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J Allard new video interview

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KyotoMecca

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J Allard: Video Interview Summer 2005

Kikizo talks to the face of Xbox 360 about deliberate leaks, expanding the audience, graphical quality, changing Xbox politics, the pre-rendered fiasco, Halo 3, managing a team of 20,000 and the future of Xbox.

The importance of J Allard's role at Microsoft isn't something that needs to be understated within the company; the Corporate Vice President is one of the original visionaries behind Xbox and today is the leader of perhaps Microsoft's most critical venture - the one that will open up the entertainment market for the software giant like never before, to an audience bigger than ever before. Xbox 360 is going to be a stunning ride and J is in the driving seat.

So it's only right that J should take a pit stop with Kikizo in Los Angeles to explain what's going on. The great thing about talking to J is he really does know it all; he can talk about everything from the intricacies of programming and middleware, to the XNA development platform on which he's the Lead Architect, the Xbox Live he pioneered, to the business of Xbox, and even those good old videogame things.

On today's agenda:

- Expanding the gaming audience
- Managing a team of 20,000
- Deliberate Xbox 360 leaks
- Varying quality of graphics
- Developing the look and brand of Xbox 360
- "If hypothetically we were to make Halo games in the future..."
- Changing politics behind the scenes of the Xbox business
- How to add value for customers
- The rules about pre-rendered and what's inapproppriate
- Competitive advantage against the PS3 launch
- The future of the Xbox business - where is Xbox in 10 years' time?
- God bless the Internet

It's a killer video interview and mercifully more compact than Kikizo's usual 40-minute epics - an essential download for everyone interested in next generation games.

Our thanks once again to J and the fine folks at Microsoft who helped to sort out this opportunity during a few days that will forever be remembered as... hectic.
Click to expand...

jallard350.jpg


http://games.kikizo.com/features/jallard_videointerview_june05.asp
 
What does the interviewer say at the very end of the video just before J says [laughin'] "oh yeah I remember that"?
 
TTP said:
What does the interviewer say at the very end of the video just before J says [laughin'] "oh yeah I remember that"?
Click to expand...

"last time [we met] was at X02..... but that was only because I jumped into someone else's interview"
 
sangreal said:
His comments about graphics and gameplay remind me a lot of Nintendo's stance.
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Nintendo and MS marketshare are very close, especially compared to Sony (unless you count handhelds too, then MS is a distant third). When MS had the tech advantage, they were yelling it from the rooftops. Interesting that they only talk of gameplay and teh revolutionary ideas like charging someone $5 for a digital Marc Ecko shirt now. I'm sure they know what they are up against with the PS3.
 
Guy LeDouche said:
Nintendo and MS marketshare are very close, especially compared to Sony (unless you count handhelds too, then MS is a distant third). When MS had the tech advantage, they were yelling it from the rooftops. Interesting that they only talk of gameplay and teh revolutionary ideas like charging someone $5 for a digital Marc Ecko shirt now. I'm sure they know what they are up against with the PS3.
Click to expand...


I look at it a little differently. I think MS is tailoring Xbox 360 to their strength now, which lies in software arena. Xbox is a big departure from what the company is used too. Their strength isn't in pushing hardware as you can see with the 3 billion dollars they lost on xbox. Now they make a great system in the 360 and focus their energy on the area they handle best: software.
 
KyotoMecca said:
I agree. He lied. But convincingly well.
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I don't understand why he would lie about that and I don't understand what they would have to gain from the leaks other than the ones that they did intentionalyl through ourcolony. It certainly takes the steam out of big event like the mtv one.
 
Mrbob said:
I look at it a little differently. I think MS is tailoring Xbox 360 to their strength now, which lies in software arena. Xbox is a big departure from what the company is used too. Their strength isn't in pushing hardware as you can see with the 3 billion dollars they lost on xbox. Now they make a great system in the 360 and focus their energy on the area they handle best: software.
Click to expand...
Software from MS, huh? So third time's the charm, then?

Actually, I was just kidding with my previous post. I really don't care. Bring on the games. Nobody but the most obsessive of the hardcore actually care about mission statements and fluff hype. Everybody does it, but it really doesn't effect anything. Entering this gen, MS and Sony were going toe-to-toe with this shit. Sony sold 90 million PS2s, MS sold 20 million XBoxes. What caused the difference? Games.

Now, back to Lumines, which I've only had a couple days. WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME?
 
Guy LeDouche said:
Software from MS, huh? So third time's the charm, then?

Actually, I was just kidding with my previous post. I really don't care. Bring on the games. Nobody but the most obsessive of the hardcore actually care about mission statements and fluff hype. Everybody does it, but it really doesn't effect anything. Entering this gen, MS and Sony were going toe-to-toe with this shit. Sony sold 90 million PS2s, MS sold 20 million XBoxes. What caused the difference? Games.
Click to expand...

Not really. MS was laughed at when they entered the gaming market. Plus they were a year late. This gen they are going toe to toe and MS has more time to focus on their strengths.
 
Mrbob said:
Not really. MS was laughed at when they entered the gaming market. Plus they were a year late. This gen they are going toe to toe and MS has more time to focus on their strengths.
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toe-to-toe with PR fluff, is what I meant.
 
dorio said:
I don't understand why he would lie about that and I don't understand what they would have to gain from the leaks other than the ones that they did intentionalyl through ourcolony. It certainly takes the steam out of big event like the mtv one.
Click to expand...

Certain leaks, like the "Xbox 360" name itself in the first place, made a lot of sense to send out nice and early via websites months before the unveiling so that the name became settled in the minds of the media and hardcore gamers. It makes a difference to awareness because of consistency; everyone was calling it 360 for months before the MTV thing. The other leaked images that were NOT ourcolony and NOT the hi-res frontal hardware shot (genuine leak!) were almost certainly intentional as far as I'm concerned... Of course they would not say so because then they would look all... snide. Look at his smile when he denies it. It's so obvious. ;-)
 
PhatSaqs said:
Allard does great interviews. His answers come off natural and dont sound like the usual PR drivel at all.
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Lmao! Are you fucking for real? Did you see the Xbox360 e3 conference?

They are going to blow the roof off gaming, while redefining gaming and showing the gamer what hyperbole, I mean gaming is all about.

He's one big PR doofus in his little Xbox tennis shoes. :lol
 
Allard: "We have this big book that details everything about what we are. Its called the book of Xenon".



Nintendo have one for Revolution too:

B00006AFH8.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
 
I know he downplayed the graphics and emphasised the games, but he did have a point.

Even with less power, MS seem to have a very comprehensive LIVE service planned, and the media extender stuff. They could be much closer to a cohesive online/community thing, with voice chat etc. That could be much more attractive to 'normal' people than brute force power.

Hopefully Sony realise this and also come out with some good online solutions.
 
akascream said:
Lmao! Are you fucking for real? Did you see the Xbox360 e3 conference?

They are going to blow the roof off gaming, while redefining gaming and showing the gamer what hyperbole, I mean gaming is all about.

He's one big PR doofus in his little Xbox tennis shoes. :lol
Click to expand...
Was that an unscripted interview?
 
mrklaw said:
Allard: "We have this big book that details everything about what we are. Its called the book of Xenon".

Nintendo have one for Revolution too:

B00006AFH8.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Click to expand...

They can't even spell poo right. Nintendo can't get anything right.
 
PhatSaqs said:
Was that an unscripted interview?
Click to expand...

LOL! Of course it was. There's no time or energy or concentration to "fake" interviews at E3 on the part of either the interviewer or the interviewee! You can barely fight your way into a scheduled interview in the first place because of all the kids collecting their free t-shirt.
 
KyotoMecca said:
LOL! Of course it was. There's no time or energy or concentration to "fake" interviews at E3 on the part of either the interviewer or the interviewee! You can barely fight your way into a scheduled interview in the first place because of all the kids collecting their free t-shirt.
Click to expand...

He was talking about the press conference....
 
GhaleonEB said:
He was talking about the press conference....
Click to expand...

Oh, sorry my bad. Erm, yes, of course the conference is. The whole thing is on autocue and usually appears as a transcript on MS website immediately (although it took a few days longer this year).
 
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