Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal has caused shockwaves throughout the gaming community that haven’t been seen in years. Hundreds of thousands of tiny voices screaming at the top of their lungs, wondering why Microsoft would choose the path they have taken; why they’ve turned their back on their fans; and what possessed them to choose to put a lockdown on used games and force internet connectivity.
The answer to almost every question can be answered with the following:
“The Xbox One is not meant to be a video game console.”
It’s shocking, right? How dare they take a trusted brand name and smack it on a device that clearly has television programming and sports at the forefront of its focus. How could they do this to the loyal Xbox fans, who have spent thousands of cumulative hours arguing on the internet over which console is better?
Microsoft has wanted to take over the living room space for more than a decade, and the Xbox One’s job is to realize this goal. The console is not seeking to win the hearts of gamers, but rather your average Joe. The company knows they will lose fans of their console brand in the focus transition, but those few who migrate to Sony will be more than made up for by sports junkies and soccer moms adopting the Xbox One.
Gamers are no longer Microsoft’s core focus in the Xbox brand. Your average consumer is much easier to please and more willing to spend money than your average gamer. It’s that simple. Why go for the skittish rabbit poking its head out of a hole when there’s a 12 point buck standing right in front of you with its back turned?
The Xbox One and The Console War
The question really is: Could the Xbox One even be considered a part of the main “console war” if the system’s main focus isn’t video games?
We all know the system will get its share of exclusives, but it’s never enough. Microsoft consoles have never had a great deal of exclusive titles, and the significant technological advantage the PlayStation 4 is going to have over the Xbox One is eventually going turn devs to the PS4 once the X1’s hardware is far too obsolete to keep up with the ever-evolving PC hardware landscape.
Many of the features we’ve seen the Xbox One demonstrate so far have been impressive, even a bit awe-inspiring if Fantasy Football and switching between TV channels without a remote is your thing. As impressive as these features are, they don’t have much of a place on a gaming console.
We don’t consider iOS/Android devices as direct competition to traditional gaming handhelds. Can the Xbox One really be considered to be in direct competition with the PlayStation 4?
The difference between the two sides of both groups mentioned above, is that iOS and Android devices primarily hold other functions, with gaming on the site. Since the Xbox One is so focused on other functions, can it even really be considered direct competition?
Keep in mind we’re talking about console wars here. This is no longer about hardware sales, but hardware quality and the golden exclusive title quality and quantity combination. In those instances where Microsoft doesn’t shove money in their faces for timed exclusivity, are devs really going to latch to the Xbox One as their primary platform of choice?
Sony and several developers who have worked with the PlayStation 4 claim the system is easy to develop for and that the company wants to nurture developers in their work space. Microsoft has not put this type of attitude out there, and has even done the opposite in their policy to require indie developers to find a publisher to publish on the platform. Absolutely nothing announced about the Xbox One so far has been gamer or gaming industry-centric. Why is that?
The Xbox One Will Probably Be A Success…
… but not because of the video games.
Microsoft’s strategy this time around was clear from the get-go. You can hold your hands to your ears and pointedly bring up the company’s claims that their E3 event will be about “the games”, but why were television features and sports put at the forefront of the big reveal of a “video game console”? Really think about that.
This new “console” will probably do very well. Not because of the games, not because of the fans — but because it wasn’t made to focus on video games and it won’t be marketed as such either.
We are looking at a media device in disguise, hoping to ride on the back of Xbox brand recognition. You can call a Pepsi a Coke, but it’s still a Pepsi. No blind taste test can change that.
Published: May 23, 2013 04:20 am