You said it. Shouted that shit from the mountaintops back then.
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Microsoft Will Focus Primarily On Xbox Live Usership, Not Console Shipments.
- Thread starter Hanmik
- Start date
Sectorseven
Member
You'd think they'd wait until after the Halo & holiday quarter. One last numbers hurrah that should be impressive looking...right?
Garrett 2U
Member
You know, both Microsoft and Xbox are under new leadership since Xbox 360.
SaucyJack
Member
Is it a useful metric? Yes.
Is it the best metric for judging the performance console business? Unlikely.
Are their reasons for the change absolutely obvious? Hell yeah.
BlackBuzzard
Banned
Maybe October isn't looking so hot either? With PS4 pricecut and everything.
At least they're consistent,
I hope investors get more indepth numbers than they release to the public between fudging the profit with other divisions, not giving actual numbers worth looking at a 1rst glance and this. I'd be hard pressed saying they were confident in showing that their venture was a runaway success.
It make sense to not release shipment numbers when you only manage to sell you stuff in 1 or 2 territories and in 1 of them NPD release the data.
I guess there's no longer any meaningful metric for the xb1 aside from NPD (and maybe famitsu/dengeki lol)
I hope investors get more indepth numbers than they release to the public between fudging the profit with other divisions, not giving actual numbers worth looking at a 1rst glance and this. I'd be hard pressed saying they were confident in showing that their venture was a runaway success.
It make sense to not release shipment numbers when you only manage to sell you stuff in 1 or 2 territories and in 1 of them NPD release the data.
I guess there's no longer any meaningful metric for the xb1 aside from NPD (and maybe famitsu/dengeki lol)
And all the upper management was fired.
Come on, fella. If they were doing PS4 numbers right now they wouldn't hide it, new leadership or not.
And nobody is safe from this. Sony did "Playstation Family" numbers last gen. MS just took it to the next level this time around.
Even Nintendo made it harder with the whole DS/3DS stuffs for a time.
LOL - god, some of you guys are bitter.
So basically expect Live numbers (across 360, XB1, and Windows devices) and, "XB1 sales increased 290% for the week following the release of Halo 5!" instead of actually shipment numbers?
So much for the console shipment transparency we enjoyed for a few generations. I suppose Microsoft can point to Sony for being the first to muddy the waters last generation.
So much for the console shipment transparency we enjoyed for a few generations. I suppose Microsoft can point to Sony for being the first to muddy the waters last generation.
Truthfully why even bother at this point. It's obvious the PS4 has won and there's nothing they can do to catch up. And it's not like it hasn't been successful on its own....they just can't compete with Sony's success
It's a shame really how fucked the X1 has been since they botched the launch. It's really not a bad console at all and it's been getting more play these days than my PS4. I wish it was a more competitive race because we'd all benefit.
It's a shame really how fucked the X1 has been since they botched the launch. It's really not a bad console at all and it's been getting more play these days than my PS4. I wish it was a more competitive race because we'd all benefit.
A169InchSausage
Neo Member
Thanks for your input, warrior
Netherscourge
Banned
Xbox Live Usership VS. Xbox Live Usersoldthrough?
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
I suspect that this move is for Microsoft's internal consumption rather than for anyone outside the company. On the face of things, using a different metric like this seems to have come about because the PS4 was beating the Xbone. However, I think that what they're really trying to do is to justify Xbox's raison d'etre at all.
Internally, Xbox makes so little money that it's almost irrelevant within the larger company. The reason the other segments put up with it was the promise that it could lead Microsoft to control the public's living room. This hope and dream died when the public soundly rejected Kinect 2.0, so they're now concentrating on something else that has meaning within Microsoft: software as a service and subscriptions. It's harder for other departments to dismiss several dozen millions of subscriptions when that is now a major goal for the whole company.
Internally, Xbox makes so little money that it's almost irrelevant within the larger company. The reason the other segments put up with it was the promise that it could lead Microsoft to control the public's living room. This hope and dream died when the public soundly rejected Kinect 2.0, so they're now concentrating on something else that has meaning within Microsoft: software as a service and subscriptions. It's harder for other departments to dismiss several dozen millions of subscriptions when that is now a major goal for the whole company.
Garrett 2U
Member
True.
But they also didn't treat Xbox as a platform back then, it was limited to the current console.
Now it seems they are transitioning Xbox to support a variety of hardware systems rather than one console.
There's more interesting possibilities to discuss than a console war.
Exactly my thought.
Netherscourge
Banned
I honestly think they should make a "Xbox Surface" hybrid console/laptop, that has gaming-PC specs for Next-Gen - and comes with a controller.
The race is competitive enough in the world's largest market (North America). The OG Xbox did pretty well for multiplat ports and exclusives, despite being nowhere close to the PS2 in sales in either the US or Europe. I think the XB1 will be fine if you are just concerned about getting games. It's fucked in Japan, and Japanese support will be minimal outside of the biggest Western-friendly franchises, but that's nothing new.
Peoples business knowledge...
It's a shareholders financial report. They're unifying platforms and becoming a software service company. The revenue stream of a service which has a subscription model which is gauged by active monthly users is the better way to talk about how your platform is doing financially. Xbox isn't just the Xbox hardware, it's the platform which stretches across Mobile/PC/Xbox.
This isn't a spin because they're 'loosing' (even though they're beating 360 sales), more so a better representation of the direction of the business going forward and the revenue stream that generates. It's better for the shareholders.
Their shares are at the largest high in a very long time due to this report. The stock markets don't lie.
It's a shareholders financial report. They're unifying platforms and becoming a software service company. The revenue stream of a service which has a subscription model which is gauged by active monthly users is the better way to talk about how your platform is doing financially. Xbox isn't just the Xbox hardware, it's the platform which stretches across Mobile/PC/Xbox.
This isn't a spin because they're 'loosing' (even though they're beating 360 sales), more so a better representation of the direction of the business going forward and the revenue stream that generates. It's better for the shareholders.
Their shares are at the largest high in a very long time due to this report. The stock markets don't lie.
PdotMichael
Banned
Can't wait to play Halo 5 on my W10 machine.
LukasTaves
Member
At this point m only doubt is if they will work with OEMs like they do with Phone and now Hololens, where they have a stricter set of rules for these devices, or if they are releasing a Windows 10 Xbox edition, that allows you to install on any pc if you want a version of windows 10 tailored for the big TV.
You probably will do in the not too distant future if the director of 343 is anything to go by.
PdotMichael
Banned
Before or after MCC?
Can't talk about unifying platforms if one platform doesn't get anything except an upgraded version of Solitaire.
andthebeatgoeson
Junior Member
Eh, they have shown an ability to adapt (360 late sales) in the past (as well as not adapt). Maybe this is a strategy to focus on their core clients and build up for next gen or even late this gen. Don't know and care not so much. They need a kick in the ass.
Personally, I don't think MCC will ever arrive on PC. So my vote is before, but with the latter coming never.
We will hear about a major milestone when 40 million users log in.
Indeed.
They said that console wars are distasteful and it didn't matter. Now if it really didn't mattered, why would they hide their 'losing' numbers?
Microsoft are like terrible sports kids. Shit talk when winning then take ball home when losing.
I am benefiting just fine. The Xbox One has great exclusives, constant updates and great features with some big stuff on the way. The fact the PS4 is selling more does not take away from that. As sales figures do nothing to enhance my enjoyment.
Meanwhile, there is not another game I want for my PS4 until Uncharted 4 releases. But sure, the console sure is selling well! I am happy for Sony.
Garrett 2U
Member
No, it has to be console wars because back in the day...!
Nightengale
Member
But you can do both, not just one or the other.
For example, Sony boast hardware sales and their engagement metrics across PSN/SEN, which they tout earlier this year of 65 million active users.
MS is free to use whatever metrics they want to share, but there's nothing stopping them from sharing user engagement and shipment together, other than themselves.
Pancakes R Us
Member
Well...not surprised they want to hide console shipments when they're around what, 10m behind their main competitor worldwide?
Wow, so no 20 million shipped kind of stuff? Wow...
I think they are a long way away from 20 million.
I think the way that this console generation is going is actually the best way it could go for the consumer. Microsoft getting the crap beaten out of them on console sales while as an entire corporation they are posting better than expected profits. Sony does amazing with console sales and in turn is boosting Sony corporate as a whole while they continue to restructure other business lines.
This allows Microsoft to aggressively lower console prices without hurting their bottom line too much while Sony knows that for the financial health of the company they need to continue crushing Xbox one in sales and that makes them worried enough to not allow the Xbox One to be much cheaper than the PS4. I probably oversimplified it a bit but I think it's a win-win for people that want consoles and games prices to be as low as possible.
This allows Microsoft to aggressively lower console prices without hurting their bottom line too much while Sony knows that for the financial health of the company they need to continue crushing Xbox one in sales and that makes them worried enough to not allow the Xbox One to be much cheaper than the PS4. I probably oversimplified it a bit but I think it's a win-win for people that want consoles and games prices to be as low as possible.
Dr. Kitty Muffins
Member
Shifting the battlefield, eh?
joecanada
Member
MSFT investors don't care about Xbox.
you post that likes its a good thing. its good for short term if you want to hide when underperforming , long term it makes the whole division an afterthought. or a commodity and neither is good for the core business of xbox division.
Is it unreasonable that a company presents info on its market placement with a positive outlook, as long as it's accurate?
This isn't targeted at you, but I see people almost upset that Microsoft was in a position to tout strong sales numbers last generation. But that's nothing particular to any one company. Last gen, if Microsoft had performed worse, they would have made their public-facing statements highlight whichever area was strongest, instead of hard sales numbers. That's not acting against consumer interests unless it's hiding outright failure that will effect development trends, and it's a sound strategy to keep due market confidence.
For Sony coming off of the success of the PS2, some people were confused that with the PS3 they shifted to presenting grouped hardware sales, but it wasn't confusing, it was just the best way to present that data. Individual buyers shouldn't care about market performance unless (a) it's a part of the hobby for them or (b) it would show a threat to a platform they're investing in. That's how I see it, anyway.
Mind you, a lot of us here probably enjoy the armchair analysis as part of the hobby. So when we think a company is trying to obfuscate things, we raise an eyebrow. But keeping that perceived slight in perspective is important.
I think they're close enough. We haven't heard anything in a year now either way, so I guess just hiding the sales is the way to go?
lighthouse777
Member
works for me
Still think for next generation MS will open up the hardware to other manufactures and have a Win10 console edition. Not saying that they will get out of hardware, but more likely creating a "reference" version. Think of how the Surface is to other laptops.
If that's the case, then changing to a Live based metric makes complete sense.
If that's the case, then changing to a Live based metric makes complete sense.