5 Ways Microsoft Could Screw Up The Xbox Reveal

GR: On May 21st Microsoft will finally pull back the curtain on its plans for the next generation of gaming with the reveal of its successor to the Xbox 360. Up until now we've heard all sorts of rumors, some of which have been positive, while an alarming amount have been negative. Sony came out swinging in February with a PlayStation 4 reveal that knocked just about everyone's socks off. Will Microsoft's showing be able to compete? Here are a few ways in which Microsoft could really screw the pooch.

[GalacticEmpire]

"2. Don't Focus on the Gamer

The one thing that Sony absolutely nailed at their PlayStation 4 reveal was their messaging that the PS4 is all about the gamer"

This point about focus is what I'm most concerned about at the Xbox reveal. First impressions are vitally important and if MS want to sell their console as an entertainment device rather than a game device they will HAVE to show a lot of non-gaming material.

It will be incredibly difficult to both sell the box as an entertainment centre without taking focus away from the gaming aspect. MS want both sets of customers but it's more likely that they will have to choose, we find out which they chose on May 21st.

[alexcosborn]

Great point.

The question is whether or not they will end up spreading themselves too thin.

[abzdine]

for me is lack of focus on gamers and go too far in their social and TV services i dont give a damn about.
Also, i want live demos of whatever they're gonna show.

[HammadTheBeast]

If they try to compete with Apple or Google as well as Sony and Nintendo, then they will mess up.

[MikeMyers]

5. Major Nelson kind of mocked Sony for not showing it so they pretty much have to.

4. That would be pretty sad if they only showed one game. I think we will see a few but not many. They'll save them for E3.

3. They should show the new Kinect if there is one and real world experiences, not tech demos. If they can prove this time it's cool then people will soon forget about how bad the first Kinect was for real games. Most see it as a gimmick and I tend to agree but if they can show it's actually more fun then I'm open for being proved wrong.

2. They need to show the Xbox is still at its heart a game console. They are all adding more functions and media/social services to their devices but Microsoft needs to keep reassure gamers they are committed to games.

1. This is a tough one. Always-on isn't the problem, it's the always-on DRM that people are worried about. If it blocks used games and requires an online connection to work it will fail. If it makes things run better with it being connected no problem. They will likely do what Sony is doing, leaving it up to the publisher.

[DOMination-]

According to Gametrailers its only an hour long. I expect them to show the console and its features but that doesn't leave much time for games.

[MikeMyers]

It's close to E3 so I expect at least a few games but not too many. They will save most of it for E3. We'll probably get to see the system and they will talk about some of the features. They may also at that time unveil some of their partnerships. I'm expecting a demo of Battlefield 4 and some sort of exclusive deal. I don't expect new ip's at this event but rather at E3.

Hopefully they don't waste much time and have a steady flow of information. Just remember, the PS4 unveiling and this Xbox event are uncharacteristic for them. We haven't seen these type of early announcements before. E3 will still be the main event.

[iNcRiMiNaTi]

I'm expecting some sort of halo 5 teaser if they have one and a full reveal at e3

[Godmars290]

- Major Nelson may have painted them into a corner. Not they they couldn't change the design.

- Thing about game presentation, they could show anything. Just show a CG trailer and many will eat it up. There were too many instances this gen of games being shown too early and suffering for it.

- They need to show Kinect 2.0 and it needs to work. No bottom of a shoe incidents. Not that they can't simply stage things like they did with Milo and Star Wars.

_ To "prove" that Xbox3 is still a game console all they have to show are games.

[extermin8or]

Thing is actually number 2 isn't important to me at this point perse-obv I want them to focus on the gamer- but even if they do looking at the xbox 360- I'm not sure if i'd trust them anyway not for which console to buy 1st- buying one on release and the other a few years down the line after a price drop is something I'll consider if the other has the exclusives worth buying it then, I am pretty much guaranteed Sony will have exclusives worth owning the console for- but how do I know this isn't a charade by MS to get early adopters through the door then come 2 years time, the focus shifts completely... :s

[Godmars290]

"It will be incredibly difficult to both sell the box as an entertainment centre without taking focus away from the gaming aspect."

And yet Sony's managed to present the PS3's media features while focusing on games.

One thing I'd like to know: given how Netflix is most most used on PS3, how are the other apps like Hulu and Crunchyroll doing. Knowing those numbers would go a long on saying whether or not MS is only spinning their wheels. That they should just sacrifice that aspect of XBL to make Xbox3 more popular.

[dbjj12088]

#6 - Show Up

Microsoft will likely screw themselves on this one. The PS4 has already won next-gen if you would believe N4G headlines in the past few weeks.

[alexcosborn]

The PlayStation faithful are certainly a loyal (and vocal) bunch! :)

[-Falaut-]

Congratulations. You can remove "PlayStation" and replace it with lets say "Xbox", and it would hold true. Welcome to the wonderful world of generalizations.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

I agree

And Why are people here afraid that the new Xbox won't play games? WTF are people taking about seriously?

N4G's on drugs...

[aviator189]

It'd be pretty hilarious if they were demoing the system and -boom-, some sort of red ring or error message popped up.

[dbjj12088]

Like when Peter Moore was playing Rock Band?

[alexcosborn]

Or when the controller died during the Modern Warfare 2 stage demo?

[majiebeast]

Like when Robbie Bach couldnt get the OG Xbox to work on stage so they had to get a new one or bam avatars shoe.

[TechnicianTed]

Sony had a great E3 in 2006 though.

EDIT:

'Microsoft has had bad E3's since 2009.'

That's true, but E3 2006 was the most memorable in peoples eyes. That was a classic. It certainly makes for funny viewing.

[majiebeast]

Microsoft has had bad E3's since 2009.

[FamilyGuy]

This is what I was looking for in this article.
If they have any major technical difficulties then they're screwed.

[Jek_Porkins]

Maybe they'll demo everything on high end PC like Sony did at the PS4 reveal? Then they wouldn't need to worry about it.

[ThatCanadianGuy514]

If there is more then 15 minutes of kinect in any way.IE- kid actors, dancers, washed up celebrities or any combination of those three - then i'm out MS.

[YodaCracker]

You were never in to begin with.

[hellvaguy]

You cant point out the obvious or stealth sony zealots or u gunna lose that 1 bubble. This site is ran by KGB sony zealots that will assassinate your bubbles at will.

[ThatCanadianGuy514]

Don't be so dramatic.

I was a PC gamer first then PS1, then xbox, and just recently PS3.If they want to get me back they better focus on games, and i mean good, AAA games.Lots of em.

Tired of their nonsense and their delusional fans who put up with it and stick up for it.

[Tultras]

So.. you didn't have a Ps2.

You have not lived, my friend.

[ThatCanadianGuy514]

I know.I missed a lot.Been catching up on all those HD remakes lately tho.Xbox just had me hooked with Kotor, Jade empire and almost entirely hooked on Battlefield: Modern combat which was console exclusive and not on PC, sadly.

XBL was also miles ahead of whatever Sony was doing with PS2 at the time.

[DigitalRaptor]

I like how quick people are to call out other as fanboys. When you reveal your true history and experience with gaming, it's not hard to see that a gamer is anyone with past experience on several gaming platforms.

I currently support Sony and PC gaming and have gamed many other devices, but am skeptical of Microsoft because of their treatment of consumers in a number of ways THIS GEN and their recent direction in the console space. You've got to be true to yourself even if people are trying to call you out as a fanboy.

I also missed out on some PS2 games that are now in HD on PS3, but appreciate the fact that they're coming out again. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, yeah!! AND looking forward to seeing what MS has up its sleeve for 2013 & beyond. They've got to drop that online play charge though.

[Majin-vegeta]

Oh boy....

http://youtu.be/FKJQW8m9CCY

-"Greatness Awaits"-

[MonkeyNinja]

That was EPIC.

[fsfsxii]

Lots of butthurt fanboys in the comment section of the video

[TheColbertinator]

BAM! And there it is.

[stage88]

Showing Kinect 2 and trying to say its for the hardcore gamer as well.

[Jek_Porkins]

The only way I would be disappointed would be if they didn't show the next Xbox, I want to see it, I know they'll have games to show off at E3, but there is absolutely no reason not to show the box itself off.

[colonel179]

Why is everyone giving so much importance to the box itself? I prefer to know the specs than how it looks. Just see what Nintendo did, they showed the console but never talked about the specs, the most important aspect.

If Sony had shown the box, but hadn't commented on the specs, we would have thousand of hate articles about how Sony is doomed! The same would go for MS if they don't.

Specs are much more important! Whatever the box looks, if the specs and the games are great, people will buy it. Even if it's a cereal box.

Actually, for me the controller is much more important, since that's how I get to play the games. In PS4's case, I worried that they would do something completely different, which I am glad they didn't. Same goes for the Xbox.

[Jek_Porkins]

You are saying that because of the way Sony handled their show, the console itself is important, we never saw what the Wii U actually looked like, they never focused on it, and while I like the console, the looks are pretty soulless.

I want to see the box, the specs, everything. It shouldn't be one or the other, not saying Sony's show was wrong, but so close to E3, Microsoft needs to show me the box to impress me.

[Imalwaysright]

Personally, I dont want to see a piece of plastic and I dont care much about specs. I want new Ips. Good singleplayer IPs because that is the only way for them to get my money as I refuse to pay even a dime for Live.

[Williamson]

My first xbox got the rrod in 2007 3 months after purchase, and I got it again last week -_-. Going to buy a slim version I guess.

[Max-Zorin]

Y'all argue too much. If N4G was a reality show, it would be several fights every episode.

[tweet75]

if its anything like the 360 reveal

if the system is always online even for single player im out

if you cant play the xbox live games I already own on the next xbox at no extra cost im out

[Plagasx]

I actually want them to announce the console will be "Always Online" just so I can see the crowd shit on them.

[Funky Town_TX]

Thats what they do. If yoy hate MS, then there is nothing they can do to please you. Stop wasting your time reading about Nextbox.

[Hicken]

I know it's a difficult concept for you to grab, but MAYBE people hate MS for the things they complain about, and MAYBE they wouldn't hate them if they changed some of those things.

MAYBE they read about Nextbox in hopes that there are enough people who have problems with the same things that MAYBE MS might change them.

I mean, who really WANTS to pay to play online?

[Urusernamesucks]

I don't need to read this crap, i can Already guess what they are. Pretty idiotic

[urwifeminder]

Writing sony on the side of it would truly wreck it for me.

[MasterCornholio]

Well if they spend more than 15 minutes with Kinect in a 1 hour long event than the XBOX brand is dead to me.

[esemce]

I want MS to actually blow me away but, I'm fully expecting disappointment they have let us core gamers down now for years just like Nintendo.

Glad I also have a PS3 and PC.

[Psychotica]

#6 - Not indicating that the hardware is on par with the PS4.

If it proves to be significantly less or under powered like the Wii U then they are screwed..

[jcnba28]

The haters are very active in this comment section lol

[HonestDragon]

With all of the speculation with Microsoft, I admit that they had better answer some questions regarding the rumors. As for this list, I agree with number three and two in particular.

3. Spend Too Long on Kinect: "Reports suggest that not only will a new version of the Kinect be bundled with every console, but also that the peripheral must be hooked up to run the new gaming machine."

This took me by surprise. I haven't heard of that rumor out of everything else. It would be a terrible idea if Kinect was mandatory with the next Xbox. I can guarantee that not everyone is going to forget the dismal performance Kinect had in the previous years. For Microsoft to focus too much on the Kinect at this point, when gamers really want to see the console and games, would be a huge mistake.

2. Don't Focus on the Gamer: "Instead they'll likely spend the bulk of their time explaining how and why the new Xbox will be the ultimate media box that can do everything. We'll hear about Xbox TV, the "future of entertainment," and a whole bunch of Kinect nonsense that appeals to virtually none of the hardcore gaming audience."

You know, Microsoft is really pushing this idea along like cattle across a river. Slowly, but surely is the idea of passing this idea through. The problem, though, is that gamers don't want to hear about this. Being able to play CDs, movies, Netflix, and Hulu on a console? Those are mere bonuses. Icing on the cake, if you will. To focus on television, apps, or any other online features no one cares about, they will be causing everyone to tune out as soon at they mention the next Xbox being the "only media box you need".

[KrisButtar]

The controller is what I'm waiting to see on May 21, I know its going to play most of the same games as Sonys machine but I wanna that they haven't changed it or changed it much and I don't want to see a kinect focus event either.

[Morgue]

I feel like the new Xbox will be 100 stories tall and filled with mass super computers but will fail because no one is renting the space at the rate theses opinion articles are being wrote. Maybe I'll stay off N4G the next 9 days until WE all KNOW whats ACTUALLY being released.