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[DanielsM]

Actually the focus on cloud is extremely forward thinking and evidence of Nadella’s leadership which proves my point rather than argues it. The lack of focus on this by Sony and Nintendo will be an Achilles heal going forward. Microsoft and Amazon are the two main players going forward for cloud infrastructure even Apple is trying to catch up.
I can’t believe you can’t see the change in Microsoft since Balmer is gone. Balmer was all about the quick dollar which is why MS basically lost 10 years of innovation under his watch. Microsoft today is about the long game.

The movement to cloud service happened in 2010 way before Ballmer left, who was spearheading that Satya. Where do you think all of Donny's stuff was coming from, the same people that are running the company now. Not sure if serious on your second statement as it pertains to Sony in particular, PS Now has been up and running for 5 years and PS Remote Play actually worked with the PS3 (in limited form since 2006) and fully supported with PS4. Microsoft is actually 5-10 years behind in this regard, not that I think its a big deal.... as gamers continue to reject most of that stuff.

Under Satya... not consumer support or expansion but more or less a complete destruction of the consumer products/services.... not many left.

Games for Windows Live (RIP 2014)
Microsoft Band (RIP 2016)
Groove Music formerly Xbox Music (RIP 2017)
Xbox Kinect (RIP 2017)
Windows Phone (RIP 2019)
Lionhead Studios (RIP 2016)
Pressplay (RIP 2016)
Function Studios (RIP 2016)
BigPark Studio (RIP 2016)
Good Science Studio (RIP 2016)
Leap Experience Pioneers (LXP) (RIP 2016)
State of the Art (SOTA) (RIP 2016)
Team Dakota (RIP 2016)
Xbox Entertainment Studios - remember all the TV shows and movies they were suppose to have see prior E3s

Games:
- Fable Legends
- Project Spark
- Knoxville
- Scalebound

Basically, Satya has spent the last 5 years shutting down most of Microsoft's purely consumer products. Phil was able to convince Satya he could sell kids "services", so Satya gave him some more money last year.

Article from 2010, where do you think all these "services" started from?

["The cloud fuels Microsoft and Microsoft fuels the cloud." Says 70% of employees are doing something cloud-based or cloud-inspired. That will go up to 90% in a year. "We're all in," he says. "This is the bet for our company."

Steve Ballmer: Microsoft 'betting our company' on the cloud

paidContent: Remarks may signal change in strategy for software giant

www.theguardian.com

 

[Riven326]

Talk is cheap. Show us results Phil.

All this guy does is talk. He's been nothing but a loser for Xbox. The brand is a joke these days. The only reason people still give him credit is because Mattrick was so unbelievably shit at his job.

Bring back Peter Moore. Make Xbox great again.

 

[Gavon West]

It's not about having a good start, it's about keeping the quality going for an entire gen.
MS hasn't exactly proven themselves capable of doing that, compared to Nintendo and Sony who've been raising the bar with their big games continuously throughout each gen.

Funny how you try to twist my words though.

Hmm. Funny that. Sony didn't start strong this gen. In fact, their game output was pretty lack luster. Of course they turned things around later on, but....

 

[BlackTron]

I can see the past beyond the xbox one, which apparently a lot of people can't.

You talk about the 360 failing when it was the most successful gen MS has ever had. How do you consider that failing?

At no point did I state that 360 as a platform failed; I said that Microsoft has been failing ever since the tail end of the 360, chronologically.

If I was unable to see further back in the past, when 360 was killing it, I would not have said this; I simply stated the point at which they began fumbling.

For instance, saying that Nintendo began failing with software when the Wii had been out for 4-5 years. This is both true and and takes nothing away from Wii's general success as a platform (from its years before that). Note that I am a huge Nintendo fan and can state this without hurting my own feelings.

People are still stuck on the xbox one and using it as the sole reason they think MS will do bad next gen, while ignoring many of the reasons that resulted in the xbox one doing so poorly this gen. Microsoft didn't do well with kinect on the xbox one, which was a big focus at the start of this gen, and a big reason that, hardware-wise, the xbox one was pretty sad. I agree. But I don't see kinect being mentioned anywhere for next gen. Maybe that in itself is one reason to be optimistic for next gen?

The world as it is today is not a simple copy/paste of where it was when the One launched with Kinect; in business there are no do-overs. The idea that they can simply "remove the one thing" that hurt them and be fine is ignoring the complexity of the market and what it takes to succeed in it.

This to me is like assuming Nintendo's next platform would be great just because they plan to drop the gamepad. Don't forget that you don't make a platform with simply the absence of bad; you also need the presence of good. It wasn't that the Switch avoided the mistakes of its predecessor that made it a success; it was being a good idea, executed well in its own right. Not being actively bad just gets your foot through the door, it doesn't accomplish anything else!

If you're wearing a terrible outfit, taking it off isn't going to win you any beauty pageants. You'll still have to actually find a good outfit to wear!

It also goes both ways. You can't fault MS for the end of the last generation while giving other companies a pass at the start of a generation.

I'm not sure anyone is doing that, but I haven't. Apparently, a lot of people didn't give the PS3 a pass at the beginning, because enough people chose not to buy it that Sony was sent scrambling to reduce the price and get better software out.

The PS3 did not fare so well initially and the Wii U was a flop.

Ok? Maybe you can help me understand what you're getting at because I'm struggling to see how all this is relevant.

Phil has also gone on record stating that they are giving these new studios the freedom to develop stuff that they want to develop.

This is exactly my point, thanks for pointing it out. Microsoft in general has "gone on record" saying all kinds of stuff, it just doesn't mean jack shit until a real-life game is in your hands.

I already said it in the post you quoted, but I have to reiterate this, nowhere did I predict the next Xbox will be bad. I'm mostly neutral, with a slight slant towards "not good" because that's where they currently are; I generally assume things will stay the same or get worse with all companies, and if they surprise me, great. Even when Nintendo releases a game I really like I wonder if I'll be grey (or dead) by the next time a good entry in the series comes out. So why would I assume Microsoft is about to relive the 360 days? They are failing and the onus is on them to prove us wrong.

It's fine to be optimistic, but the point I'm making that it's equally silly to expect them to succeed as it is to expect them to fail. You need to wait and find out. However, with their history of ruining studios that they acquire, and the trajectory of the brand for nearly a decade, some skepticism is more than warranted, certainly enough not to simply assume by default it will be like 360 all over again.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

I remember when Crackdown 3 was in development Phil talked about how the series was important to him and he delayed the game because it didn't feel like Crackdown. I thought for sure this game was gonna turn out good because Phil seemed to be taking a vested interest in the game, boy was I wrong.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

Xbox gave up on Japanese studios too quickly imo. It will probably never sway the Japanese market to get Xbox, but there are millions of fans for those games outside of Japan.

Xbox 360 was used about 50/50 alongside my PS3 and a big part of that were some of the Japanese exclusives such as Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon. This generation Xbox just seemed to throw in the towel on that market.

It's now at the point where even games that aren't exclusive are choosing just to put their games on PS4, Switch and PC.

Japanese studios and talent will definitely help the quality of their first party studios, but Japan showed very little interest in the Xbox. Add in the fact that most of the Xbox demographic in general all around the world don’t particularly care for Japanese games as well. Im not seeing these millions of fans on Xbox. There are exceptions of course, but Microsoft have been trying to penetrate the Japanese market for around 20 years now with very little results.

Imo, Microsoft needs to open their own Japanese studios to expand the diversity and talent pool, but the question is how much money would they be willing to invest in these companies if the sales are lackluster?

 

[DForce]

I can see the past beyond the xbox one, which apparently a lot of people can't. People are still stuck on the xbox one and using it as the sole reason they think MS will do bad next gen, while ignoring many of the reasons that resulted in the xbox one doing so poorly this gen. Microsoft didn't do well with kinect on the xbox one, which was a big focus at the start of this gen, and a big reason that, hardware-wise, the xbox one was pretty sad. I agree. But I don't see kinect being mentioned anywhere for next gen. Maybe that in itself is one reason to be optimistic for next gen? You talk about the 360 failing when it was the most successful gen MS has ever had. How do you consider that failing? It also goes both ways. You can't fault MS for the end of the last generation while giving other companies a pass at the start of a generation. The PS3 did not fare so well initially and the Wii U was a flop. Phil has also gone on record stating that they are giving these new studios the freedom to develop stuff that they want to develop.

It's more based on the fact that Xbox fans think they're suppose to be as competitive as Sony based on how successful the 360 was.


A large part of 360's success was 1. They launched a year later and 2. the terrible launch of the PlayStation 3.

Sony made changes. They reduced the price and made a surge around midway through the generation.

Xbox made changes to the XBox One and were unable to make the same type of surge as that PlayStation 3.

That alone should tell you how more popular the Sony brand is compared to Sony.


The reason why many people are expecting Sony to still do better than Xbox next generation is because Sony has set themselves for success once again. Even though Microsoft acquired new studios, they're still a lot of unknown about their future.

 

[TeamGhobad]

news

news

www.gamasutra.com

holy fuck

 

[Gavon West]

news

news

www.gamasutra.com

holy fuck

This is for the 360, dude. Its old AF

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Actually the focus on cloud is extremely forward thinking and evidence of Nadella’s leadership which proves my point rather than argues it. The lack of focus on this by Sony and Nintendo will be an Achilles heal going forward. Microsoft and Amazon are the two main players going forward for cloud infrastructure even Apple is trying to catch up.
I can’t believe you can’t see the change in Microsoft since Balmer is gone. Balmer was all about the quick dollar which is why MS basically lost 10 years of innovation under his watch. Microsoft today is about the long game.

Cloud is a huge force very few companies dared trying. That's why only around 5 companies dominate cloud. And MS is one of them. Hugely growing and profitable.

Even Sony had no choice, but to partner with one of them.... and they chose arch rival MS. Goes to show how desperate they are for a cloud partner. They could have chosen one of the other main 4 companies, or tried it themselves. But they chose MS. Amazingly, you'd think they would have chosen Amazon because it could lead to some selling partnerships and efficiencies. Great thing for MS is that as PS does well, so does MS cloud partnership revenue.

 

[ethomaz]

I remember when Crackdown 3 was in development Phil talked about how the series was important to him and he delayed the game because it didn't feel like Crackdown. I thought for sure this game was gonna turn out good because Phil seemed to be taking a vested interest in the game, boy was I wrong.

Games in development hella trend to nor live to expectations... there are too many issues with Crackdown 3 to it turn out a good game even after they drop the power of cloud.

 

[mejin]

it doesn't help when their next big one, Gears 5, has a pathetic show on E3.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I remember when Crackdown 3 was in development Phil talked about how the series was important to him and he delayed the game because it didn't feel like Crackdown. I thought for sure this game was gonna turn out good because Phil seemed to be taking a vested interest in the game, boy was I wrong.

When it comes to hyping games, trust nobody. Every exec, dev, and company PR dude will say the game coming out is great.

I'm sure if someone asked an employee making Superman 64 if the game is good, he'd say it's awesome and go buy it.

As always, wait for reviews.

The only time you'll get a straight answer before launch is if some random reddit leak comes out from an unknown employee leaking content and saying the game is shit. Aside from that, wait for reviews or test out a demo if one's available.

 

[Psajdak]

I don't really follow Xbox, but it seems to me this guy doesn't realize it's not just raw power that is important - for what is worth, all consoles this gen are still good for making fun games for another decade, if developers so wanted it.

Maybe not superimpressive visually, but fun, yes.

Old consoles like NES, PS1, or GBA had games which are still played, and enjoyed by many, and there was no need for people in industry to wait for next generation of hardware, so that they could finally make something fun.

 

[Shakka43]

15 studios is not enough? wait til e3 2020.

While true, I still laugh at what has become a little bit of a meme now for Microsof. “Wait ‘till E3”

 

[Psykodad]

Hmm. Funny that. Sony didn't start strong this gen. In fact, their game output was pretty lack luster. Of course they turned things around later on, but....

lackluster compared to?
Fact of the matter is, both Sony and Nintendo keep raising the bar.
MS runs out of gas real fast and can't recover. That's their biggest issue.

Edit:

And no, I'm not saying Sony has Midas' Touch.

 

[Potato Chip PRO]

Someone needs to ask somebody over at MS why they're sitting on Perfect Dark, that'd be a nice IP to bring back.

Not only Perfect Dark... I was replaying Jet Force Gemini and tbh, it also has potential for a sequel... Or at least a remake.

 

[ethomaz]

While true, I still laugh at what has become a little bit of a meme now for Microsof. “Wait ‘till E3”

After a decade waiting it truly lives to the meme...

Hmm. Funny that. Sony didn't start strong this gen. In fact, their game output was pretty lack luster. Of course they turned things around later on, but....

XB1 line up was in no better position at start of the generation too... the difference was that one stagnated and the other just grew.

 

[DForce]

Narrative keeps changing.

A year ago, exclusives were not important because people played multiplatform games.

There was a thread last year that talked about MS lacking compelling exclusives, which many Xbox fans on here denied.

Now that they acquired more studios, Xbox fans are excited and it's one of the reasons why they believe the xCloud will be much different than the competition.


Earlier this year it was "Sony doesn't have the infrastructure to compete with MS and Google."

Now it appears to be, "Sony is not focused on cloud gaming like MS."

This goalpost moving is getting ridiculous.

 

[Riven326]

it doesn't help when their next big one, Gears 5, has a pathetic show on E3.

They could be saved some money by showing the Gears 2 demo again. Same thing.

 

[LittleBusters]

Big talker.

 

[xellos2099alpha]

I blame Don Mattrick and Steve Balmer. Mattrick for gutting microsoft studios, focusing on Kinect and putting the focus on games as service before everything else, ie development by monetization design first then game second.

But most of all I blame Steve Balmer who is an idiot, who as head of a technology company had vision and direction that extended as far as the end of his nose which was most of the time stuck in his wallet.

Balmer basically let google, Sony and apple make them look like total idiots. Sony gave them the generation with the PS3 launch and Mattrick and Balmer still made a mess out of it.

Isn't Steve Balmer the asshat that killed saturn and and made phantasy star iv 99.99?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I blame Don Mattrick and Steve Balmer. Mattrick for gutting microsoft studios, focusing on Kinect and putting the focus on games as service before everything else, ie development by monetization design first then game second.

But most of all I blame Steve Balmer who is an idiot, who as head of a technology company had vision and direction that extended as far as the end of his nose which was most of the time stuck in his wallet.

Balmer basically let google, Sony and apple make them look like total idiots. Sony gave them the generation with the PS3 launch and Mattrick and Balmer still made a mess out of it.

I think the only thing Ballmer understood was Windows and MS Office. Anything tech outside of those departments he was clueless.

 

[Achillias]

I rarely play console exclusives so who cares. Just give me the best looking multi plat game.

 

[Gavon West]

After a decade waiting it truly lives to the meme...


XB1 line up was in no better position at start of the generation too... the difference was that one stagnated and the other just grew.

Xbox certainly had better exclusives at the start of this gen than Sony did. That much is certain. Sony heavily relied on indies at the start - if you remember correctly. Sony inevitable pulled it out and began to deliver and exceed expectations buy it didn't start that way. No.

Xbox didn't stagnate either at the beginning. They had quite a few exclusives (not getting into list wars..) but they were also held back by old management. That is no longer a problem, hence the huge shift in direction, today.

 

[mejin]

xbox had quantity, not quality.

 

[nikolino840]

Im ok with more ip,but quality...i don't know...we are talking about gameplay mechanics... textures... Res/fps...?
idk...im ok with actual ms ip quality

 

[molasar]

When I think of future xbox game studio games

Hellblade 2
Enslaved 2
Waistland 4
Pillars 3
Outerworlds 2
Halo
Gears 6
State of decay 3
Psyconauts 3
We happy few 2
New Forza
Fable
Perfect dark
Anything made by rare
Inititive game
Age of empires
Minecraft stuff.

Future is looking good

These are assumption btw

Just opinions, not facts. Do not take it to heart too much.

Enslaved 2 - Microsoft needs to purchase IP rights first from Bandai Namco
next Halos, Gears, Forzas - better graphics with some cloud streaming tech(we are going to get used to it real quick), not much new with other aspects
Perfect Dark - what new this IP can bring to the table nowadays (besides some nostalgia) and who is able to do it?
anything made by Rare - the name means nothing now. Microsoft can call their studios internally with numbers i.e. Xbox Game Studios 1 (Rare), Xbox Game Studios 2 (Ninja Theory), etc. and move staff if needed. I cannot attach exceptional creativity and innovation words with any of them.
Conker 2 - still a good shot with it as there is always enough stuff to parody in contemporary culture. Anyway, they still let it sleep.
everything else is meh

 

[Tomeru]

Quality takes time. And Sony had the games everybody is moist about in the oven for years. The one everybody keeps crying about atm is the last of us 2, yet they forget that this title started development after they finished the first, at the end of the PS3 life cycle. Think how many years it’s been in development. Yet people expect MS to buy a studio and have a game out in a year.

Shit takes time. A lot of time. You won't see any of this stuff on the Xbox One, and you may not even see much on Xbox next at launch even.

It also doesn’t help that Sony have got very lucky with regards to picking their studios. Their first party IP are made by some of the most talented in the industry. Nothing even comes close to how their games look. Sometimes the games may be utter duds gameplay wise, but they usually look utterly incredible. To say otherwise would be idiotic and fanboyish.

I have no doubt MS are moving in the right direction, and given time and talent, could produce titles on par or even exceeding Sonys AAA development.

But this shit... takes time. And I’m not so sure many people will wait for that, sadly.

Whats luck, got to do, got to do with it?

Its called management. Or mismanagement. You choose. You can have faith for 5 10 20 50 years - if they dont deliver then they dont deliver. You dont play the long game - developers and publishers do. You are a gamer, your food and water is games.

Not promises.

 

[Ol'Scratch]

My main concern with Microsoft is that they do not realize when they strike gold . Sunset Overdrive was great, you would imagine that Microsoft would say "Hey, lets make it a franchise" and put in an order for a new one. Sea of Thieves is amazing, and the dev team and crew is doing amazing things and I think it should be one of the pillars of Xbox future. Killer Instinct, same thing. They had something special but do not seem in a hurry to capitalize. Crackdown is taking forever and you barely hear anything now. Fable (we know or at least hope it has been marinating for a while) but no peep. Franchises are key, and relying on being the Halo/Gears/Forza console I do not think will cut it anymore. New stuff is great , but when you have great foundations you need to build on them too.

 

[MayauMiao]

I never understood the Phil Spencer hype. So far I have yet to see him do anything amazing to the Xbox brand. I think the only positive thing I see about him is his respect toward his opponents (Sony, Nintendo) but other than that not much else.

 

[Birdo]

I never understood the Phil Spencer hype. So far I have yet to see him do anything amazing to the Xbox brand.

He killed Kinnect. For that alone, he should be given a medal.

 

[Bolivar687]

This current leg of the never-ending apology tour is starting to get old.

 

[Three]

It's not about having a good start, it's about keeping the quality going for an entire gen.
MS hasn't exactly proven themselves capable of doing that, compared to Nintendo and Sony who've been raising the bar with their big games continuously throughout each gen.

Funny how you try to twist my words though.

Microsofts habit is to constantly chase the money and burn anything along the way that isn't making a shittonne of it. They are driven by acquisition which is why I think The Initiative is the best thing they have done so far and the others are just the same old MS.

They made Rare an avatar factory because people were buying a bunch of dlc to show off to friends. Fuck single player games like banjo and kazooie because they weren't mega sellers, DLC shoes were where the money was. When Kinect took off they abandoned their core games almost entirely because again that was where the money was. When the data showed people were watching netflix on these things more than playing games they became the watercooler because hey we can charge them an xbox live subscription so that they can pay twice to watch netflix/TV and disallow them if they don't. When that backfired and they didn't have the expected mega xbox sales and couldn't kill used games they created lootbox microtransactions in every single one of their main games forza/halo/gears. When gears and Halo were not the mega sellers they once were they created a secondary subscription service, now their main aim is to release passable games so people don't unsubscribe throughout the year. Their strategy has always jumped everywhere chasing the money and they don't care about totally bastardizing or burning franchises/audiences that are not making them a tonne of it. People may say well this is good business but others didn't go into lootbox crap like they did, they didn't abandon SP, they didn't abandon games for the casuals/TV. Gamepass is their money maker and why they are buying studios. Not because they listened to you or I and it's taking them time to execute a plan. People have been asking them for almost a decade. $120 from millions of potential subscriptions plus the $60 for Live is the incentive. They couldn't give a shit about you or I.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

It's more based on the fact that Xbox fans think they're suppose to be as competitive as Sony based on how successful the 360 was.


A large part of 360's success was 1. They launched a year later and 2. the terrible launch of the PlayStation 3.

Sony made changes. They reduced the price and made a surge around midway through the generation.

Xbox made changes to the XBox One and were unable to make the same type of surge as that PlayStation 3.

That alone should tell you how more popular the Sony brand is compared to Sony.


The reason why many people are expecting Sony to still do better than Xbox next generation is because Sony has set themselves for success once again. Even though Microsoft acquired new studios, they're still a lot of unknown about their future.

I’ve been saying this forever. Just because they acquired a plethora of new studios doesn’t mean they are going to miraculously produce phenomenal software that will turn the tides for them in the future. It could take a long time before they start churning out software on par with Sony and Nintendo.

 

[Ten_Fold]

Microsoft's distinct lack of investment in Japanese game development suggests that they haven't really taken anything onboard. A big part of the reason why the 360 was an interesting console during the first half of its life was because of the Japanese exclusives.

Main reason I brought the 360 over the ps3 because of seeing games like blue dragon which I assumed would’ve been on ps3. I think they should create a Japanese studio and build from there.

 

[Breakage]

Main reason I brought the 360 over the ps3 because of seeing games like blue dragon which I assumed would’ve been on ps3. I think they should create a Japanese studio and build from there.

Yeah, I'm a PlayStation fan at heart, but the 360 was my favourite console last gen. It had a nice set of cult Japanese games. There are people who, for example, picked up a 360 just for Ninja Gaiden II or Lost Odyssey. Ok, those games didn't do CoD numbers, but it helped to attract people who would have otherwise shunned the Xbox platform.

 

[Riven326]

This current leg of the never-ending apology tour is starting to get old.

Dude, we are so sorry. Please buy Xbox. Halo and Gears dude. How can you pass that up?

 

[ethomaz]

Xbox certainly had better exclusives at the start of this gen than Sony did. That much is certain. Sony heavily relied on indies at the start - if you remember correctly. Sony inevitable pulled it out and began to deliver and exceed expectations buy it didn't start that way. No.

Xbox didn't stagnate either at the beginning. They had quite a few exclusives (not getting into list wars..) but they were also held back by old management. That is no longer a problem, hence the huge shift in direction, today.

Ohhhhh I had missed these “better exclusives” Xbox One has at launch lol

 

[DanielsM]

This current leg of the never-ending apology tour is starting to get old.

I give him 4-5 years as Uncle Satya just gave him another wad of cash last year. (I think this is the one that keeps giving though for some time)

 

[Varteras]

Ohhhhh I had missed these “better exclusives” Xbox One has at launch lol

Yeah I'm really curious where these better exclusives were at. A quick trip through Metacritic for all the Year 1 games shoots that assertion right down. I thought we were done with trying to change the narrative of this generation.

 

[LittleBusters]

Yeah I'm really curious where these better exclusives were at. A quick trip through Metacritic for all the Year 1 games shoots that assertion right down. I thought we were done with trying to change the narrative of this generation.

Indeed Microsoft's big weakness is having critically acclaimed AAA exclusives this generation. That's what the new studios seek to redress, but it will take years to get there.

 

[Damian black]

He killed Kinnect. For that alone, he should be given a medal.

You dont give out medals for common sense decisions.

 

[DanielsM]

He killed Kinnect. For that alone, he should be given a medal.

Maybe, maybe not. But the people that bought Xbox one for the Kinect and TV support probably aren't all happy about that.

The death sentence to any Microsoft product/service the dreaded, "we're committed". (about as committed as a celebrity marriage) But, don't forget... DON'T BE WORRIED.

"Microsoft remains committed to Kinect as a development platform on both Xbox and Windows," the company said.

Microsoft Isn't Making Kinect For Windows Anymore, But Don't Worry

Microsoft stops making Kinect for Windows, but will continue to support the sensor on PC.

www.gamespot.com

 

[FrostyJ93]

Great to hear but its time for receipts Phil. Yes it takes time bit they have been underperforming for years.

Thankfully the upcoming slate shows promise.

 

[Clear]

Corporate "commitments" have an implicit life-expectancy. Which is why I doubt all of MS recent studio acquisitions will survive more than 2 (software) product cycles.

Once you give up your independence as a studio, you are basically subject to annual performance evaluations as part of the whole group. So if corners need to be cut to meet annual budgets and P/L projections, your neck is on the block. And quite honestly given the way all these studios' output is going to be folded into the primary effort of keeping their service business afloat, I think standing out as a "star" creative provider is going to be pretty difficult.

It kinda made me laugh when Phil was talking about encouraging these new acquisitions to dig into their back catalog of legacy IP... that's like showing the new guys the tombstones of their predecessors.

 

[Journey]

Sad fact is that people will continue to beat up Xbox until we do see those results. I have faith in them personally, but many do not and many more just like to troll.

It's amazing how Sony was so lucky with their timing, a freaking Television and Walkman maker with no prior experience in gaming going up against well established Sega and Nintendo with nothing more than 3rd party support early on. The PlayStation was a great piece of hardware compared to the Saturn, not just better for 3D games, but easier to program and cheaper. As much as people talk about that its all about the games and nothing else, I think that the console's architecture and price point are super important as well, another reason why Xbox 360 gained so much ground on the PS3, it was better designed, cheaper and easier to program, developers will hop on board and gamers (That are not brand entrenched) will follow the better machine, so it's crucial in my opinion, that Microsoft builds the better console this upcoming gen if they want to gain some ground on Sony, same as they did with 360 and could have continued with Xbox One had they not screwed the pooch.

 

[New Yorks Finest]

Patience, friend. It's not fair to judge them so soon when they're just putting the building blocks first. Lets see what the results will look like come next gen.

Its common sense really, but most tend to turn away and drop "fail" comments...takes time to fix all that cluster @#$% made by that douchebag who said "for those with no internet , there's a 360 fo ya" bastid.