How the Xbox 360 Excelled and Failed at Delivering the Goods

"It has been many years since this current generation of consoles (for the sake of this article, the Wii for Nintendo) was released and has since sat on the market for quite a while now. We are finally entering into the realm of each major console maker releasing their next generation of consoles, with Nintendo ahead of the pack by about a year with the Wii U." | Explosion.com

[dazzrazz]

Another but hurt wannabe journalist.

[Ezz2013]

why he's butthurt ?!!

[blackbeld]

"Worst of all was the hardware, being behind-the-times when it came to formats and just the general failure rate. Once that original one goes out of warranty and they won’t fix your system for free anymore the nightmares begin; you have all of those games and no more system, so you need to replace it."

So that's the main reason they sold 70mil. 360's.

Good read, and so true.

[KMCROC54]

Cause he's come off sounding like entitled Tool.

[r1sh12]

@Blackbeld..
This whole argument of RROD consoles are the reason for more xbox 360's being purchased is complete nonsense.

The warranty is 3 years, it extends to any replacement a customer receives. Even after the warranty is over, only refurb consoles were returned to customers so the warranty is restarted.

I do not doubt some customers will have bought a new console but it is not the major contributing factor to all sales.

The writer also goes on to say 'Great blu ray player' but physical media is pretty much dead.
Blu ray/ DVD sales have gone off the cliff, as streaming services take 1st place.
The amount Sony spent on developing blu ray, the dividends are definitely not being returned.

[stage88]

Nothing wrong with this article. He stated for and against, why is he butthurt?
If anything i think you are...

[zerocrossing]

Anyone caught using the term "buthurt" unless either in reference to another's comment or for the sake of humour or irony, immediately loses all credibility.

[B1663r]

I agree, yet disagree with your exception.

Commentception!

[SuperSonic266]

microsoft will tumble to sony in the next generation

[GusBricker]

It'll remain the same, IMO. Xbox will dominate in North America while Sony rules everywhere else.

[IAMERROR]

I knew there would be Sony drones in the comments. lol Just can't stay away can we?

Xbox has 'murica down, highly unlikely that sony is going to rule in NA again. Nintendo maybe...

Sony's true strength lies in Japan and Europe (not the UK)

So no, MS isn't going to "tumble" to anyone next gen.

[nintendoland]

Nintendo: does well in America and is does best in Japan
Sony: is most popular in Europe
Microsoft: is king in America.

Nintendo is hated in Europe.

[TheRealHeisenberg]

I mostly agree with the failures. Just slightly disagree with the below:

"The biggest offense of the Xbox 360 was probably including a standard DVD drive and opting to sell an optional HD DVD drive while the PS3 was a bit more expensive, but included a great Blu-Ray player."

I feel games for the most part have been fine on DVD but I wonder how different would things have been if the 360 had a built-in HD-DVD or Blu-ray drive.

Edit: I'm pretty certain that this will turn in to yet another bag on MS article. That was not the intent of my comment. Though, I like my 360, I am capable of recognizing its faults; the same goes for my PS3 and Wii. None are perfect.

[ElectricKaibutsu]

I think the only difference would have been higher price and maybe slower load times. And of course you wouldn't have to change discs.

[Godmars290]

More like they went with the cheapest, nosiest DVD drive they could at first. One that was prone to damage discs.

And still, if you want to stand by it using DVD as "no big deal" when they not only had to allow for installs but rewrote the system OS to remove security features to give discs just a bit more space, then you're wrong. You're just wrong.

[DOMination-]

Yeah, I don't think it's made too much of a difference. I can only think of a handful of games that were on multiple disks. And in most of those cases, the disk swapping was done in a sensible way. Likewise, there's only a few titles on PS3 that's really benefited from the extra blu-ray space.

[Godmars290]

Except those "handful of games" were and are major titles like Halo, Froza and COD. The restriction of space not only effecting how games were made or how they were played, like being able to backtrack in Star Ocean, but without HHD being common to some SKUs, who could play them or certain content from them.

Likewise the extra space blu-ray offered wasn't always needed or used, but the point is it was there when it was needed.

Honestly, arguing this point is like arguing with a flat earther who refuses to accept geological data, maps and a globe while looking down on Earth from a space station.

[palaeomerus]

"The restriction of space not only effecting how games were made or how they were played, like being able to backtrack in Star Ocean"

This really ONLY affected Star Ocean 4 though implying that he problem was Star Ocean 4 rather than DVD. It was just a badly designed game. Blu-ray was mostly a waste on the PS3. The games were about the same. They didn't get any bigger or any of the other pro-Sony fantasies that were tossed around as being "the reason for blu-ray". Having two or even three discs really didn't hurt most of the games that did it at all. Sony's "advanced" tech was expensive, difficult to use, and generally didn't deliver a better experience. It was bad engineering. Hopefully Sony has learned their lesson for PS4.

[darkride66]

I more or less identified with this article. I thought the DVD player would end up being a limiting factor, and if it was I didn't notice, and of the games I played I know there were multi-disk games out there, but I never came across one.

I never cared for online play that much so after a few years of XBL I just didn't feel it was worth it when I could get my infrequent online fix elsewhere for free. I had a terrible time with the hardware and with MS's customer support but I know I'm in the minority there.

It's the games that make me smile as a 360 owner. I can't imagine having missed Gears of War or Halo this gen and even though hardware issues forced my hand when it came to my console of choice, I'm glad I didn't miss out on these. I feel a bit for my PS3 only friends and family that didn't experience Gears of War or Halo.

[hazardman]

Man well said. Also I think MS was already thinking digital distribution and. Didn't want to really go all in on the hd physical format.

The tech reliablity issue was an obvious FAIL!! But hey they rectified that and replaced broken systems for free in warranty window.

What was one of the biggest fail that this sony drone hating on ms didn't mention was how when the ps3 were dying they were charging $150 for replacement and go ahead and disagree because Its true it happened to me a d I just boutght new one instead!!

[MYSTERIO360]

MS have been to reliant on their sequels, yes MS have had some great exclusives but as much as i loved playing GOW and halo earlier this gen the experience has sort of worn off on me(not halo so much halo 4 was good). I hope MS doesn't keep this sequel mentality next gen and remove Gold membership from multiplayer games.

[miDnIghtEr20C_SfF]

Uh... Killzone 3, Uncharted 2 and 3, God of War 3, LBP 2, Infamous 2, Starhawk, Resistance 2 and more.

Sequels are going to be there.

[InTheLab]

4 of those are new IPs this gen and either only have sequels or are trilogies.

Gears had 4 games this gen
Halo had 4 this gen and 2 last
Fable had 3 games this gen and 1 last
Forza had 4 games this gen

And thats the point mysterio was making. Those are the staples for Xbox and MS rode them hard t his gen while offering very little of anything else aside from XBLA.

[MYSTERIO360]

@miDnIghtEr20C_SfF, In the Lab is right Sony know how to create new IP in the same gen and evolve them. This gen Sony has mixed a whole host of new IP with great sequels and has kept them within a trilogy (except GOW). MS have released a few exclusive with many sequels and relied on multiplates to sell their system.

[Dlacy13g]

Its an interesting idea for an article series but completely horrendous in delivery. Ultimately just feels like you are reading juniors rant he wrote as part of a school paper.

[zerocrossing]

I must be incredably lucky, I still have my original 360 I got in 2006 and yeah it's RRoD'd on me a couple times but I've managed to keep it going in a somewhat of a Frankenstein esque manor, lol

[stage88]

That is impressive, I literally don't know anyone who still has one of those original 360's still going.

[zerocrossing]

Well I had it sent off to get fixed the 1st time it RRoD'd on me, the plus side is they made a little crack in the HDD so they gave me a free one along with the one they cracked.

But yeah Im pretty surprised too, though I'll be even more surprised if it lasts till the end of the year.

[IronFistChinMi]

My one just died at Xmas, good thing I already had one of the newer models!

[ShaunCameron]

Was it the soldering iron that caused the RROD's in the original models? That's what I keep hearing.

Anyways I got the the 4GB Slim model and aside from once having trouble reading the RE6 disc, everything has been A-OK 2.5 years running.

[zerocrossing]

Not sure, but I assume so since like you say that was generally considered the cause, I have it open now with the top casing off to reduce over heating since that's another cause of RRoD.

Glad to hear it mate and I hope it keeps going that way for at least another 2.5.

[Pekolie]

My friends original broke a few months ago. Originals that have lasted this long are a rarity indeed :)

[vega275]

here's where his argument went wrong at.

first: 360 released long before HD-dvd and blu-ray players was even finalized. something as any journalist doing research should have known.

second: yes the RRoD was bad. but MS replaced broken systems at there own expense not the costumers for up to three years. take it from someone that have went thru a few ps2's that die and having to come out of pocket for repairs.

third: the ps3 included a cheaper blu-ray player which drove the price up on the console. which is one of the reasons why sony has been losing money every year trying to bring costs down just to make a profit.

although live should be free. it is a better service then psn with feature that sony hasn't included to this day. like free trails for live games before you buy them. i think the 360 is a success where many people thought it would fail when sony released the ps3.

to this day I'm still playing on my launch elite 360 and i know many people doing the same. not saying that we speak for everyone that had/has one. but it wasn't enough to destroy the 360 as people would have hoped it would.

[Belking]

LOl at that article..

Xbox360 has outsold competition for over 2 years In the U.S.
xbox360 has sold 3 time what they sold last gen
Xbox360 has some of the best selling exclusives this gen
Xbox Live has over 40 mil subscribers and 30 million are gold

And that list could go on and on for milestones. Having xboxlive gold is hardly a failure IMO. When I feel that the price isn't worth it and get discounts, I will stop paying, but until then it's worth it IMO. MS has made billions off xbox 360 and xbox live this gen so i'm sure they are happy. And xbox720 looks to be even better.

[BanBrother]

I'd love for gold to be free, I really would. But I can see why they charge for it, as it is very good and efficient.

The only thing I'd argue for (seeing as they won't abolish the Billion dollar P.A subscription) is for better service and rewards for loyalty. Maybe a discount after X amount of years, or free games like on PS+. Hopefully they can step it up next-gen, as I feel there have been many missed opportunities that 360 only owners have never even considered.

My point being WE deserve better (currently subscribed to XBL Gold and PS+).

[hazardman]

True that, do you guys remember the xbox live reward cards with your online gamertag on it! Hahahaha I remember when I got mine I was so happy I only got to use it for discount on food and shit. Wow what an incentive for years of service loyalty xbox live gold card haahaha..atleast they tried. But yeah they need to offer few more things shit id be happy with a couple free movie rentals and a larger cloud based storage. 512 mb is not enough. I have ps+ too and most of the free games they give out are games you might have already played its never anything new new, but great if you haven't played them or just want to add to collection. When a game that I own comes out I sell my game and keep the digital version. Fucking great. Ms shoulld look into doing samething too are atleast give the sliver members free online. I love both services but I look at as xbl is my wife and ps+ is my mistress..hahahaha. I need. To quit smoking!!!

[BitbyDeath]

"Xbox Live has over 40 mil subscribers and 30 million are gold"

You got a link for the 30 million gold? I've been trying to find recent numbers on this. Thanks

[Hicken]

No, he doesn't.

[MikeMyers]

http://winsupersite.com/blo...

July 2010 - Xbox Live had a revenue of 1.2 billion dollars with 25 million Xbox Live accounts and they said half of them paid an annual fee.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011...

January 2011 - 50 million Xbox 360's sold, 30 million Xbox Live accounts (not all are Gold).

http://www.tgdaily.com/game...

January 2012 - 66 million Xbox 360's sold, 40 million Xbox Live members (not all are Gold)

I have no numbers for both Sony or Nintendo and Sony has never publicly announced the number of Playstation Plus paid members that I know of. Xbox Live has become a pretty major revenue source for Microsoft which is why I doubt the fee will ever be dropped completely if at all. Sony is also putting more emphasis on their paid service as well over the past couple of years with quite a bit of marketing.

Microsoft may soon update the sales figures and the total sales could be close to 80 million by now and perhaps 50 million Xbox Live accounts. Not bad from a company many had written off last generation and many who still possess a very pessimistic outlook on. I seriously doubt Microsoft cares about the internet trolls that plague the forums.

[MikeMyers]

*My last two sentences were not aimed at anyone directly. The point was Microsoft has managed to be very competitive to the point of parity, and we need competition to keep everyone in check. What we don't need is Microsoft being the dominant player otherwise it may become hard to play games online for free for instance. We also don't need Sony to be the dominant player, otherwise they might be too complacent like they were during the early days of the PS3 and not offering a very affordable gaming platform. Or Nintendo who seem to go their own route and offer hardware that could be classified as outdated.

Each could be viewed as excelling and failing (I see them more as a weakness than failures) in certain areas. Without competition those weaknesses may not improve as quickly.

[Jek_Porkins]

I love me some Xbox 360, and the Xbox 360s is my all time favorite console design, it just looks so sleek and sexy. I guess I missed out on some of the problems that some others ended up getting, my launch 360 still works and have never had any issues, I only bought a new one because those things looked so awesome.

Sometimes I wish that Microsoft would have dug out some of the franchises like Blinx or Crimson Skies, but you cant always get what you want. The Xbox 360 is by far the console I spent the most time using this generation. I absolutely cannot wait to see what they have in store for next generation!

[Rageanitus]

great marketing ! even with the RROD fiasco it created a large fanbase on multiplatform games but mainly only in America

[hazardman]

RRoD and not having many exclusive was the only thing I can say ms. Failed.

That being said even after those failures they still managed to sell 70mil
If that not FAILURE I don't know what is!!!!!

[Rupee]

My biggest complaint was Microsoft trying to shove kinect into everything. Kinect is a fun gimmick but will never be used for hardcore gaming (as the many failed attempts to do so have proven)

[DivineAssault]

The UI as well as media options is what saved em.. They lost bioware as 2nd party studio, people will eventually get sick of Halo n Gears, & theyre focusing on casual kinect crap.. Multiplats are there so that will keep em going this gen but if they dont have any new games, they might not last..

[horndog]

Zzzzzzzz bunch of bs.

[jakens]

I've been waiting for a while for MS to annonce somehthing crazy cool. In the last seven years, MS never did announce anything crazy cool. The next Xbox is the greatest thing MS has and it's still hidden. You may guess that I'm an Xbox fan and that's true. Currently, me having MS is like having a crappy girlfriend that I don't want to leave just yet...

[jakens]

Thinking about seeing other systems...

[black911]

360 sales will flop without RROD. Also games sell the same pn each console. PS3 exclusives sell better then 360 gt5 sold over 10 million uncharted 6million god of war 3 5million. Mgs4 5.5million lbp 5million. Etc. gears and halo only sell well every other 360 flop. Alan wake crackdown etc...