A few years ago my answer probably would have been different, but looking at how horrible Mattrick's management of the Xbox division has been over the last few years, and with their prized developer Bungie going multiplatform now, I'm seriously at a loss for what exactly I (as a hardcore gamer) stand to benefit with Microsoft being in this industry anymore.
With bungie gone, they really only have Lionhead and Rare left as their prized studios, and neither I particularly care for. Gears of War would still live on since it's an Epic title, and I'm sure the talented portions of their other studios would find jobs elsewhere.
I would much rather see the Kinect experiment fail, and Microsoft invest elsewhere and simply leave the industry at this point. They're throwing an absolutely ridiculous amount of money on a complete failure of a technology that is severely limited in its gaming applications. That money could have probably been better spent towards beefing up their studios. Sure, the rewards aren't nearly as high as what they could be with Kinect, but the risk isn't nearly as bad either, and they'd further cement themselves in the minds of core gamers for why they need to own a 360. As it stands, Microsoft is basically telling core gamers that you need to buy the 360 for Xbox Live, and we'll let our third parties handle the rest; the remaining focus is now squarely on some nebulous audience that they've never had any hint of success going after. The Xbox division's management is clearly insane and infatuated with the success of the Wii at a time when the Wii's success is starting to significantly taper off. These executives don't have a clue, and I don't want this sort of leadership defining the next few years, or generations even, of gaming.
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