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MS should have had 360 tech demos.

F

FightyF

Banned
I think their failure in proving to people how powerful the console will be, lies with the fact that they didn't have 360 tech demos.

Tech demos are a means to show what a machine is capable of.

Half finished games, running on unfinished hardware, does not.

It's simple really, but MS dropped the ball big time and put themselves in a bad position in the minds of hardcore gaming enthusiasts and the gaming media.

When SEGA launched new hardware, a new Sonic was shown (albiet breifly) as well as impressive demos from AM2. Nintendo shows off a new Mario, and Sony shows off Gran Turismo. They aren't finished games, just demos to get people excited.

What would have worked well for MS was a brief showing of Master Chief on the new hardware, like this CG artwork:
Halo_2__Desert_Master_Chief_by_oRiOn_StOrMdAnCeR.jpg


I think this really shows us that the main people behind the Xbox don't have all that it takes to make it the #1 console. They thought of a lot of great things, implemented some really good ideas, and made another great console. But to beat Sony, who has such a demanding stranglehold on the market, you will need a near flawless run.

It's not too late...but I think this was an apparent mis-step on the part of MS. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you need demos...but MS apparently forgot. Heck, even re-showing the XNA demos would have been at least something...
 
The discerning bunches of "hardcore gaming enthusasts and gaming media" would just end up whining that they didn't show any real games.
 
ugh, alright, its doomed. I'm still buying it...so they obviously didn't fail with me? Like MS cares what a hardcore gamers think...they unvailed it on MTV, how much does that tell you.
 
why blow your load on tech demos? wait until around launch and start showing finished GAMES that rock your socks. they know what they are doing. they are launching this year. why dilly dally on demos? no one buys demos.
 
I was having lunch with some friends out there, and they said that the lack of tangible demos really killed MS presentation.

'look we can push a billions of polygons, while streaming music, while wireless, while being online'

I think MS really needs to watch every MacWorld from the last five years. Steve Jobs and Apple really know how to make you go 'wow!! how did i ever live without that!!', and they could do that with a text editor.

I mean, they should have shown a character from Shadowrun, a brief bit of what could be Forza 2, Jonna walking around, Banjo, and Master Chief. I mean you are going to make these games, at some point, so you might as well engrain it in the gamers head that this is the only place you will see these games.

why blow your load on tech demos? wait until around launch and start showing finished GAMES that rock your socks. they know what they are doing. they are launching this year. why dilly dally on demos? no one buys demos.
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there is a line between demos and showing off your properties on your new system. Hell, they could have been outsourced to various companies. Raven was outsourced.
 
They couldn't just show only tech demos with less than 6 months to launch and if they mixed the two people would just discount the tech demos as being unachievable.

It might've been a good idea to launch before E3 with tech demos though. At E3 publishers are also trying to build hype for their launch titles, etc.
 
Eh, XBOX 360 is all the talk in my area. Game Crazy has a home-made sign advertising it, and everyone in the store is an XBOX fanboy, so word got around about it pretty quick. I think Microsoft has played a good hand so far.
 
yeah, i dont think not having them was a major misstep or anything.

"MS dropped the ball big time and put themselves in a bad position in the minds of hardcore gaming enthusiasts and the gaming media."
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right. its all gloom and doom
 
element said:
I was having lunch with some friends out there, and they said that the lack of tangible demos really killed MS presentation.

'look we can push a billions of polygons, while streaming music, while wireless, while being online'

I think MS really needs to watch every MacWorld from the last five years. Steve Jobs and Apple really know how to make you go 'wow!! how did i ever live without that!!', and they could do that with a text editor.

I mean, they should have shown a character from Shadowrun, a brief bit of what could be Forza 2, Jonna walking around, Banjo, and Master Chief. I mean you are going to make these games, at some point, so you might as well engrain it in the gamers head that this is the only place you will see these games.

there is a line between demos and showing off your properties on your new system. Hell, they could have been outsourced to various companies. Raven was outsourced.
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Great post 02....I agree 100% (psst....can I have a free X360 now?)

LittleTokyo said:
Eh, XBOX 360 is all the talk in my area. Game Crazy has a home-made sign advertising it, and everyone in the store is an XBOX fanboy, so word got around about it pretty quick. I think Microsoft has played a good hand so far.
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But the gaming market isn't just about the USA....

MS will have an uphill battle in Europe and Japan which are Sonyland.....BTW, the PlayStation brand isn't exactly weak in the States either.....

Lucky for Microsoft, X360 seems to be a FANTASTIC product....miles ahead of the Xbox in my view...
 
I think Microsoft has succeeded in the USA in creating good hype for the 360. Obviously it is going to take more effort in Japan and Europe, but that really goes without saying.
 
element said:
I was having lunch with some friends out there, and they said that the lack of tangible demos really killed MS presentation.

'look we can push a billions of polygons, while streaming music, while wireless, while being online'

I think MS really needs to watch every MacWorld from the last five years. Steve Jobs and Apple really know how to make you go 'wow!! how did i ever live without that!!', and they could do that with a text editor.

I mean, they should have shown a character from Shadowrun, a brief bit of what could be Forza 2, Jonna walking around, Banjo, and Master Chief. I mean you are going to make these games, at some point, so you might as well engrain it in the gamers head that this is the only place you will see these games.

there is a line between demos and showing off your properties on your new system. Hell, they could have been outsourced to various companies. Raven was outsourced.
Click to expand...

Gotta love the reality distortion field. I was this close to buying Earthlink stock when they announced the "special" macintosh agreement back in 97. WTF was I thinking?

Anyway, I do think that Microsoft missed an opportunity. Other than the briefest of brief Madden demos, Sony's E3 was the media's introduction to the next gen from a game systems standpoint. A visceral and eye-popping menagerie of what to expect next generation. And it had PS3 stamped all over it.

Not that it will matter, but Microsoft should have had that honor by virtue of being the first out of the gate, but they outplayed themselves with their "multitiered" launch announcements.
 
Gotta love the reality distortion field. I was this close to buying Earthlink stock when they announced the "special" macintosh agreement back in 97. WTF was I thinking?
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I backed out of buying $5k of Nvidia stock before Geforce1 cards were released to the public. If I held it for 18 months, it would have paid out at $85k :( >cries as I dream about the house i could have bought<
Other than the briefest of brief Madden demos
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The whole Madden thing was awful. They had gameplay footage behind closed doors at E3, but they aired the same NFL Draft video mockup.

MS dropped the ball on a couple things in their press conference.
 
I was happier actually seeing someone with a controller in their hand and Gears of War on the screen. It's not perfect, but it's gameplay. I'll have to wait several months to get PS3 game impressions.
 
Senretsu said:
I think I must have missed something, but Velocity Girl?
Click to expand...

She is the one who will be designing X360 game related T-shirts and Dildos, silly....

Speevy said:
I was happier actually seeing someone with a controller in their hand and Gears of War on the screen. It's not perfect, but it's gameplay. I'll have to wait several months to get PS3 game impressions.
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Gears of War wasn't running on ATI hardware at E3....nVidia GF 6800U SLI only(sorta like what is included in PS3 dev systems at the time)...

Oh the Irony :D
 
LittleTokyo said:
I think Microsoft has succeeded in the USA in creating good hype for the 360. Obviously it is going to take more effort in Japan and Europe, but that really goes without saying.
Click to expand...
The hype on X360 is still good, but it should be rising to fever pitch at this point (similar to the PS2 madness in 2000) and it just isn't.

They dropped the ball with the MTV show, they dropped it again with E3, and post-E3 their media release strategy continues to be awful. Every screenshot and every bit of information about PS3 is carefully vetted and quality controlled by Sony (apparently), whereas very day brings a new batch of crappy low-res X360 screenshots that further kill the hype.

MS is building a superior product, but still understand very little about consumer marketing.
 
Rhindle said:
The hype on X360 is still good, but it should be rising to fever pitch at this point (similar to the PS2 madness in 2000) and it just isn't.

They dropped the ball with the MTV show, they dropped it again with E3, and post-E3 their media release strategy continues to be awful. Every screenshot and every bit of informatioin about PS3 is carefully vetting and quality controlled by Sony (apparently), whereas very day brings a new batch of crappy low-res X360 screenshots that further kill the hype.
Click to expand...

I agree with this man ^
It'll especially be a swift kick to MS' nuts if even half of the so-called 'insider info' regarding the Sony meeting this week comes true. If MS isn't careful, TGS could end the war before it even starts.
These are interesting times, my friends. :)
 
element said:
It is already public. I just don't talk about it.
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The game is Possession....In development for X360 and PlayStation 3, according to your website...

I am very much looking forward to your game element and expect a copy in the mail when you launch it :)
 
But you did work on Fusion Frenzy no?


That was developed by Blitz Games and published by Microsoft, right??

If its not Possession I will not push the issue further, deal?
 
I can't say I'm totally surprised that the Xbox bandwagon is running low on gas. Forgive the generalization, but this is a company that traditionally relies on monopoly power and moneybags to do business, as opposed to some of the PR acrobatics Sony is famous for. I'm also becoming more worried that their experience and modus operandi in the operating system market has altered their expectations and their very approach to this new market, like it seemed to for the digital audio player market and the online music store competition. I was only hoping it would be different this time, and it is nice to see Microsoft of all people focus on substance over hype (sort of), but it backfired. What now, J Allard?

And I'm with Element on the Macworld comment, but as a Macintosh user, I'm inevitably biased.
 
I would guess a close developer like Biz. or a large non-EA third party publisher that no one would ignore. Ubisoft perhaps?
 
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