Xbox One Can Still Win The Next Console War

Chris Morris notes that "the embankment Microsoft faces is a lot smaller than it was a short time ago"

[iBlackyi]

No. They need something big to even be on the same level as Sony. Only at that point the console war even starting. Right now the clear winner is Sony for the most people obviously.

[xHeavYx]

All they need to do is lower the price to $350, get rid of Kinect, promise that DRM stuff won't come back, stop the Kinect shovelware, start making new IPs for hardcore, stop charging for gold to use Netflix and free-to-play games....
So.. Yeah, Xbox is not winning anything any time soon

[Rhinoceros]

We get it, youre not an early adopter. If they did that, I would not buy. Sony needs to add the eye to the box, and make it as strong as kinect to win my heart.

[bicfitness]

Is this a satirical post? Yes, they 'should' do about half of those things, but they certainly won't. Netflix is confirmed behind a paywall. Kinect will surely have plenty of shovelware - its never had much else. And the price can be lowered, but they've gone on record stating that they won't: that they just need to explain the value proposition better.

Please join the rest of us back in reality. I'm not saying that MS won't be successful, but they are going into this gen with significant disadvantages and without Sony's PS3 fumbles or hardware delays to help them.

[Rhinoceros]

From a business standpoint, what MS is doing is a risk . Still, one of the benefits of being one of the largest software companies in the world is that you can body those risks with greater vision in mind. There are A LOT of naysayers when it comes to Motion/Voice controls. You also have to expect early adapters along with people who need to wait until they see it at their buddy's house before it's even on their radar. It's just way too early to judge a new, un-tested component of a gaming system as being a completely inconsequential gimmick. I am sorry if you feel differently, but your judgments are PREMATURE. I bought into kinect one, and was disappointed. Still, I was happy to put my money toward proving there's a market for cool innovations in gaming. I knew then that without being mandatory, it would never be utilized like I wanted it to be. It took 100 JUST DANCE games to get here, but we got here.

On policy:
As a business owner myself, I can say that sometimes you don't think of the consumer right away. I create a price point that works for me, and adjust when it isn't popular. You look at things on paper, and try to fill money holes. While I disagree with the things they were trying to do with DRM and independent developers, there was nothing evil about it. The most important thing is being flexible and listening to the consumers, and Microsoft has clearly been doing that. I respect their recent reversals. Whatever you believe is the future of gaming, beit: motion, asynchronous, asymmetrical, remote play, or some other method of immersion si vous plait preferrer, we have to respect each other as GAMERS. Neither side will be robbed of having a core gaming experience. BOTH companies are looking out for the gamers and, thanks to competition, we will see the best of of each vision as it's refined by the gauntlet of folks waiting to receive each tidbit of information.

We need a FULL STOP on divisive, inflammatory articles that rely on speculation. Celebrate our victories within the industry, and respect that while our community is DIVERSE and has different values, we all love to play great games.

[mcstorm]

@xHeavYx MS don't need to do any of that. People need to stop thinking Kinect on the One is the same as Kinect on the 360. It is far form them same. It tracks a lot more and can do a lot more than the 1st one and because it comes on all consoles it will get used by the developers.

It has already had some developers use it in the right way for the core gamers like the KI team where it can track the controller so if you pass it onto a fried it changes the button config to there settings and can even give there charter list.

Vice is 100 times better now as well as it will work with a loud tv so issuing commands to games will also work better as well as being able to multi task with it.

Why are people so stuck in the past on this site? Yes Kinect 1 was not what MS said it would be with Project Natal but when the world saw project Natal the gaming world was loving it, it was only when MS showed of Kinect that the gaming world decided they did not like it. Kinect 2 is what project Natal was and more. People need to stop being stuck in the past at the end of the day Kienct 2 adds more fun for the xbox one as it means core and none core can enjoy it plus it also means the core gamers can also enjoy it with there family to.

Gaming is not just about one type of gamer and at the end of the day MS Sony and Nintendo are all in the game business to make money and they do that by making something for everyone.

[HardcoreGamer21]

basicly you are saying it need to become a lower priced with less power ps4.

[miDnIghtEr20C_SfF]

Stop the Kinect shovelware? They have hardly shown any Kinect games.

If you don't like the games, don't buy them. There are plenty of great games for Xbox that aren't kinect related.

[walkincarpet]

or not....if MS removes Kinect the X1 will lose one of the key differences that makes it superior console compared to PS4. As it stands PS4 is PS3 with better graphics while X1 is a game changer. MS is going in the right direction with changes but will lose a huge fan base and even larger casual base if Kinect is removed.

[Timesplitter14]

I dunno. With the recent announcements, I feel that the X1 is back into the race and has been having the spotlight lately. It definitely has a long way to go before catching up with the PS4 due to the E3 disaster, but now it seems we have two very solid consoles that can compete with eachother

[ABizzel1]

It's possible, but highly unlikely IMO.

[Electric-flamingo]

It's not even out yet

[YNWA96]

Clearly from a fanboy point of view, Sony have won this war. They even call it a war.... MS fanboys are wasting there time arguing this. For everything positive, Maria will throw a 1,000 links at you, followed by, oh people atack me... I am so sweet and innocent. Also, I have never seen Georgenoob be rude to anyone here, yet only 1 bubble left. Sony fanboys are devastated to see the dominant PS2 legacy demolished, and even if they beat out 360 by a million or 2, thats still a huge setback. So please fanboys, give them space, they need it.... its like a million jar jars screamed out then silence....

[IanVanCheese]

if by my life or death I can protect you, I will. you have my bubble vote.

[JunioRS101]

Hooray Hirai! Hooray Hirai!

[shibster88]

Of course they can, they pissed up e3 and they pist off gamers and they try and redo the policies, when if they cared about you(the gamer) they wouldnt of had them in the first place would they, ill get loads of disagrees but hay ifni loose a bubble or be it but ill have my ps4 amd sony can happly have my money.

[SuperLupe]

They had them in the first place becaus thats the vision they had for THEIR console.

Sony's vision for the PS4 is a turbo charged PS3. MS's vision for the Xbox One was a digital console always connected to the internet for reasons inherent to a console pushing digital to 100%.

Now the Xbox One is is pretty much just like the PS4, a turbo charged version of its predecessor. Thanks to Kinect though they can differentiate themselves.

That said I wasnt ok with MS's policies pre-DRM drop and still cant believe to this very day how they managed to be so competely wrong on almost every aspect. It may have been ok in 6/7 years time from now but right now that vision of things was simply out of touch with the reality of todays market.

[majiebeast]

Sony's vision is gamers
Microsoft's vision was screw over gamers and tv and sports.

[Kryptix]

This is what I think gamers feel about Microsoft. Think about someone, a friend, prank calling you. He talks all this bs for many minutes, about robbing and killing you and then ends the call by saying, oh, I was just playing around, here, I'll make up it for you someday and never do that again. Of course you're going be angry, and that anger slowly dissolves, but are you going to trust this person the same way? Nah, that person has to prove their word and gain your trust back. How can we trust Microsoft right after what happened? They have to release this console, check if everything they said is true and maybe they'll get the trust back. But this can take years to see Microsoft doesn't end up breaking promises after cashing in at it's peak. Then you got Sony, listening to gamers since before E3. Shaping up the PS4 to be something gamers will love. Pre order numbers did not effect what the console is while Microsoft waited till first week preorder numbers to change. Sony is a step ahead, they don't need to reverse anything and continue to do what they were doing. That's why Xbox One won't do better than the PS4 because that's what it's trying to be now, like the PS4 while the PS4 is ahead, improving with every step.

[B-radical]

Ofcourse they still can......none have even released yet.

[No_Limit]

Who cares about this imaginary war. Both systems will sell great. I have no doubt Sony will sell more systems due to the fact they have more following and a greater advantage in Japan and most of Europe but when it all comes down to it, we are literally talking about Apple vs Android here. There will only be one winner in terms of overall sales but both will have their fans and market share well established in the upcoming years and it will be great for gamers due to the competition.

For me, I am getting the XB1 first due to me liking the Live service and the games at launch. I will also get a PS4 late next year when Naughty Dog release their AAA game.

I can care less who sells more in 5 years as this is not a PS2 vs Dreamcast scenario here.

[majiebeast]

If they couldnt beat the Playstation 3(Playstation at its weakest) how are they gonna beat Sony when they are in Playstation 2 mode and launching in the same timeframe?

Microsoft already doesnt stand a chance in main land Europe and Japan and is losing their big markets like the UK and America to Sony. For Microsoft to even stand a chance they need America.

[Burr_Rabbit]

I say Sony is going to stay ahead of MS for years to come unless MS does something radical to change up what they are doing! Unless they do this they will always be behind.

[D-riders]

MS hasnt even came in second in a console war now they are going to win this one???

[Rhinoceros]

"But Microsoft has one thing working in its favor that Sony didn't seven years ago: Deep pocketed partners, including Comcast and AT&T. With the Xbox One's positioning as an all-inclusive entertainment device, many analysts expect the system to be subsidized by one or more of those partners - likely within the first year."

I wonder what they have up their sleeve?

[Thehyph]

Possible subsidized deal on the console in the U.S. only. I can't see much else.

[UnHoly_One]

Well said.

I don't get the point of arguing over which console sells more, it just doesn't make any difference.

Xbox 360 (my favorite current gen console) "lost" the last console war, but did that impact me in any way? No.

So when I own both consoles this gen, and one of them "wins", am I going to notice or care?? Nope, not a bit.

[JBSleek]

How can anyone call a win or a lost in a game that hasn't even started yet?

People who can somehow predict 7-8 years in the future of sales please contact me so I can win the lottery.

[Hicken]

If the competition suffers a pretty serious injury before the start of the season, they may be able to come back from it before season's end, but they're starting with a handicap. Yes, they CAN win, but it's gonna take a LOT, as well as some slip-ups by their opponents.

Predicting winners and losers is far easier than predicting the lottery. I hate that comparison. The lottery, while a certain amount of probability can be applied, relies far more on chance. When it comes to something like gaming, we can predict with a decent amount of certainty the factors that will influence the winner:

Price
Marketing
Market Appeal
Software Support
Hardware Reliability
Public Perception

We can predict these things, and how people will react to them. Both current and past policies by each company play a significant role, and we can predict how people react to those, as well.

We can even intelligently guess how people will react to those policies, and how they'll ripple out from the core/hardcore to the casuals.

Not at all like the lottery.

Hope that helps.

[JBSleek]

Uh no. Business is not that predictable at all especially if we are looking into several years into the future.

That would make sense if this "winner" was going to be declared in two years. Who can look seven years into the future with the proper forecasts and declare who will sell more which I don't define as a winner but in terms of profit.

[Hicken]

It's not simple, by any means, but it IS easier to predict than the lottery.

Sports teams are predicted to win championships every year, before the season begins. And 16, 80, 160 games later, those predictions can be true or false. Weather, injuries, trades, underperforming, overachieving... all these things can make these predictions useless, or wind up aiding a prediction in becoming truth.

I think that you- and many others- define "prediction" as an assertion of what will happen, and ONLY that. But a prediction is really JUST guessing. It can be educated, or based on a hunch, or just randomly chosen.

We can all make predictions about ANYTHING, and we can come to the conclusion in our predictions ANY WAY we want. Someone will be right, most will be wrong.

Some will have enough behind their prediction that the outcome they posit seems plausible.

That's all.

[tokugawa]

prcko i am sorry, but how is it possible to find so many fanwar inducing threads if you are not part of their fabrication??

i dont think that you are alone in this practice either

[SynestheticRoar]

WOW. This is satire again, right?

[josephayal]

I Think the Wii U has the potential to outsell PS4 and Xbox One

[Rockxy]

can't you all see? XBOX one has already won,

[wishingW3L]

they couldn't even beat the PS3 this gen with all the issues it had let alone now when Sony and the PS4 are at their strongest.

[cabbitwithscissors]

This article reeks of desperation and hope. :D

[TheObserver]

MS already lost the rest of the world. Maybe it can retain a majority in America. As we all know in the global market and American elections. Holding a single biggest territory doesn't mean jack if you lost all the rest.

Edit: Inb4 "Why would I live there?"

[Williamson]

I don't see X1 outselling ps4 worldwide, but maybe in the U.S. So they won't ever beat Sony by only outselling them in the U.S and UK when Sony will sell better almost everywhere else.

[pop-voxuli]

Not bloody likely!!!

[XboxFun]

The Xbox 360 and PS3 has tied overall in sales. MS came in and snatched the dominate rug right from under Sony's feet this gen with a success of the 360. It took Sony roughly 6 to 7 years just to catch up and that is them with an established game brand.

With the X1 and PS4 being so close in specs the boasting of advantages the ps4 has is getting slimmer to almost non-existent. I have no doubt that Xbox One will win this generation.

A lot of people keep saying America this and that but America is one of the biggest video game markets. It takes 4 to 5 foreign regions to even sort of equal how big the American market is. Throw in North America and the UK and you have a 360 lead for life.

[strickers]

Problem with your theory ?
The gap between 360 and ps3 is larger each week in EU( in ps3s favour) than the gap in US is. That includes 360s UK wins.

[The EDGE]

No year head start or price advantage..... highly unlikely

[strickers]

I sense a worldwide XB spanking coming on. Gap will likely be millions in favour of ps4 within first 2 years.

[Master-H]

Not in my household.
Honestly though who cares about the so called war , let everyone buy the s**t they want and be happy with it.

[EXVirtual]

No. The PS3 beat the 360 this gen. The 360 came out a whole year prior both the Wii and PS3 and was cheaper than the PS3 and they still came last. There's no way in hell they'll win. They might even come 3rd if things go the way I'm thinking they will.

[Funnymonkey013]

Lets be real it's not happening until they lower the price and maybe a system without kenect I mean really 500$ is a lot 4 a weaker system then PS4 and the only thing going 4 X1 is kenect that nobody really cares about but few and TV related stuff that again nobody would care 4 cause umm u can pretty much watch any TV shows movies through cable tablets phones pcs laptops and many more other stuff. This is the truth PS4 is all around a better system 4 next gen. games movies online MP is just better PS plus kills live better games on ps4 more powerful more easier to develop 4 then X1 surprising enough and offers more value 4 ur money then X1 so unless MS does few things like Sony is with ps plus and able to watch Netflix without gold needed and more then that they will have a good chance catching up to Sony. And go ahead xbox morons give me ur dislike cause I know ur just butthurt with truths .