Console Wars Over; Xbox 360 Wins

[mister_slim]

Game Girl Advance (http://www.gamegirladvance.com/) has an article up stating that the Xbox 360 has won the console wars (http://www.gamegirladvance.com/archives/2005/05/13/armistice.html).
Xbox 360 does not compete with Sony or Nintendo. It is not a gaming console. It is a powerful device to deliver content online and over WiFi. Microsoft's real competition is Apple, Yahoo, and Google. Apple's movie-download service. Yahoo's retail channels. Google's - well, everything. Heck, throw Comcast and TiVo in there for good measure.
It's pretty flawed analysis but still interesting. And the next few months will bring further wheelbarrows of hyperbole.

[Dirty Harry]

From what i remeber, sony realised this years ago, and has secretly been attempting to take over the world with "media centers" ever since. The playstation 2 was the first attempt, a dvd player/video game console. Then there was that prototype of the ps2 that had built in sat. tv support aswell you could view your own media files and the such but it got scraped from what i heard. Anyways, a good idea that is the eventual future because no other company is producing a product quite as ambitious as a xbox or sony media center.

[sTubbs]

Yes, definitely a flawed analysis, but it does have a valid theme. This generation it is obvious that Microsoft won the battle for online gaming. Live is vastly superior to what Sony accomplished, and the GameCube is all but completely void of online support. Because of their success with Live, MS is entering the next generation with a tried and true online system that many people already love and trust, and are willing to pay a price to access. Add in to that equation the massive plans for expansion that MS has dreamed up, and they have one hell of an online system capable of providing the user with easy access to multitude of different features, most of which will be free.

While it is obviously too early to dismiss the online plans of Sony and Nintendo, it is easy to question whether or not they will be able to immediately rise to the level that MS has taken an entire generation to reach. And, even if they do, will people feel confident selecting a new product over one that is proven? I sincerely hope that both Sony and Nintendo do come out with online capabilities that rival what MS has done with Live, but I will not be surprised if their efforts fall short in several areas. That being said, this analysis exagerates the importance of online support. As always, the most important aspect of success is the software - without good games everything else is essentially meaningless. I guess all will be revealed soon enough.

[Chandler]

I think the flaw with that statement (like any sweeping statement) is those features are not gaming features??

You know, since they are girls, shouldn't they be talking about things like X-Box Live? the social aspect of gaming =)

this "console war" in my opinion will be who delivers the best gaming experience, statistically measured by number of units sold...

[Varsity]

How does she know the other two won't do the same? It's not a huge leap from UMD movies on the PSP to downloadable ones on it's big brother. And Yahoo is using the MS DRM, something which she hasn't really taken into consideration when listing competitors.

[Dirty Harry]

Remeber, all it takes is one killer hit like grand theft auto 3 if i remeber correctly to give you the lead that makes you the winner.

[bobbler]

Man.. that article is journalistic drivel.

It almost seems like Jane works for MS. Its PR garbage, Allard would be proud.

[Sion]

She posted pics of her in panties with her legs spread, so all is forgiven.

[ReaverX]

I don't think she's saying "Xbox 360 has won the the next console wars" but rather, "The console wars are ending in this generation, and the next is about digital convergance." That's the way I read the article anyway...

[Tricky Thumb]

Right, sure, the Xbox 360 isn't a CONSOLE, it's a media center.

I think it's flat out stupid, the only reason to buy an Xbox 360 is to play videogames. Everything else is just extra shit that you get as a bonus, it's nice but it's not the main point of the thing.

If I want a nice DVD player, I'll buy a DVD player. If I want a nice TiVo-type device, I'll buy one of those. I don't need Microsoft trying to monopolize the fucking rest of the technological world. Jeez...

[ElectricMonk]

blah blah blah. posts++;

<edit> i am drunk </edit>

[Royal Fool]

What a terrible article.

[Kelegacy]

Right, sure, the Xbox 360 isn't a CONSOLE, it's a media center.

I think it's flat out stupid, the only reason to buy an Xbox 360 is to play videogames. Everything else is just extra shit that you get as a bonus, it's nice but it's not the main point of the thing.

If I want a nice DVD player, I'll buy a DVD player. If I want a nice TiVo-type device, I'll buy one of those. I don't need Microsoft trying to monopolize the fucking rest of the technological world. Jeez...

OR, if i wanted a media center I'd buy a low-end PC. I could do much more for a little bit more cash. But I use my console for games. And that's how it should be for the most part. DVD playback is a always good though.

Online isnt the end-all and be-all of videogaming. It is a welcome addition to any game, but I always fear that the type of game I enjoy will someday be watered down in favor of a completely online experience. I didnt play Tribes until the 3rd installment, because it had a decent singleplayer game in there. I absolutely love singleplayer experiences, as I deal with too many assholes in real life. Most times I just want to chill out by myself, which is one reason I play solo games, read books, and the like. As long as companies continue to give me a great gaming experience and add a good multiplayer component as a bonus, I'm game. I didn't care for the second splinter cell (havent played the 3rd) and it seemed like they threw in a blah game compared to the first gem, but put more focus on the multiplayer.

The next round will probably see huge online numbers though. This round was fine and all, but it wasnt the most important factor, as can be seen with the numbers of Xbox owners vs. Live subscribers. Or any other demographic compared to the latter. Plus, high speed net will continue to grow and open up the floodgates for further online potential

[Racknahm]

You guys don't realize that, not everyone thinks like you do. Some people may buy and Xbox and then realizing it has DVD playback and TiVO type things, they won't bother in buying higher quality and just settle for the system. Some other people may buy the new Xbox because not only can it play games but it can do other stuff. For example, my roommate bought a ps2 so he could play games(well, just San Andreas) and watch movies on it. She was right when she said we're a means to an end for MS.

On the other hand, the people that would want media centers will walk right past the Xbox 360 and ignore it, thinking it's some overpriced children's toy.

[Furious Wang]

First, it wasn't really an article, more of a blog post.

Second, the most important thing 360 has going for it is this: Micropayments. The ability to create your own content, be it skins, maps, car paint jobs, etc. and sell it over the live network is important. Any Joe out there can make something worthwile, sell it for 10 - 25 cents and (with a little bit of internet marketing) move 10,000 copies (a moderately conservative estimate for quality content). Bam, there's 1,000 to 2,500 bucks right there. There's an actual possibility for people to make pretty decent livings off of this market scheme.

I can already see the late night infomercials "I made 100,000 dollars a year with the Xbox and you can too!"

Anyone with some smarts would be working on a community oriented website hub for the marketing and selling of future 360 content right now.

[Paranoia]

There will be microtax too.

[Drinking_Buddy]

I stopped reading the article when she said that "The Xbox360 is not for us."

The whole "Media Center battle" idea was orginally created when the PS2 came out and grew when the Xbox was going to be realised. Did it happen? No.

People just dont want one device that will play dvds, satallite, games, etc. Esppically not a device that can do all of things only poorly. (I am not trying to bash any one console or device, I am talking about being a Jack of All trades but a master of none.)

I think she lost all of her gaming journalistic credablity when she said that it wasnt for gamers. Yes, lets ignore those multi-million dollar sales on Halo alone. Yes, we gamers are small poatoes indeed.

[Draft]

She posted pics of her in panties with her legs spread, so all is forgiven.
Yeah that was hot.

[Heretic Machine]

You know, since they are girls, shouldn't they be talking about things like X-Box Live? the social aspect of gaming =)

No, they should be in the kitchen, fixin' me dinner!

FLAME ON!

[TrackZero]

If the 360 turns out to suddenly be a PVR as well, I'm going to shit myself.

[TrackZero]

No, they should be in the kitchen, fixin' me dinner!

FLAME ON!

You're the human torch, Johnny Flame? ;)

[B_Money]

If the 360 turns out to suddenly be a PVR as well, I'm going to shit myself.

Okay, time to nip this rumor in the bud. The Xbox 360 does not have any PVR capabilities, nor will it. If you want to use it to watch recorded content, you need a media center PC to record shows for you.

[Draft]

Man, that website intimidates me. Those people seem way to hip to be into videogames.

[ddbrown30]

So basically, she's saying the XBox 360 is the best PC in console form on the market. Thanks, but if that's all it's going to be, I'll stick to a real PC.

[trip1eX]

IT's all about the games man.

The 360 ain't doing anything multimedia wise that your CAble company or Tivo doesn't do.

For those that don't own a Tivo it will be nice to stream your music from your pc to your home stereo thru the 360. Same with photos.

But for streaming video tho the requirements of a media center pc are too stiff. Tivo or Cable Co is a better dealio.

It's easy to put alot of power into a next gen machine. And to include all these more or less straightforward technical features on xbox live etc.

But it's the games that aren't the sure thing. That are the x-factor. Fun isn't a science. It's an art.

imo they should have gone all out with the 360 as a living room box. I should be able to use it like a pc with mouse/keyboard/monitor if I want to. I should be able to surf the net. I should be able to add a large hard drive. Hook up a printer. Hell I should be able to buy programs other than games. I should be able to do my research papers on it. OR run a spreadsheet. OR a tax program. ....etc.

I've always thought the console business model was a better one than the home pc business model of today. GAme consoles are easy to use and don't have the compatibility problems of pcs. GAmers love this. Where's that same easy of use, initial low cost model in the home pc world? Doesn't anyone see the parallels here? And look at these big ass ugly boxes that everyone still has as a home pc? While for games we get these sleek machines.

The only reasoning I can think of as to why this is so is cause cause MS controls a monopoly on Windows. This is why you aren't seeing this innovation in the home pc world. I mean how many home pc users like the hassle of a windows pc? Hell I mainly just surf the net, use word or excel and a tax program. I don't need 99% of the features on a frickin pc. And I pretty much wouldn't mind it all being alot easier to use in terms of interface and compatibility problems.

[protojack]

I stopped reading the article when she said that "The Xbox360 is not for us."

The whole "Media Center battle" idea was orginally created when the PS2 came out and grew when the Xbox was going to be realised. Did it happen? No.

People just dont want one device that will play dvds, satallite, games, etc. Esppically not a device that can do all of things only poorly. (I am not trying to bash any one console or device, I am talking about being a Jack of All trades but a master of none.)

I think she lost all of her gaming journalistic credablity when she said that it wasnt for gamers. Yes, lets ignore those multi-million dollar sales on Halo alone. Yes, we gamers are small poatoes indeed.



She never said "The Xbox360 is not for us." I belive she was referring to the MTV show itself.

"A lot of us were disappointed by the Xbox unveiling on Mtv. I didn't see it, but I've read and heard the comments. And most of you also acknowledge that it wasn't meant for us.

That is absolutely the most important thing to understand about this whole launch: it wasn't about us. It wasn't about games. As of yesterday, the console wars are over."

I think we're all in agreement about the MTV launch Thursday. It sucked, but it was meant to let "everyone else" learn about it, we've been reading the leaked info for months.

While I disagree with her calling gamers like us small potatos as well as most of her argument, she does have an interesting take on the situation.

[Rommel]

I have seen this chick post pictures of her masturbating with a video game peripherial - so you will excuse me for questioning her journalistic integrity.

I question her journalistic integrity.

[Heretic Machine]

So basically, she's saying the XBox 360 is the best PC in console form on the market. Thanks, but if that's all it's going to be, I'll stick to a real PC.

I'm so sick of this fucking ignorant bullshit. What the hell do you think is in your PS2? Magical game fairies? NO! Electronics, just like what's in the XBOX. Just because the PS2 uses proprietary bullshit that makes it difficult to develop for, and the XBOX uses standard parts that people already know how to make games for, does not make the PS2 better.

[Headcase]

"It is not a gaming console. It is a powerful device to deliver content online and over WiFi."

Then it hasn't won the console war, has it? It has won the powerful device to deliver content online and over WiFi war, if anything.

[mister_slim]

I'm so sick of this fucking ignorant bullshit. What the hell do you think is in your PS2? Magical game fairies? NO! Electronics, just like what's in the XBOX. Just because the PS2 uses proprietary bullshit that makes it difficult to develop for, and the XBOX uses standard parts that people already know how to make games for, does not make the PS2 better.
I second the 'sick of this ignorant bullshit' part. You should shut up.

Just because a PSP can surf the internet does not mean it is useful for posting on EvAv. Just because the 360 can play WMA from a Media Center PC does not make it better than a PC.

[Heretic Machine]

Just because a PSP can surf the internet does not mean it is useful for posting on EvAv. Just because the 360 can play WMA from a Media Center PC does not make it better than a PC.

When did I say that, anywhere in my post? I said that using standard computer parts doesn't make an XBOX into a PC. WTF? When did I mention a PSP? When did I mention that the 360 was better than a PC?

[williambraski]

We're promised the bee's knees constantly in the video game world only to have most of those promises never met.

Think back to how many titles/services/products, etc etc have been touted as the next best thing since sliced bread?

Until this tree bears fruit all this talk is BS

[mister_slim]

When did I say that, anywhere in my post? I said that using standard computer parts doesn't make an XBOX into a PC. WTF? When did I mention a PSP? When did I mention that the 360 was better than a PC?
Do you read posts before you reply to them? You attacked someone for saying that if the reason for getting a 360 was for all the added PC functions he'd stick with his PC. You replied with 'electricity = electricity'. Fuck off.