Rumors - News - Remarks by Russell Carroll

Get the XBox? (September 20, 2005)

Getting an XBox 360? I might...

With all the excitement generated by Microsoft about the XBox 360 I think most people who play games are considering whether or not they will buy one. Since Nintendo pushed off the most eagerly awaited game of the year until next year, I've been reading up more on the 360, and you get to be the personal reader of why I won't and why I will get the new beast when it comes out. Read on!

Why I won't be purchasing an XBox 360
Number 1 - It costs how much?
$400! Are you kidding! I could buy a car for that amount...and since I don't have one, I probably would prefer the car. $400 is just the beginning of course, a wireless joystick is $50! This leaves me wondering...what the heck is in them? How did the cost of a wireless joystick go from $30 to $50? What if I want to play 4 people at my house? Is that going to cost me $150 in just joysticks? I know that Micrsoft had a financial disaster with its first game console, but why should I have to pay to make up for its $2 billion dollar loss that they called the first Xbox? (interestingly enough people commonly state that Nintendo should get out of the console business though notably Nintendo never had a negative quarter with GameCube. Xbox, on the other hand, only had 1 positive quarter (when Halo "2" was released) and in that quarter Nintendo's revenues were 4x of Microsoft's XBox earnings, while Sony has stayed even farther in the black than Nintendo.  Putting these items together seems to indicate that Microsoft should be stepping out of the console game)

Number 2 - XBox 'Almost' live
Perhaps the most interesting of the XBox focuses is the online aspect of the console. Microsoft has gone to great lengths to create their online interface and it is slick! We've been told time and time again about how XBox 360 includes live. So imagine my shock when I found out it includes Xbox ALMOST live. The 360 includes the 'Silver' version of the online package. What this means is you can go online, chat, buy games and get cool stuff. Yeah...um...but you can't play games against anyone unless you upgrade to the paid service! So is it free? Yes! What is it? Basically you get free access to a chat room and web store! WOW! I never had that before! Of course you have to pay for the internet connection yourself, and since a growing percentage of the world is online, you probably have broadband already, so you're not really paying for that.

Since nearly 10% of XBox users are currently on live, you can see, it is definitely something that the majority of the public wants to use. Well, I mean the loyal XBox fans don't use it, but you should...I guess...

Number 3 - What is this whole HD thing again?
Alright so I shelled out the $400 for the system, $100 for a couple of other joysticks and $60 to get Perfect Dark Zero. Now I need to spend $500 to get a new TV? Well I guess I don't have to, but that means I'm missing out on the full graphic experience. Looking at HD TVs I quickly realize that I'll need to spend at least $800 to get it on a decently sized tube. What good are great graphics on a 23" set? I want 27" minimum! Only one problem here, my total XBox 360 system, including HD TV and a real Live account total is nearly $1500...

Number 4 - So the games cost 20% more are they 20% better?
The answer to this one really goes back to what XBox 360 is offering. The offerings are 1) better graphics and 2) online interactivity. This is really a problem due o 1-3 above. Reality is that graphics aren't a good enough reason to buy a game alone (read my 'good enough' article) and playing online doesn't appeal to me (guess I fit in with 90% of current XBox owners). My guess is that the extra 20% in price won't lead to 20% more fun.  Looking at screenshots of the graphics on the upcoming generation, they don't appear to be making a big enough jump for me to want to immediately get a new system.

Above:  Current Generation - Resident Evil 4
Below: Next Generation - Resident Evil 5

Number 5 - Why should I be loyal to Microsoft? When were they loyal to me?
Microsoft has had a lot to say about the possibility of making its XBox games playable on the 360. Apparently they are unable to work things out with other major companies and so we get to pay, boy do we ever! You thought Disney/Pixar was a mess, that is nothing compared to Microsoft/nVidia. Due to all the fall out the word in the market is that the XBox will not be available come Spring 2006. That means no more games for it soon thereafter, it instead will gets dumped in the trash like road kill. Meanwhile Sony is leaning towards reducing the price on the PS2, which still has a great library of games, and Nintendo is working on its most anticipated game for the GameCube in Zelda. Which companies will continue to provide games and support for those who purchased the system? Which one is giving me an upgrade or be cut-off ultimatum? Big ouch here for the MS loyal.

Why I will be purchasing an XBox 360
Number 1 - So I get to play indie games on it!?
So why do I get an XBox 360? Well after all this is an indie game site. We talk about indie games. Indie games will be available on the Xbox 360! That is right, using your nearly live account you can go online and purchase 'budget' games, which are actually innovative indie games. I really am looking forward to the Mutant Storm sequel and playing Wik with a controller (and multiplayer!). I think the major danger here is that the people buying a 360, shelling out at least $500 and probably $1500+ if they go for the HD TV will not want to purchase what they will see as 'budget' software. The people who initially get the XBox 360 will be the high end of the market segment and will not be the most likely of people to go for anything other than high end.  That would lead them to missing out on the great indie content...which is their loss...and independent gaming's.

Number 2 - Microsoft is working with the indie developers
I have it on good authority that Microsoft has been a dream to work with throughout the development process of the indie games, despite the challenges that it presents.  Microsoft sought out many indie developers at the GDC and soon thereafter, asking them to put their games on the 360.  Development kits have been made available, and Microsoft has done everything possible to make sure that Indie developers are able to show off their stuff to a larger market.  In so doing Microsoft is considering the wider market, not just the Halo fans, which is very encouraging from the indie developer standpoint.  I really applaud Microsoft for doing this, and though I feel it may be lost in the shuffle of the mainstream (like indie often is) if I end up buying an XBox 360 it will be solely because of Microsoft's efforts towards indie games.

Conclusion
Of course time will tell with the 360. I think that currently it is poorly positioned for the mass market and that doesn't bode well for its sales. The aim of the system's marketing has ignored the middle of the market where most of the money is as well as the bottom of the market. When the PS2 came out and the PS1 dropped to $69, I remember well my friends getting the PS1, not the PS2, because well, we're all poor. We were excited about the new stuff, but we could only afford the old stuff, and in reality that was 'good enough.'

I remember watching Sony present their '10-year' life cycle of a console at the GDC in 2004 and it makes even more sense now than it did then. While the XBox 360 will likely grab the high-end of the market first, time has shown that ignoring the mainstream audience leads to financial struggles. The XBox 360 is touting features that only a percentage of Americans have (HD & broadband) and the percentage of XBox live users is so small currently it is clear that the service is not for everyone, putting Microsoft it a much more precarious place than it likes to admit publicly. However, Beta beat VHS, Microsoft beat Apple, the PS1 beat the N64. Time after time the best product hasn't been determined by which one was the most powerful or capable. In the end it seems to have more to do with marketing than anything, and no-one should ever count out Microsoft marketing.