180°

Kinect: Priced for the Competition, Not the Consumer

With all three of the hardware manufacturers having laid their fourth quarter cards on the table, following Microsoft’s announcement of the Kinect pricing strategy yesterday, we can now get a clear perspective of not only where each format stands in the marketplace, but where they hope to be standing this time next year. Though each of the console manufacturers seem to be quietly agreeing that motion-control is the most viable future for an expanding consumer base, each has a decidedly different idea of what the consumers will be willing to spend their money.

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electronictheatre.co.uk
Red Panda5028d ago

When do they ever price anything for the consumer? They prey on the stupid and the weak. Most companies do this crap but M$ is up there when it comes to the douche baggery.

JokesOnYou5028d ago

Just look how kinect quickly jumped up the best seller chart since the price announcemet, move doesn't seem to draw much attention because most folks have already written it off as a wii-too peripheral from sony....its going to take alot to overcome that stigma by the general public, and get the casuals to buy into move when they already have a wii....

JOY

Unicron5028d ago

Very true.

What I don't get is, I've yet to see the core/hardcore appeal to EITHER of these products. Yet people are still defending them to the death. Kinda sad.

IRetrouk5028d ago

yep for something that dont work propa like

mathsman5028d ago

I agree with his point, if Kinect as aimed at casual gamers why is it priced as though hardcore will be buying it?

SolidSystem5028d ago

the casual is willing to throw around money as well. the core are not the ones buying pieces of plastic to make their wii-mote look like a gun. or make their wii-mote look like a bat.

so this whole notion that the casual wont throw down 150 for Kinect, i personally see, has no real grounds other than people finding one more thing to cry about. the media has had a love hate relationship with Kinect, for what ever reason.

nickjkl5028d ago

isnt 150 euros like 200 dollars

which makes me think why is microsoft selling the add on for 150 euros

and the bundle for 300

not to mention in order to use it properly you need to be in a well lit room with lots of space something most gamers dont have

SolidSystem5028d ago

but its never just a straight conversion. Europeans have been complaining they "pay" more than americans. currency is much more complicated than just changing it over quickly.

so even when straight converted to dollars, we dont know the american price that i know of.

Rush5028d ago

Actually the price difference is caused by a little something called tax, it's good to see you guys are quite current I mean it was only invented in the 1600s.

Spenok5028d ago

Because Microsoft wants more money?

El_Colombiano5028d ago

Kinect is such old technology. There is almost nothing it can do that the $30 PS Eye can't do. Microsoft is really milking the sheep on this one.

howjord5028d ago (Edited 5028d ago )

kinect is far better than the bloody eye toy. as kinect detects 3d space the eyetoy just tracks movement.
the eyetoy is the same as the xbox live vision camera

gallospqra5028d ago

uuh, 3d space detection. to do what? Kinectimals? wow, nice!

PSEye itself is not as advanced as Kinect camera, sure, but with the Move controller there's perfect XYZ detection and no lag. So I don't see how in the world could Kinect do something that PSEye+Move can't do.

ALFAxD_CENTAURO5028d ago

And with Move is making 3D Space, with better precision along with PS Eye.

Mmmkay5028d ago

ps2 eye toy is not the same as PS3 EYE.

stop thinking natal is a new technology...

Silver3605028d ago

track your arms and legs at the same time?

El_Colombiano5028d ago

That's what the $30 Playstation Eye is for. Try harder.

BeaArthur5028d ago

Wouldn't you price it so people would buy it? I thought the point was to sell it.

Mustang300C20125028d ago

http://www.amazon.com/gp/be...

People are buying it. After 2 days it is already at 64 on Amazon and for Kinect sitting at number 9. Kinect has been sitting in the top 20 for the past month before the official price. Move and the bundle are no where to be found.

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280°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

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theverge.com
darthv721d 7h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle18h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic188115h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio15h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning7710h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga17h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

darthv723h ago

to you it may seem like the minority... but your bubble is shrinking because more and more are following suit. convenience is a hell of a drug and its also why physical sales only amount to 30% of overall game sales. times are changing, you either get with them or you get left behind.

shinoff218316h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga15h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan11h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

S2Killinit4h ago

MS is after diminishing consoles as a medium. They want to destroy this market because they couldnt win. MS’s vision is to dissolve console gaming.

romulus2310h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv7210h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

TheEroica3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

Perfectly reasonable post down voted by insecure corporation friendly folk.... But not gamers. Real gamer want accessibility and ease of acquisition for all.... Company shills are the only ones still telling us that hardware locking people from games is good for us.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3h ago
purple10120h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos19h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-9h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac19h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad18h ago(Edited 18h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10118h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos18h ago(Edited 18h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic16h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead9h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 9h ago
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300°

Microsoft Seemingly Closes Bethesda France

As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people

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insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere2d ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN2d ago

If they are let go, they can be whatever they want. They ARE 3rd party now... 🤦

Barlos1d 22h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN1d 15h ago

They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".

peppeaccardo1d 17h ago

"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)

ChasterMies1d 13h ago

I think Microsoft and other game publishers are letting people go because they think ai will replace them. Doesn’t matter how much profit they make. They were always going to be let go.

PassNextquestion2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much

Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region

blacktiger2d ago

that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.

Mr Logic1d 11h ago

What a stupid thing to say. The elites give 0 fucks what we say on an obscure website in the comments section.

Crows901d 10h ago

You can always reach out and give them jobs at your company man. Don't wait

blacktiger7h ago

You own nothing snd be happy. I'm sure you heard that

Profchaos2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.

I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games

Tacoboto2d ago

It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.

Profchaos2d ago

Possibly guven all the leaks we know the Xbox brand is really struggling in the region.

Yi-Long1d 23h ago

Well, if your consoles and games are barely found in any stores any more, of course you're gonna struggle finding consumers ...

XiNatsuDragnel2d ago

Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo

Profchaos2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers

TheColbertinator2d ago

The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.

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80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."