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[Cole Slaw]

Do you really think they care if they lose one month?

Were it May? No. Were it June? No, I think they'd be content touting lead cumulative total sales like they had to after December.

Do they care about November? Yes, I think that they do. In fact, they'd better. Microsoft is not to be toyed with, except for maybe in Japan. Microsoft on its home turf, however, is definitely not to be toyed with, ever, no matter how beaten and battered they may be, not after all the legitimacy the Xbox brand gained with Xbox 360. Mindshare is everything, and any news headline recognizing Xbox One's sales leads at the expense of PS4's is cause for a crisis of confidence in all the goodwill Sony has been able to so painstakingly build up after the disastrous PS3.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

Mindshare is everything

Multiple generations of consoles seem to have proven that mindshare is nothing

 

[TheCloser]

Maybe not if it was by itself, but factoring it as a whole package in November.

Anyways, my whole point was, I would actually be surprised if XB1 doesn't win November in the US, eventhough PS4 has the mindshare so far.

Darn I just realized I'm spending $490 in one month.

Well get ready to be surprised. The xb1 is not winning any month in the foreseeable future.

 

[test_account]

Sunset Overdrive is honestly the only game I'd buy an Xbox One for, if I ever want to buy a system only for its exclusives again, which I might be swayed to if an Xbox One ever costs only two-thirds the price of a PS4, standard retail price, no bundles or discounts or other shenanigans.

Sony must be asking Ted Price why he couldn't make something like Sunset Overdrive when he was on the PlayStation team, the same way Mark Cuban was wondering why Steve Nash couldn't play beast mode on the Dallas Mavs. If there's one thing I can point to that Microsoft has definitely done to make things more competitive, it's giving devs a precedent to negotiate for the ownership of the IPs that they pitch. I'd like to see Sony not be stubborn and get burned by that again, and lose yet another potential Sunset Overdrive.

Its too early to say anything about that. I hope for Insomniac Games' sake that the game is successful, but we have see how much the game sell before we can say if it was a big loss for Sony or not.

 

[jackdoe]

Were it May? No. Were it June? No, I think they'd be content touting lead cumulative total sales like they had to after December.

Do they care about November? Yes, I think that they do. In fact, they'd better. Microsoft is not to be toyed with, except for maybe in Japan. Microsoft on its home turf, however, is definitely not to be toyed with, ever, no matter how beaten and battered they may be, not after all the legitimacy the Xbox brand gained with Xbox 360. Mindshare is everything, and any news headline recognizing Xbox One's sales leads at the expense of PS4's is cause for a crisis of confidence in all the goodwill Sony has been able to so painstakingly build up after the disastrous PS3.

I'm not quite sure why I'd have a crisis of confidence in Sony if the Xbox One were to outsell the Playstation 4 in November. Jesus. It's not like I'm a shareholder.

 

[vpance]

Sony must be asking Ted Price why he couldn't make something like Sunset Overdrive when he was on the PlayStation team, the same way Mark Cuban was wondering why Steve Nash couldn't play beast mode on the Dallas Mavs.

Insomniac ain't no Steve Nash. More like Andrea Bargnani..

 

[CoG]

Sunset Overdrive is Hawkeye...

Pretty good analogy. Nothing about that game seems too exciting. It's like the over-the-top weapons from R&C with none of the charm.

 

[Xando]

Were it May? No. Were it June? No, I think they'd be content touting lead cumulative total sales like they had to after December.

Do they care about November? Yes, I think that they do. In fact, they'd better. Microsoft is not to be toyed with, except for maybe in Japan. Microsoft on its home turf, however, is definitely not to be toyed with, ever, no matter how beaten and battered they may be, not after all the legitimacy the Xbox brand gained with Xbox 360. Mindshare is everything, and any news headline recognizing Xbox One's sales leads at the expense of PS4's is cause for a crisis of confidence in all the goodwill Sony has been able to so painstakingly build up after the disastrous PS3.

How does XB1 outselling PS4 one month cause a crisis of confidence?
They would have to outsell PS4 by atleast 500k and even then PS4 would still be in front in the US (not even gonna start with worldwide sales).

 

[Cole Slaw]

Multiple generations of consoles seem to have proven that mindshare is nothing

So you're telling me $599 didn't result in everyone making up their mind that they were just going to get a X360 instead?

Microsoft wanting to siphon off used game sales to certain retail partners didn't result in gamers making up their mind that hey, good thing the next PlayStation is only $399 this time?

If Xbox One wins November, how is Sony going to continue to feed off of all the positive momentum it needs to dominate like it started to with PSOne? Everybody is expecting September NPDs to put Sony on the highest of highs, but November could possibly just as easily send them into the lowest of lows, and that could result in a continued battle for mindshare they'd once thought they'd already settled.

 

[CosmicQueso]

Were it May? No. Were it June? No, I think they'd be content touting lead cumulative total sales like they had to after December.

Do they care about November? Yes, I think that they do. In fact, they'd better. Microsoft is not to be toyed with, except for maybe in Japan. Microsoft on its home turf, however, is definitely not to be toyed with, ever, no matter how beaten and battered they may be, not after all the legitimacy the Xbox brand gained with Xbox 360. Mindshare is everything, and any news headline recognizing Xbox One's sales leads at the expense of PS4's is cause for a crisis of confidence in all the goodwill Sony has been able to so painstakingly build up after the disastrous PS3.

The funny part is that were Microsoft to have a great November, they'd probably get a friendly email of congrats from the people over at Sony. Same goes the other way around.

"Crisis of confidence". Interesting.

Reading more... let me... slowly... back... away...it's getting a tad intense.

 

[jayu26]

Were it May? No. Were it June? No, I think they'd be content touting lead cumulative total sales like they had to after December.

Do they care about November? Yes, I think that they do. In fact, they'd better. Microsoft is not to be toyed with, except for maybe in Japan. Microsoft on its home turf, however, is definitely not to be toyed with, ever, no matter how beaten and battered they may be, not after all the legitimacy the Xbox brand gained with Xbox 360. Mindshare is everything, and any news headline recognizing Xbox One's sales leads at the expense of PS4's is cause for a crisis of confidence in all the goodwill Sony has been able to so painstakingly build up after the disastrous PS3.

When PS3 out sold 360 those few times was that crisis of confidence too?

 

[Majmun]

I really don't see why the Ps4 wouldn't win november.

Remember march this year, when basically everyone thought the Xbox One would dominate thanks to Titanfall?

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

If Xbox One wins November, how is Sony going to continue to feed off of all the positive momentum it needs to dominate like it started to with PSOne? Everybody is expecting September NPDs to put Sony on the highest of highs, but November could possibly just as easily send them into the lowest of lows, and that could result in a continued battle for mindshare they'd once thought they'd already settled.

So there is a pent-up mindshare (or "loyalty" would be a better term) for MS because of all the "legitimacy the Xbox brand gained with Xbox 360" (sic) that will cease Sonys momentum if they "lose" a single NPD, but there was no such "mindshare" for Atari, or Nintendo, or Sega, or Sony coming off of their previous products when they lost markeyshare to a competitor?

EDIT:
Seems to me that the most popular product wins in the market, and that there is little correlation to who made the previous most popular product when it does so.

 

[Bgamer90]

I really don't see why the Ps4 wouldn't win november.

Remember march this year, where basically everyone thought the Xbox One would dominate thanks to Titanfall?

A bit different.

New IP in March vs. Multiple big games alongside the Holiday season.

Again, not saying the PS4 won't win -- just saying that I wouldn't use any previous month thus far to completely determine how things will be; Good number of big, long running, popular franchises coming out within this upcoming Holiday period.

 

[ThisOne]

So you're telling me $599 didn't result in everyone making up their mind that they were just going to get a X360 instead?

But that's not mindshare. That's $599 being way too expensive for a video game console.

 

[Majmun]

A bit different.

New IP in March vs. Multiple big games alongside the Holiday season.

Again, not saying the PS4 won't win -- just saying that I wouldn't use any previous month thus far to completely determine how things will be; Good number of big, long running, popular franchises coming out within this upcoming Holiday period.

But Titanfall is exclusive. And the hype was crazy.

The "multiple big games" will also be released on the Ps4. Most of the gamers will know that the new CoD and AssCreed will be released on the Ps4 as well.

 

[ProfessorMoran]

Sunset Overdrive is Hawkeye...

Sunset Overdrive is the loveable Agent Phil Coulson.

 

[mejin]

I really don't see why the Ps4 wouldn't win november.

Remember march this year, when basically everyone thought the Xbox One would dominate thanks to Titanfall?

People keep underestimating Sony, this is a big mistake.

 

[Cole Slaw]

How does XB1 outselling PS4 one month cause a crisis of confidence?
They would have to outsell PS4 by atleast 500k and even then PS4 would still be in front in the US (not even gonna start with worldwide sales).

Again, it wouldn't just be any month... It would be November, the month of all months, the one month that you definitely don't want to ever lose despite your lead in total cumulative sales or whatever other moral championship you'd like to hang your hat on.

Does Sony want the next co-marketing deal for the next big mega franchise to be cheaper or more expensive than it has to be? Obviously, they'd want to be able to throw a little bit of clout around, in the form of sales numbers, and maybe get a concession here or there for it. But if developers continue to think that North America is their most valuable market, and the Xbox One's sales are still nipping at PS4's heels enough to not allow as huge a gap as there was between the Xbox 360 and PS3, then Sony may yet have to bargain a little more harder at the end of November than they would've at the end of September.

 

[Dreamgazer]

So you're telling me $599 didn't result in everyone making up their mind that they were just going to get a X360 instead?

Microsoft wanting to siphon off used game sales to certain retail partners didn't result in gamers making up their mind that hey, good thing the next PlayStation is only $399 this time?

If Xbox One wins November, how is Sony going to continue to feed off of all the positive momentum it needs to dominate like it started to with PSOne? Everybody is expecting September NPDs to put Sony on the highest of highs, but November could possibly just as easily send them into the lowest of lows, and that could result in a continued battle for mindshare they'd once thought they'd already settled.

So by your logic, what momentum has Xbox sales been like the past few months?

 

[A_Gorilla]

So you're telling me $599 didn't result in everyone making up their mind that they were just going to get a X360 instead?

Microsoft wanting to siphon off used game sales to certain retail partners didn't result in gamers making up their mind that hey, good thing the next PlayStation is only $399 this time?

If Xbox One wins November, how is Sony going to continue to feed off of all the positive momentum it needs to dominate like it started to with PSOne? Everybody is expecting September NPDs to put Sony on the highest of highs, but November could possibly just as easily send them into the lowest of lows, and that could result in a continued battle for mindshare they'd once thought they'd already settled.

LMFAO this is just too much. You really think MS needs to win just ONE month in order to turn things around? And all of the good will Sony has built up will just magically disappear like a fart in the wind?

 

[metalslimer]

People are making this way more dramatic that it actually is.

 

[Dreamgazer]

People are making this way more dramatic that it actually is.

Drama is entertainment.

 

[Devilgunman]

If Xbox One wins November, how is Sony going to continue to feed off of all the positive momentum it needs to dominate like it started to with PSOne? Everybody is expecting September NPDs to put Sony on the highest of highs, but November could possibly just as easily send them into the lowest of lows, and that could result in a continued battle for mindshare they'd once thought they'd already settled.

Do you believe that PS4 has been selling gangbuster all these times because of the momentum it gained from Xbone's train-wreck prior to launch? Maybe people buy PS4 simply because it's a better machine and has games they want to play.

 

[emrober5]

I really don't see why the Ps4 wouldn't win november.

Remember march this year, when basically everyone thought the Xbox One would dominate thanks to Titanfall?

Different situations though. Xbox one is now 399 with a game, and will likely be even cheaper/bundled with an additional game on black friday.

I still think ps4 wins November. But MS Is desperate to sell consoles, the bundles will be insane.

 

[ProfessorMoran]

Sunset Overdrive is honestly the only game I'd buy an Xbox One for, if I ever want to buy a system only for its exclusives again, which I might be swayed to if an Xbox One ever costs only two-thirds the price of a PS4, standard retail price, no bundles or discounts or other shenanigans.

Sony must be asking Ted Price why he couldn't make something like Sunset Overdrive when he was on the PlayStation team, the same way Mark Cuban was wondering why Steve Nash couldn't play beast mode on the Dallas Mavs. If there's one thing I can point to that Microsoft has definitely done to make things more competitive, it's giving devs a precedent to negotiate for the ownership of the IPs that they pitch. I'd like to see Sony not be stubborn and get burned by that again, and lose yet another potential Sunset Overdrive.

As a publisher you're taking all the financial risks with development costs and marketing, not owning the IP you're basically financing a franchise that the developer can basically take and shop to your competitors, it's like a team signing players to one-year contracts that the player can opt out at anytime with a no-trade clause so you can't control shit.

Insomniac isn't Respawn or Bungie, that's a lot of leverage they got with an unproven franchise.

 

[Loudninja]

Different situations though. Xbox one is now 399 with a game, and will likely be even cheaper/bundled with an additional game on black friday.

I still think ps4 wins November. But MS Is desperate to sell consoles, the bundles will be insane.

So will the PS4 like any other console on Black Friday.

Like I said MS had bundles and deals before that did not help much,the recent one is the Madden bundle now.

 

[Xando]

Again, it wouldn't just be any month... It would be November, the month of all months, the one month that you definitely don't want to ever lose despite your lead in total cumulative sales or whatever other moral championship you'd like to hang your hat on.

Does Sony want the next co-marketing deal for the next big mega franchise to be cheaper or more expensive than it has to be? Obviously, they'd want to be able to throw a little bit of clout around, in the form of sales numbers, and maybe get a concession here or there for it. But if developers continue to think that North America is their most valuable market, and the Xbox One's sales are still nipping at PS4's heels enough to not allow as huge a gap as there was between the Xbox 360 and PS3, then Sony may yet have to bargain a little more harder at the end of November than they would've at the end of September.

I think you overestimate the importance of the American market.
Even if they continue to be within 1 million ltd in the US ( which probably wont be the case after the next 2 months ) they still are dominating Xbox everywhere else.
If PS4 has a 10 million ltd advantage (worldwide) this time next year no publisher will say "Pay us 50 million $ more because you lost November 2014 NPD"

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

Again, it wouldn't just be any month... It would be November, the month of all months, the one month that you definitely don't want to ever lose despite your lead in total cumulative sales or whatever other moral championship you'd like to hang your hat on.

Does Sony want the next co-marketing deal for the next big mega franchise to be cheaper or more expensive than it has to be? Obviously, they'd want to be able to throw a little bit of clout around, in the form of sales numbers, and maybe get a concession here or there for it. But if developers continue to think that North America is their most valuable market, and the Xbox One's sales are still nipping at PS4's heels enough to not allow as huge a gap as there was between the Xbox 360 and PS3, then Sony may yet have to bargain a little more harder at the end of November than they would've at the end of September.

What?

The lead in the US is 800k and growing, and will grow even more this month. Also PS4 is going to dominate this holiday season. It will be the first time the PS4 has had a reduced price or bundled games at the base price ($399).

The PS4 is hands down the more desirable console, no matter how much money MS throws at the problem. Also I don't get why MS spending all this money on these promotions only to fall further behind is supposed to elicit a response from Sony. In fact it is MS that is having to react to things like the Destiny Bundle.

 

[Yoday]

Were it May? No. Were it June? No, I think they'd be content touting lead cumulative total sales like they had to after December.

Do they care about November? Yes, I think that they do. In fact, they'd better. Microsoft is not to be toyed with, except for maybe in Japan. Microsoft on its home turf, however, is definitely not to be toyed with, ever, no matter how beaten and battered they may be, not after all the legitimacy the Xbox brand gained with Xbox 360. Mindshare is everything, and any news headline recognizing Xbox One's sales leads at the expense of PS4's is cause for a crisis of confidence in all the goodwill Sony has been able to so painstakingly build up after the disastrous PS3.

So if it takes one month of lower sales to cause a crisis of confidence after one year of good will, how many months does it take to unravel MS's eight years of good will, eight? Oh, wait...

You're being overly dramatic here. All of the "legitimacy of the Xbox brand" was already put into question after the decisions MS made at the reveal of the XB1. Dramatic changes in policy cause a "crisis of confidence", not losing a month or even a year of sales. Nobody outside of these forums knows or cares who wins month to month sales.

 

[CoG]

Also I don't get why MS spending all this money on these promotions only to fall further behind is supposed to elicit a response from Sony. In fact it is MS that is having to react to things like the Destiny Bundle.

The Xbox One is effectively priced at a variable $340 with $60 going towards the game they bundle (or free game as is the case this week). This gives them the luxury of perceived value that they're not locked into with a price cut. If things ever turned around for them these deals would disappear overnight. My guess is we'll see a $50 pricecut if things don't improve after the holidays.

 

[Phades]

I think it'll sell much more than 15-20K in September alone.


According to anecdotal Best Buy information (cf. Abdiel) we've seen 500 preorders for the Destiny / White PS4 bundle in one district alone, which Abdiel describes as "crazy."

Compare the 500 preorders in comparison to 200 preorders of the Xbox One Kinectless SKU, and like 2000 PS4 or 2000 Xbox One preorders back when it launched.



We also heard:

"I stopped into my local Gamestop to check on the used PS3/PS4 games, and I chatted with the guy at the register for a bit. Next Monday night, their store is anticipating over 1500 people for the Destiny midnight release. 2/3 of those are the White PS4 bundles. They are handling the midnight release for their store, and the local mall location as well, but even so. That number is insane."

Please excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor. Hmm, it should be down there somewhere. This could take a while. ><;

 

[hawk2025]

The PS4 bar has been raised so high that having lower sales than the competition (regardless of the actual level) is shaking confidence and causing a crisis?

Is that really the argument I'm reading here? Somehow Sony needs to ride an uninterrupted wave of momentum to be successful?

News headlines and PR statements have been trying to shake off the sales leads for months. Microsoft has not only matched the console in price, but also added multiple additional incentives. This isn't just riding a "wave of momentum"; demand is simply higher for it.

 

[ascii42]

Please excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor. Hmm, it should be down there somewhere. This could take a while. ><;

1000 PS4's at one store in one day?

 

[Holographix]

1000 PS4's at one store in one day?

I'd say 1 out of 4 customers that were at the Destiny launch at my Best Buy were there for bundles. I went to grab a white controller since my bundle was coming in through the mail.

 

[Phades]

1000 PS4's at one store in one day?

Yeah, that's how I read it too. The fact that they are all custom/collector bundles is blowing my mind.

 

[PoweredByHentai]

The Xbox One is effectively priced at a variable $340 with $60 going towards the game they bundle (or free game as is the case this week). This gives them the luxury of perceived value that they're not locked into with a price cut. If things ever turned around for them these deals would disappear overnight. My guess is we'll see a $50 pricecut if things don't improve after the holidays.

I am skeptical of Microsoft doing another price cut so soon after unbundling the Kinect. Can they cost justify a price cut yet? I would assume that manufacturing costs would have to depreciate first but that is dependent on economies of scale, isn't it?

I just don't think that MS has sold enough consoles to be able to benefit from a reduction in manufacturing costs just yet. I would be happy to be enlightened about the Xbox's production costs if someone has a better understanding of it.

 

[tokyobanana]

I am skeptical of Microsoft doing another price cut so soon after unbundling the Kinect. Can they cost justify a price cut yet? I would assume that manufacturing costs would have to depreciate first but that is dependent on economies of scale, isn't it?

I just don't think that MS has sold enough consoles to be able to benefit from a reduction in manufacturing costs just yet. I would be happy to be enlightened about the Xbox's production costs if someone has a better understanding of it.

It just depends on whether Xbox is run with specific demands on margins and profitability. If they're willing to take loss leadership, Microsoft have plenty of money to burn. They've already spent a new bunch of money buying Tomb Raider exclusivity, and last year they spent it on Titanfall amongst others.

If Microsoft want to win the console war in the long-term, they better start burning that money this holiday season and get the console sold at -50 or -100. If Sony wins this holiday window in the USA, I think the snowballing effect will get larger. Microsoft will always have Halo and Gears, so they'll always have fight left in them, but the earlier they can stem the slide the better chance they have of winning the USA.

 

[PoweredByHentai]

It just depends on whether Xbox is run with specific demands on margins and profitability. If they're willing to take loss leadership, Microsoft have plenty of money to burn. They've already spent a new bunch of money buying Tomb Raider exclusivity, and last year they spent it on Titanfall amongst others.

If Microsoft want to win the console war in the long-term, they better start burning that money this holiday season and get the console sold at -50 or -100. If Sony wins this holiday window in the USA, I think the snowballing effect will get larger. Microsoft will always have Halo and Gears, so they'll always have fight left in them, but the earlier they can stem the slide the better chance they have of winning the USA.

If they are willing to go with a loss-leading approach, I don't think a $50 price cut would garner enough interest. There seems to be a bit of history where the $300 price tag is the sweet spot for home consoles.

 

[Duxxy3]

Multiple generations of consoles seem to have proven that mindshare is nothing

That depends on if the market leader completely fucks up their approach to the next generation (ala N64, PS3 and XB1).

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

The Xbox One is effectively priced at a variable $340 with $60 going towards the game they bundle (or free game as is the case this week). This gives them the luxury of perceived value that they're not locked into with a price cut. If things ever turned around for them these deals would disappear overnight. My guess is we'll see a $50 pricecut if things don't improve after the holidays.

Perceived cut or not these promotions are not cost free for MS, and they are still falling further behind in their home market. The problem isn't price. The problem is something else, and it is likely different for many. For one the list of exclusives starts getting really thin next year. As of now the only exclusive (not timed or pc) with a date in 2015 is Halo 5 and that is a holiday title. Quantum Break is slated for 2015, but no window given yet, and it may come to PC as well to recoup costs like Alan Wake. That's a pretty grim outlook for the Xbone in 2015. I realize Halo is a big title, but that's a long ways away.

The problem to me has always been MS seems more willing to buy the already big thing than cultivate the next big thing. Case in point Gears of War and Black Tusk Studios being moved from an original ip to make GoW. They would rather buy timed exclusivity for Tomb Raider than make games of their own to fill a void. Now possibly Minecraft is being purchased at an obscene amount of money. I think the average consumer is smarter than most give them credit for being, and can sniff out which console is offering not only a better value and more power, but also a wider range of games to play. Consumers have already been exposed to this by MS. Buy up exclusives early and the well dries up later. Remember the last few years of 360? It is just going to dry up faster and more obvious this time.

 

[hawk2025]

It just depends on whether Xbox is run with specific demands on margins and profitability. If they're willing to take loss leadership, Microsoft have plenty of money to burn. They've already spent a new bunch of money buying Tomb Raider exclusivity, and last year they spent it on Titanfall amongst others.

If Microsoft want to win the console war in the long-term, they better start burning that money this holiday season and get the console sold at -50 or -100. If Sony wins this holiday window in the USA, I think the snowballing effect will get larger. Microsoft will always have Halo and Gears, so they'll always have fight left in them, but the earlier they can stem the slide the better chance they have of winning the USA.

No series is safe from fleeting demand, and both Judgment and Ascension are there to prove it.

 

[renjworks]

Were it May? No. Were it June? No, I think they'd be content touting lead cumulative total sales like they had to after December.

Do they care about November? Yes, I think that they do. In fact, they'd better. Microsoft is not to be toyed with, except for maybe in Japan. Microsoft on its home turf, however, is definitely not to be toyed with, ever, no matter how beaten and battered they may be, not after all the legitimacy the Xbox brand gained with Xbox 360. Mindshare is everything, and any news headline recognizing Xbox One's sales leads at the expense of PS4's is cause for a crisis of confidence in all the goodwill Sony has been able to so painstakingly build up after the disastrous PS3.

Remember, better pricing, officially better hardware, better multiplayer games, *should i say bigger indie releases*, the better feeling of confidence that sony's first party will deliver the exclusive games, *shuhei must I add, massively widening marketshare affecting friends of friends of friends buying decision of consoles and softwares, better value in PS+, that for me is MINDSHARE. When me and my friends talk about games, we talk about it on PS4 that it seems like XB1 doesn't exist; that is mindshare already (still have not own a PS4 yet to tell you honestly but will be getting it on Christmas).

But for the sake of your argument, IF XB1 outsell PS4 in November (4th Q period), the month of all months when XB1 will release MCC (a remaster collection); COD:AW; SO (new IP) will have a bearing on the mindset of people?

Do you really believe that an old Halo collection will convince hardcore fans to buy the hardware? Many hardcore xbox fans would have owned the hardware already and will just buy the game. What about COD:AW? The fanbase of PS4 is already huge. If the charm of COD is always on the multiplayer, where do you think undecided people will buy the hardware and the software? I believe that on the paltform where there are many more people. But that's just my opinion, my mind and my friends mind is now set to PS4. Lets not forget COD:Ghost; the PS4 version outsold the XB1 version, right? Sunset? I will not even talk about that.

My take is this: Microsoft will have a better chance *of winning hardware number sales when Halo (Guardians) and/or Gears are released. Beyond that, I dont see a forza, or a fable game carry microsoft consoles to overcome sony platform dominance this generation.

 

[Devilgunman]

It just depends on whether Xbox is run with specific demands on margins and profitability. If they're willing to take loss leadership, Microsoft have plenty of money to burn. They've already spent a new bunch of money buying Tomb Raider exclusivity, and last year they spent it on Titanfall amongst others.

If Microsoft want to win the console war in the long-term, they better start burning that money this holiday season and get the console sold at -50 or -100. If Sony wins this holiday window in the USA, I think the snowballing effect will get larger. Microsoft will always have Halo and Gears, so they'll always have fight left in them, but the earlier they can stem the slide the better chance they have of winning the USA.

MS surely has alot of money to burn be they are not unlimited. These past few years alone MS spent a lot of money to gaming related things

- $400 on NFL marketing. (not 100% gaming since it covers Window, Surface etc)
- Titanfall excluive
- Buy Gears of War from Epic
- Price cut from Kinectless sku
- Tomb Raider "exclusive"
- (still rumor) purchasing Mojang

I think at this point MS really want to see Xbone make some profits already. I don't know if they are willing to bleed money just to be competitive with PS4.

 

[Hero]

I think the best example of how predictable the core audience is would be looking at the top 10 best selling games list NPD puts out every December and noticing it's almost identical to the previous year (sans the subtitle or iteration number in the game titles). Even for the games that aren't the same they're usually similar in concept like trading GTA for Red Dead or Halo for Battlefield.

I mean seriously:

2013:

2012:

2011:

Annual 2011 Top 10 Games (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC) Rank Publisher
1.) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3, Wii, PC)** 1 Activision Blizzard
2.) Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3) 2 Ubisoft
3.) Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360, PS3, PC)** 3 Bethesda Softworks
4.) Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)** 4 Electronic Arts
5.) Madden NFL 12 (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2)** 5 Electronic Arts
6.) Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, Wii, NDS, PC)** 6 Activision Blizzard
7.) Batman: Arkham City (360, PS3, PC)** 7 Warner Bros. Interactive
8.) Gears of War 3 (360)** 8 Microsoft
9.) Just Dance 2 (Wii) 9 Ubisoft
10.) Assassin's Creed: Revelations (360, PS3, PC) 10 Ubisoft

2010:

Annual 2010 Top 10 Games (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC) Rank Publisher
01. Call of Duty: Black Ops** (360, PS3, Wii, PC, NDS) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
02. Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP) ELECTRONIC ARTS
03. Halo: Reach** (360) MICROSOFT
04. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) NINTENDO
05. Red Dead Redemption (360, PS3) TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
06. Wii Fit Plus** (Wii) NINTENDO
07. Just Dance 2 (Wii) UBISOFT
08. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2** (360, PS3, PC) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
09. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood** (360, PS3) UBISOFT
10. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC) TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE

It's no wonder the big publishers keep chasing after the same demographic with the same type of games. Miyamoto was right.

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

MS surely has alot of money to burn be they are not unlimited. These past few years alone MS spent a lot of money to gaming related things

- $400 on NFL marketing. (not 100% gaming since it covers Window, Surface etc)
- Titanfall excluive
- Buy Gears of War from Epic
- Price cut from Kinectless sku
- Tomb Raider "exclusive"
- (still rumor) purchasing Mojang

I think at this point MS really want to see Xbone make some profits already. I don't know if they are willing to bleed money just to be competitive with PS4.

And all of those are terrible long term solutions. They are very expensive band aids, and Madden just sold more on PS4 despite a bundle giving the game for free on Xbone, so that's one expensive band aid ripped off. Titanfall also back fired.

 

[gigantor21]

MS surely has alot of money to burn be they are not unlimited. These past few years alone MS spent a lot of money to gaming related things

- $400 on NFL marketing. (not 100% gaming since it covers Window, Surface etc)
- Titanfall excluive
- Buy Gears of War from Epic
- Price cut from Kinectless sku
- Tomb Raider "exclusive"
- (still rumor) purchasing Mojang

I think at this point MS really want to see Xbone make some profits already. I don't know if they are willing to bleed money just to be competitive with PS4.

They were willing to eat billions in losses for the 360, and I don't think they EVER saw profit on the original Xbox. I fully expect the Xbox One to get the same treatment. It's their biggest non-PC related product by a mile, and they desperately want to expand their reach beyond that space via the living room.

 

[renjworks]

They were willing to eat billions in losses for the 360, and I don't think they EVER saw profit on the original Xbox. I fully expect the Xbox One to get the same treatment. It's their biggest non-PC related product by a mile, and they desperately want to expand their reach beyond that space via the living room.

this is why some investors want to get rid of xbox division.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

They were willing to eat billions in losses for the 360, and I don't think they EVER saw profit on the original Xbox. I fully expect the Xbox One to get the same treatment. It's their biggest non-PC related product by a mile, and they desperately want to expand their reach beyond that space via the living room.

They were willing to pump cash into the Xbox and X360 because Steve Ballmer was following a business vision created by Bill Gates in the 90s of a MS powered living room, with the TV as a common access point to computing.

That vision is no longer relevant.

People now are increasingly doing what they traditionally did on a beige box windows PC on their phones or on tablets, and - crucially - they're not doing it on Windows Phones and Surface Tablets.

Pumping billions into winning the TV with Xbox is like pumping billions into cornering print media; I mean, sure, you could choose to do it, but there's no fucking point.

 

[ProfessorMoran]

They were willing to eat billions in losses for the 360, and I don't think they EVER saw profit on the original Xbox. I fully expect the Xbox One to get the same treatment. It's their biggest non-PC related product by a mile, and they desperately want to expand their reach beyond that space via the living room.

Given their struggles in the mobile os space I wonder if ms has the appetite to eat billions of losses just to pull even in a couple of territories when all the edge they've spent their way into obtaining vanished literally overnight and Europe and Japan being completely out of reach.