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[famousmortimer]

3 reasons why Titanfall 360 will have issues.
0 of them are game breaking, but I think the xb1 version will shine brightly in the console space.

Firstly, no one knows it exists. Look at the preorder numbers on amazon.
PC version will also run on lesser systems opening it up to a larger market.
Shooter fans have migrated pretty heavily to next gen consoles looking at cod/bf4 #s.

 

[Booshka]

Yea didn't think about that but can't they sell those kinects separately for those that bought a sku without it but then later on decide they want one?

Xbox Live Vision Cam 2, Bundled with Uno: One Edition

 

[hawk2025]

3 reasons why Titanfall 360 will have issues.
0 of them are game breaking, but I think the xb1 version will shine brightly in the console space.

Firstly, no one knows it exists. Look at the preorder numbers on amazon.
PC version will also run on lesser systems opening it up to a larger market.
Shooter fans have migrated pretty heavily to next gen consoles looking at cod/bf4 #s.

I think I posted this somewhere already, but in the span of a month I went from thinking that the 360 version would be the one to sell the most to now thinking it will be a fairly tepid release with surprisingly low sales numbers.

And I have to wonder if effectively (and purposefully) killing the potentially biggest version was a great idea, depending on just how big the hardware bump is in March.

 

[Freki]

3 reasons why Titanfall 360 will have issues.
0 of them are game breaking, but I think the xb1 version will shine brightly in the console space.

Firstly, no one knows it exists. Look at the preorder numbers on amazon.
PC version will also run on lesser systems opening it up to a larger market.
Shooter fans have migrated pretty heavily to next gen consoles looking at cod/bf4 #s.

Do you have any insight on the split between xbox one and PC?

 

[Glorified G]

An established Indie dev with funds, yes. But, someone working on almost no budget will not have the money to spend on "6 other platforms."

They would have the option, which is the point. They don't if the game is designed around Kinect only. No indie dev is going to take that risk and sacrifice millions of potential customers like that for a platform that has one of the smallest userbases. Time is money regardless of whether the kit is free or not.

 

[family_guy]

I think MS is being a too short sighted with the price. Will cutting the price $100 hurt initially? Yes. However who cares about up front profits? You have Xbox Live subscriptions. If you get $60 a year from a customer, then you've made that back in a few years. Retain that customer and over 5 years you've made a nice chunk of change and that doesn't even count game sales.

However go ahead and stay firm with your price. Let a customer pick up a PS4 instead. As soon as they do, then you've lost all that potential residual income from Live subscriptions. Even if that customer picks up an Xbox One later down the road it's going to be extremely difficult for you convince them to pay for Live when they are already paying for PS+.

If I were in MS's situation, I'd care more about market share than taking a loss on hardware.

 

[Ding-Ding]

Sure. And I think that's what we will see. But I still don't think it will be anytime soon. Pachter says MS wanted to sell 10 million XB1's by the end of this year. That means they ordered the parts for 10 million kinects. They still haven't broken 4 million. So if the kinectless sku takes off, they are sitting on a giant pile of kinects that they paid for but made them no money. That's a hard thing to overcome. Halo 2 anniversary with a larger install base isn't going to make up for eating that much money.

You also have the issue that MS sold the idea of Kinect to its shareholders, probably based on projected advertising revenue.

Lower than expected sales along with Sony winning market share has probably meant that projection is in serious jeopardy right now.

So dumping Kinect from the SKU is going to be one hell of a hard sell to MS investors (would love to see it dropped personally).

its a Catch 22 for MS. Damned if they do, damned if they dont

 

[MercuryLS]

Without MS, who would compete with Sony? Whooooooooooo?












Somebody else. It doesn't matter who. Somebody else would.

Life, uh...finds a way.

 

[THM]

When discussing competition in free markets, it's important to factor in the mere threat of competitors or substitute goods. The fact that any company could introduce a gaming platform should be enough for Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo to strive for continuous improvement and added value for the consumer. Now granted, the barriers to entry in console gaming are relatively high, which limits the pool of possible competitors. However, there are enough large tech companies with the expertise and means to give it shot. And believe me, if they saw an opportunity to offer value (for an adequate profit) where the current console makers were lacking, they'd jump on that in a heartbeat.

tldr: Microsoft doesn't need to succeed in order to keep Sony in check, because another company could and most likely would simply take its place.

 

[Chobel]

Marketing guys project that Titanfall has already helped sell around 1 million Xbox Ones.

That means at least 1 million Xbone version sold right out of the gate. Very impressive.

 

[hawk2025]

When discussing competition in free markets, it's important to factor in the mere threat of competitors or substitute goods. The fact that any company could introduce a gaming platform should be enough for Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo to strive for continuous improvement and added value for the consumer. Now granted, the barriers to entry in console gaming are relatively high, which limits the pool of possible competitors. However, there are enough large tech companies with the expertise and means to give it shot. And believe me, if they saw an opportunity to offer value (for an adequate profit) where the current console makers were lacking, they'd jump on that in a heartbeat.

tldr: Microsoft doesn't need to succeed in order to keep Sony in check, because another company could and most likely would simply take its place.

Perfect post, exactly what I was getting at.

 

[harSon]

3 reasons why Titanfall 360 will have issues.
0 of them are game breaking, but I think the xb1 version will shine brightly in the console space.

Firstly, no one knows it exists. Look at the preorder numbers on amazon.
PC version will also run on lesser systems opening it up to a larger market.
Shooter fans have migrated pretty heavily to next gen consoles looking at cod/bf4 #s.

Marketing is definitely more important than a lot of people are willing to admit. It can be the difference between industry juggernauts like God of War, Gears of War and Gran Turismo continuing to sell gang busters, or having a disappointing sequel within that same capacity. There's a reason platform holders like Microsoft and Sony pay big bucks for 3rd party marketing exclusives. Perception is a big thing, and if consumers are bombarded with the perceived notion of an exclusive marriage between a game and a specific console, history has shown that this typically correlates into sales favoring the console in question.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

Doom and gloom for XBone in approximately 4 months time? Hmmm.........do they know something we don't? Honestly, I don't think they will topple Sony this generation since Sony rectified so many past issues and problems, but I think it's too early to count Microsoft out. Microsoft needs a significant price drop and to snag some nice exclusives to be able to compete more effectively I think. At this point, they are basically a technically weaker PS4, have a more expensive subscription system, with a higher price tag and a mandatory camera peripheral that most people do not particularly care for. Imo, the systems are way too close to each other to justify a $100 discrepancy and IMO, that is what is really hurting Microsoft even over the power difference. History proves that you do not need the most powerful console to compete or even win. Seems like consumers see more value in PS4 than Microsoft and their image is getting tarnished a bit because of it. They need to do some things to differentiate it from the PS4 and try to show consumers the value of their brand again.

 

[RaikuHebi]

I'm getting my popcorn ready for next week's episode.

 

[Chamber]

I was told last night by a guy at MS that Batman is being preordered, in the US, to the tune of 4 to 1 in favor of the PS4 currently. If the xbox keeps getting the shit kicked out of it I think less people want to buy it as we go forward. It becomes so much more expensive for them to buy exclusives. The system is thought of as uncool (see: wii u).

Wow, that's pretty telling when you think about the momentum of these consoles. It's not like a Metal Gear Solid where people think, "Oh, that's a PlayStation franchise so of course sales will heavily favor Sony's platform." Really curious about what the split for Destiny will be.

 

[famousmortimer]

Doom and gloom for XBone in approximately 4 months time? Hmmm.........do they know something we don't? Honestly, I don't think they will topple Sony this generation since Sony rectified so many past issues and problems, but I think it's too early to count Microsoft out. Microsoft needs a significant price drop and to snag some nice exclusives to be able to compete more effectively I think. At this point, they are basically a technically weaker PS4, have a more expensive subscription system, with a higher price tag and a mandatory camera peripheral that most people do not particularly care for. Imo, the systems are way too close to each other to justify a $100 discrepancy and IMO, that is what is really hurting Microsoft even over the power difference. History proves that you do not need the most powerful console to compete or even win. Seems like consumers see more value in PS4 than Microsoft and their image is getting tarnished a bit because of it. They need to do some things to differentiate it from the PS4 and try to show consumers the value of their brand again.

I don't think anyone but hardcore sony fanboys are counting them out. But most of us realize that MS has a much, much, tougher road ahead than the PS4. It's not over, but it's also not trending in MS's direction at all... and that's a problem.

 

[Mandoric]

"arrogant Sony" would have run away with things last time out even though they were charging $600 and we'd all be worse off for it

I look at this one from the other angle - I bought a $400 PS3 and a $400 X360 to play everything I wanted, and that's $800. An unchallenged $600 PS3 would have done me a lot more good, even before we question whether Sony would've ever tried to push subscription-only online gaming without an example of it working.

 

[Nydius]

Firstly, no one knows it exists. Look at the preorder numbers on amazon.

I just went and looked.
How does #15 for X360 and #41 overall equal "no one knows it exists"?

 

[NHale]

Sure. And I think that's what we will see. But I still don't think it will be anytime soon. Pachter says MS wanted to sell 10 million XB1's by the end of this year. That means they ordered the parts for 10 million kinects. They still haven't broken 4 million. So if the kinectless sku takes off, they are sitting on a giant pile of kinects that they paid for but made them no money. That's a hard thing to overcome. Halo 2 anniversary with a larger install base isn't going to make up for eating that much money.

Titanfall isn't an exclusive so it's much harder to be a massive system seller but Halo 5 will be a Xbox One exclusive and it will definitely sell lots of consoles alone. Halo was and will always be a system seller. When they release Halo 5 people will come with or without Kinect.

Like you said in a previous post, Microsoft doesn't need to be first to succeed so the last thing they should do is change their vision of the platform once again. Release the games or apps that show the advantages of Kinect and wait for Halo 5 to start selling consoles by the millions. Removing Kinect after they said it is vital for Xbox One ecosystem it would be another mixed signal they present for the consumer.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

I don't think anyone but hardcore sony fanboys are counting them out. But most of us realize that MS has a much, much, tougher road ahead than the PS4. It's not over, but it's also not trending in MS's direction at all... and that's a problem.

Agreed and it is better to acknowledge sooner than later. Microsoft definitely got a long, hard road ahead of them if preorders for games are like 6 :1 or 12:1 ratio, things will only get even more difficult for them. @_@ Third parties see that and guess who will get preferential treatment.


To be brutally honest, I really don't think Titanfall will give Xbone the push that they are anticipating. It will probably help a little, but not near as much as people are expecting imo. Should of kept it off PC and X360 at least for a little while Microsoft.

 

[hawk2025]

I just went and looked.
How does #15 for X360 and #41 overall equal "no one knows it exists"?

#15 for X360, for a mega-hyped game that comes out in a little over two weeks, is truly awful. So is #41 overall.


The collector's edition of Dark Souls 2 is selling better.


The collector's. Edition. That costs $120.

 

[Alchemist]

Wow, that's pretty telling when you think about the momentum of these consoles. It's not like a Metal Gear Solid where people think, "Oh, that's a PlayStation franchise so of course sales will heavily favor Sony's platform." Really curious about what the split for Destiny will be.

Probably about the same. Activision is shaping the PS4 to be the definitive Destiny experience.

 

[famousmortimer]

I just went and looked.
How does #15 for X360 and #41 overall equal "no one knows it exists"?

#41 overall for the biggest exclusive of the year that is two weeks away is AWFUL.


"No one knows it exists" was hyperbolic, to make a point. But #41 two weeks before release? That's not an argument against my hyperbole.


And #15 on the 360?!!? There are 15 things that people want more than titanfall right now on the 360?

 

[Y2Kev]

I'm a competition is good type of person for one reason.... what Madden turned into after EA bought the license.



It may be stupid to base my entire philosophy off of that one thing, but holy shit they really stopped giving a fuck once 2K was out of the picture.


That said, the competition doesn't have to be microsoft. If microsoft fucks up so badly that they leave, that's on them. I don't think they deserve to stick around because we need competition. I guess that's the difference between the madden situation (buying exclusivity) and the idea of MS failing. EA didn't make madden better, they just bought the rights to any football game. Sony got better this gen, microsoft got worse. That's not anything Sony did to them...

Anyone who thinks competition is bad is a bit wacko, but in my opinion the people shouting that both consoles need to sell well are the only people who resemble those longing for controlled markets.

 

[ElTorro]

And #15 on the 360?!!? There are 15 things that people want more than titanfall right now on the 360?

CoD:Ghosts for 360 is on #9

LOL

 

[Lunzio]

#15 for X360, for a mega-hyped game that comes out in a little over two weeks, is truly awful. So is #41 overall.

Neither of those rankings are truly awful.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

#41 overall for the biggest exclusive of the year that is two weeks away is AWFUL.


"No one knows it exists" was hyperbolic, to make a point. But #41 two weeks before release? That's not an argument against my hyperbole.


And #15 on the 360?!!? There are 15 things that people want more than titanfall right now on the 360?

The PC version is higher than 360.

 

[Proxy]

Off topic but I just checked and Amazon only has 824 PS4s left in stock. Must have been a big shipment.

 

[EventHorizon]

Only when we contort ourselves so artificially (which the hardcore do artificially well) do we need to look at this industry through the lens of Sony vs. Microsoft. There's this hidden supposition that without Microsoft, "arrogant Sony" would have run away with things last time out even though they were charging $600 and we'd all be worse off for it. It's just not true. It's based on the idea that without competition from Microsoft the natural order of things continues unabated. The reality is that Sony alone would just have bombed last gen and the money that would have been funneled into the PS3 would go elsewhere-- into books or movies or board games or gardening or mobile phones or whatever. There's no imperial fiat requiring people to purchase consoles. The market would have just died. That's your competition and that is what would have kept Sony in check.

The point is, ultimately, that we're discounting market forces that aren't Microsoft for absolutely no reason. Inevitably these platform holders are going to have to face down the mobile dragon at some point. They'll either react and adapt or they'll die. They don't need to compete with each other for this to be true.

You can't discount competition between Microsoft and Sony as being irrelevant. I have little doubt that without the PS4, Microsoft's XB1 would not have done the 180s they did last year, and that XB1's sales would be much higher. The XB1 by itself isn't that bad of a console. It is only when you compare it to the PS4 that it comes up so short. I'm sure that's why Microsoft thought the XB1 was a good console in the first place. It was only when Sony announced that the PS4 would have 8 GB of GDDR5 and would cost $399 that MS realized that they had mad a big mistake.

 

[famousmortimer]

Titanfall isn't an exclusive so it's much harder to be a massive system seller but Halo 5 will be a Xbox One exclusive and it will definitely sell lots of consoles alone. Halo was and will always be a system seller. When they release Halo 5 people will come with or without Kinect.

Like you said in a previous post, Microsoft doesn't need to be first to succeed so the last thing they should do is change their vision of the platform once again. Release the games or apps that show the advantages of Kinect and wait for Halo 5 to start selling consoles by the millions. Removing Kinect after they said it is vital for Xbox One ecosystem it would be another mixed signal they present for the consumer.

Halo 5 likely isn't until fall '15. A lot of work was scrapped when they got that new creative director several months back (from the tomb raider team, I believe?).

They need something before Halo 5. But I do agree with you, they will be so much better off if they can sell the world on the kinect than they will be if they remove it. I never bought the kinect on the 360 because I thought it looked useless. Only reason I have it on the xb1 is because it was packed in. Turns out I like it. Not sure if $100 more than PS4 like it... but I like it. It's useful. Microsoft needs to sell the damn thing. They seem to be resting on the laurels of it being the fastest selling device of all time last gen and not doing a damn thing this gen to further justify its existence. And as someone who likes it I am rooting for more uses for it, not less.

 

[Orca]

It's still kind of funny to me that 4 million-ish units sold to this point is a 'slow start' for a console. Based on their financial quarter releases, that's ahead of where the 360, Wii U, and PS3 were at roughly the same point in their existence.

The PS4 being at 6 million (and change at this point) shows the Xbox One could have had an even bigger launch, but it doesn't negate the fact that it HAS had a strong launch as well, especially at $500.

 

[IN&OUT]

Weren't they second with 360?

No, PS3 pulled ahead 360 LTD sales.

So, a year headstart and a generation price advantage didn't help MS overtake Sony at all.

 

[Doffen]

Show me where competition is defined as competitors having to perform good under capitalist philosophy

No need for the competitor to perform good as long as it is in a competing position to push other companies to innovate/change/expand.

Time after time, many posters (including some moderators like Y2Kev themselves) have explained why consoles having sales parity with each other or "we should support the other company that's doing terrible for the sake of competition!" is meaningless as a whole.

There is no need for it to have sales parity, currently it's PS4 that are pushing Xbox One to do better. Hence; Xbox 180. Would you not want someone to push Sony? Or are you 100% happy with the current version of their portfolio?

Mainstream capitalism recognizes that competition is not always beneficial, and that natural monopolies often occur in industries with high fixed costs.

Not beneficial for who? The market? The business? The consumers? Monopoly is a slippery slope. Got a shit ton of companies in Norway with monopoly. It "works" when it's controlled within a region, not when it's globally.

Conversely, capitalism is also predicated on the idea that entities will choose the action which will give them the highest return - and even if we assume that the Xbone could turn into another X360, MS would still see a higher projected return simply dropping the money in an index fund.

Yes. And you can save a lot of money if you don't have a marketing budget.
The basic idea of capitalism is not really functional in our world. Schumpeter's economical theories are more accurate for us.

 

[Slashlen]

Anyone who thinks competition is bad is a bit wacko, but in my opinion the people shouting that both consoles need to sell well are the only people who resemble those longing for controlled markets.

Yeah, if everyone succeeds regardless of what they put out then that means there is no competition because nobody has to try. Competition means that you have to work at it or someone else is going to eat your lunch.

 

[hawk2025]

Neither of those rankings are truly awful.

Ok, then, I guess.

It's only being beat right now by:


- Shadow Fall
- Xbox One $250 collector's edition
- Need for Speed Rivals PS4
- Every version of Ghosts
- Is dangerously close to Arkham Knight PS4, a game that's 6 MONTHS away on 1/10th of the installed base



If that's not awful for what is likely to be the biggest, most hyped game of the year, I truly don't know what is. Maybe with a couple more positions, so it was below PS All-Stars (lol) ?

 

[Randolph Freelander]

Titanfall isn't an exclusive so it's much harder to be a massive system seller but Halo 5 will be a Xbox One exclusive and it will definitely sell lots of consoles alone. Halo was and will always be a system seller. When they release Halo 5 people will come with or without Kinect.

Like you said in a previous post, Microsoft doesn't need to be first to succeed so the last thing they should do is change their vision of the platform once again. Release the games or apps that show the advantages of Kinect and wait for Halo 5 to start selling consoles by the millions. Removing Kinect after they said it is vital for Xbox One ecosystem it would be another mixed signal they present for the consumer.

People who want Halo 5 are already buying the system. People who want Titanfall are already buying the system. People who want the next Gears of War are already buying the system (and they'll continue to buy the system in the months and years ahead, pre- and post-release). People know those games are coming, and those games are already built into the demand curve. The release of those games amounts to a hill of beans unless one of them is truly transcendent. A modest bump in the release month is almost meaningless, in the grand scheme of things, and many huge exclusives (or just huge games) don't even garner that, and when they do, it's highly influenced by a bundle, and it's gone the next month.

Remember how irrelevant MGS4 was in the monthly numbers? Go check. Modest, bundle-influenced bump in release month, and then back to ho-hum numbers. Remember the nothing-at-all that GTA4 did for both PS3 and Xbox 360? Numbers for both platforms were actually flat or down for that month. Go down the list, check the big game, figure in price drops, bundles, then check trends before and after and I think you can't help but come away with the notion that big games do not change the course of a console when they are released. People know about them, they're factored into the market already. Surprising games are a different story entirely.

 

[Nydius]

#15 for X360, for a mega-hyped game that comes out in a little over two weeks, is truly awful. So is #41 overall.

41 overall when there's five consoles in the current marketplace (x360, ps3, xbo, ps4, wii u) AND PC? I'd say being 41 on that list with the known cross-generational shortcomings is actually pretty damn good and it's moving plenty of units.

What bugs me more about the #15 X360 ranking is that the XBL time cards and console accessories are included in the list, not just games. The top two items for X360 are 12 month live cards, then there's a $5 gift card and a controller. Removing those items and listing just the games, the list would look like this:

1. Dark Souls 2: Black Armor Edition
2. Minecraft
3. COD: Ghosts
4. GTA5
5. AC4
6. Lego Movie
7. Titanfall
8. NBA2k14

 

[THM]

I don't think anyone but hardcore sony fanboys are counting them out. But most of us realize that MS has a much, much, tougher road ahead than the PS4. It's not over, but it's also not trending in MS's direction at all... and that's a problem.

That's the crux of the issue. Xbox sales started off very well...but then dropped off a cliff. And it seems like public sentiment is continuing to move towards Sony. That's what MS has to stop. Titanfall could be the thing to do that, we don't know yet. I tend to believe that as the gap in sales grows, it then begins to grow at an even faster rate, as one console becomes the perceived "winner".

I look at this one from the other angle - I bought a $400 PS3 and a $400 X360 to play everything I wanted, and that's $800. An unchallenged $600 PS3 would have done me a lot more good, even before we question whether Sony would've ever tried to push subscription-only online gaming without an example of it working.

You're assuming that the exclusive games you played on the 360 would have been available on the PS3. I don't think that's a reasonable assumption to make. In your scenario, you could have ended up with the same PS3 experience for $200 more.

 

[harSon]

I disagree completely about removing Kinect. Even if they cut the Kinect completely and achieve price parity with the Playstation 4, they'll simply be a less powerful console at the same price point with nothing of note to differentiate itself from the competition. They've put considerable money into the Kinect, and for better or worse, the Xbox One's identity is intertwined with Kinect.

What they need to do is cut the price, add value to the SKU and validate the worth of the Kinect. I would personally cut the price, include a first party pack in game (Kinect Sports Rivals would be perfect), include a subscription to Xbox Live (it doesn't have to be a year, 3-6 months would be suffice) and maybe include a $10-15 point card. The latter two suggestions are short term benefits to the consumer, but more importantly for Microsoft, they have the potential to lock them into the Xbox Live ecosystem and be a catalyst for them to buy into it long term.

And as I said, they need to validate the worth of the Kinect. I like Garnett's idea. Opening up each Xbox One as a potential developer's kit, and allowing Kinect integration, would be a brilliant idea. As he said, Indies have a much faster turnaround rate and are definitely more innovative/willing to experiment than more established development circles. And if they do take advantage of Kinect, it's basically a guaranteed exclusive since competing platforms lack a standardized equivalent. Having said that, Microsoft themselves needs to take the baton and prove the devices worth. I have a feeling they're doing just that, but if this e3 comes and goes without much effort put alongside that front, then they're basically shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[Led_Zeppelin]

I don't think anyone but hardcore sony fanboys are counting them out. But most of us realize that MS has a much, much, tougher road ahead than the PS4. It's not over, but it's also not trending in MS's direction at all... and that's a problem.

I think that MS is in a situation where you could knock it down if you give a good timed punch. But it seems that Sony is to slow to take the chance or doesn't have the will to do it.

I know this should be a marathon and not a sprint, but I see this as box where if you don't take your chances in the right moment you may regret it later.

 

[hawk2025]

It's still kind of funny to me that 4 million-ish units sold to this point is a 'slow start' for a console. Based on their financial quarter releases, that's ahead of where the 360, Wii U, and PS3 were at roughly the same point in their existence.

The PS4 being at 6 million (and change at this point) shows the Xbox One could have had an even bigger launch, but it doesn't negate the fact that it HAS had a strong launch as well, especially at $500.

This has been argued ad nauseum, but the point is not just looking at the total sales numbers.

It's how they relate to the November -> December -> January -> February dynamics, and just how much Titanfall can do for the console, particularly since its two major markets are being lost.

 

[TheBanditKing]

If TitanFall doesn't drive sales by a significant margin, I don't know what will.

Price drop at E3 most likely.

Speaking of which how is that going? Everywhere I look PS4 is out ranking it on the shown sales charts and the titan fall bundle doesn't seem to be setting things on fire either. Keeping in mind that Titanfall could be a success without moving any hardware, there are 3~4+ million X1's out there; but MS needs it to move new users to the platform.

 

[Lunzio]

Ok, then, I guess.

It's only being beat right now by:


- Shadow Fall
- Xbox One $250 collector's edition
- Need for Speed Rivals PS4
- Every version of Ghosts
- Is dangerously close to Arkham Knight PS4, a game that's 6 MONTHS away on 1/10th of the installed base



If that's not awful for what is likely to be the biggest, most hyped game of the year, I truly don't know what is. Maybe with a couple more positions, so it was below PS All-Stars (lol) ?

I just don't think it's a fair comparison because the game isn't actually being released on 360 for another 2 weeks. Maybe some of the hype can spill over now but most sales (pre-orders on Amazon) (I'd imagine) come within the last few days before release.

 

[Jetlagger]

It's still kind of funny to me that 4 million-ish units sold to this point is a 'slow start' for a console. Based on their financial quarter releases, that's ahead of where the 360, Wii U, and PS3 were at roughly the same point in their existence.

The PS4 being at 6 million (and change at this point) shows the Xbox One could have had an even bigger launch, but it doesn't negate the fact that it HAS had a strong launch as well, especially at $500.

Isn't it only 3 million-ish still? When did MS release numbers saying "over 4 million"? I must have missed that.

 

[hawk2025]

I just don't think it's a fair comparison because the game isn't actually being released on 360 for another 2 weeks. Maybe some of the hype can spill over now but most sales (pre-orders on Amazon) (I'd imagine) come within the last few days before release.

Batman is also not being released on the PS4 for another 6 months. But it's hanging in there with the 360's Titanfall.

Infamous Second Son comes out almost at the same time as the 360 version of Titanfall -- it's already up there and way, way ahead of it. Ground Zeroes is still 10 days away, and sitting at number 9.

I'm not saying the Amazon numbers will be representative of sales -- but I'm saying that the Amazon numbers absolutely do not paint a respectable picture of how the 360 version will sell. It looks awful.

 

[Chobel]

I disagree completely about removing Kinect. Even if they cut the Kinect completely and achieve price parity with the Playstation 4, they'll simply be a less powerful console at the same price point with nothing of note to differentiate itself from the competition. They've put considerable money into the Kinect, and for better or worse, the Xbox One's identity is intertwined with Kinect.

The main difference between Xbone and PS4 is the games, not Kinect.

 

[harSon]

Isn't it only 3 million-ish still? When did MS release numbers saying "over 4 million"? I must have missed that.

They haven't and even if they had, they wouldn't announce it. The only reason they announced numbers previously is because the milestones they announced were within the same vicinity of what Sony was announcing. They're not going to announce exceeding 4 million after Sony has announced worldwide numbers in excess of 6 million.

 

[VanWinkle]

First, let me say that I'm sure Titanfall is great fun and will be a good game. But this insane hype around it ever since last E3 is the most bizarre thing ever. Its clearly a game worthy of getting excited about, but there's been such a massive amount of hype from the press and has been since the beginning. Seemingly bigger than any game I can remember. Its not that crazy or revolutionary or innovative of a game. I'm not putting forth any conspiracy theories or anything, but the hype has just felt so... manufactured, like, "this is the game we need to hype."

To me, it just seems like a good, fun game. That's it.

 

[famousmortimer]

I think it's interesting that we are having a more interesting, grounded, and fact based conversation here than Pachter and Lee did. And I like both of those guys and thought it was a good episode. I just like us more


I want Titanfall to do well. I don't care what system/pc. I like the game. I thought the beta was fun as hell. I do think it, mixed with PvZ/Ryse/DR3/Forza(kinda)/Max/Peggle2/etc, make the xbox one worth owning. But the thing is that I made that decision in early december. Not in March. I think a lot of people are like me. March will definitely be a substantial uptick over Jan/feb, but that's not saying much considering how awful those numbers are. inFamous is also tracking really fucking high in social metrics (youtube views, twitter mentions, preorders, etc). Sony is going to have an uptick in March as well.


April is where it will really get interesting, to me.

 

[Nydius]

"No one knows it exists" was hyperbolic, to make a point.

I know it was hyperbole. It is BAD hyperbole and it fails to make any point when it's clear the game is selling even at the end of the generation and with the known limitations of the X360 version. We can argue back and forth about the fact that older, established, games are beating it, but the fact that it and DS2 are the only two pre-order games in their list means it's still got momentum.

Why do people keep banging on this "exclusive" drum. Exclusivity implies that there's only one place to get it. But that's not the case at all and that's why it's not going to give Microsoft the bump they desperately need. If it was truly exclusive to Xbox One, there wouldn't even be a 360 version on Amazon to point and laugh at and I certainly wouldn't have been able to preloaded it via Origin on Friday.

I don't need to go drop $500 on an Xbox One to play their supposed Killer App. At all. Neither do X360 owners. That's antithetical to being an "exclusive" in the commonly used gaming parlance.