies could launch next month if they really wanted to.
One country only, at only selected outlets, and less than a few thousand units available.
metalslimer
Member
That 100 dollar price difference is still not to be underestimated even with a week lead. Customers will know the ps4 is launching as sony will spend a shit ton on marketing. It will still come down to what consumers want. The console with the best BF will win November and likely december as well.
BuggyDClown
Member
Well here is how I look at this.
There is no reason to launch during the final week of Nov with black friday. That's a nonsense move.
You don't have any concern about "competition" for sales no. As pointed out, but there is a competition for the airwaves. The press are going to have a field day, the last thing they want is to see line comparisons or too share the week of news with their competitor.
They will NOT launch in the same week as sony.
So that leaves the week between PS4 and Black Friday, or the first week of November. With their previous console launches being on a Tuesday and Thursday in US, I would say there is no good guess for the specific date, but Nov 8th does put them 7 days ahead of PS4.
So it's not a bad guess, though I would have personally guessed we would see these consoles launch early in the week, not on fridays.
There is no reason to launch during the final week of Nov with black friday. That's a nonsense move.
You don't have any concern about "competition" for sales no. As pointed out, but there is a competition for the airwaves. The press are going to have a field day, the last thing they want is to see line comparisons or too share the week of news with their competitor.
They will NOT launch in the same week as sony.
So that leaves the week between PS4 and Black Friday, or the first week of November. With their previous console launches being on a Tuesday and Thursday in US, I would say there is no good guess for the specific date, but Nov 8th does put them 7 days ahead of PS4.
So it's not a bad guess, though I would have personally guessed we would see these consoles launch early in the week, not on fridays.
travisbickle
Member
manufacturing capabilities will be the biggest factor through Christmas. Being a week earlier has no relevance to how many you can manufacture. delaying across multiple countries does though.
No, Cboat needs us.
Microsoft had a year and a $200 lead and the PS3/360 numbers are pretty much tied worldwide. An early victory means nothing if momentum isn't maintained.
Sony has the advantage right now, but MS has been slowly building trust back from their consumers. As long as they continue to slowly make things right they can still come out ahead in this generation.
As long as they don't ever instigate those DRM/used games policies during the console's life cycle.
lol
I would assume that the wording from Nintendo fans would be something along he lines of "Have you heard of this? Please buy one!"
I don't think I buy it, whenever we he a release date like 'November' it invariably means as close to the end of the month as possible, as people have said, there's no long term benefit to being a week early, there probably isn't even a short term benefit because both consoles will most likely completely sell out this year. I think US will launch the 21st and Europe on 29th (we don't know what black Friday is).
immortal-joe
Member
This is not a smart move; this is the only move that makes any sense.
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