Xbox One Exec On Sales Figures: Initial Messaging Wasn’t Clear, Lack of Standalone SKU Was A Factor

Microsoft India’s Anshu Mor talks about the messaging behind the initial Xbox One package and the status of the Kinect-less SKU.

[Software_Lover]

I think the message really screwed them over.

But I'm not a stockholder so I don't care about sales of either.

[amiga-man]

Oh gamers saw your message alright and thought screw that

[Mr Pumblechook]

It takes a Indian Microsoft executive to speak with a bit honesty.
Better than that Major Nelson PR talk where he always pretends that the sun is shining.

[bouzebbal]

but they seemed and sounded so confident and proud of what they were saying.
next time they should listen to critics in early stages cause there is no way around now, survival is what they'll be aiming for.

[xHeavYx]

The message was not cler, yes, but I have problems with this quote, "Not many people were able to understand why they should pay more for a Kinect experience, although there are enough and more reasons why they should pay."
That's bull, it's like saying "we did everything right, but you did not understand us", but in reality, Kinect doesn't do much for gaming (if you disagree please tell me all about those great Kinect games you've been playing that integrate Kinect so well) and it's used mostly for voice command.
The option of the Kinect-less bundle should have been a no-brainer for these people

[ThePope]

@Mr Pumblechook

4 Awesome exclusives coming out this year plus 2 betas. From where I and all X1 owners are sitting the sun is shining. And that's not PR.

[rainslacker]

Yeah. People not liking the message isn't the same as the message not being clear.

I believe, more often than not, what people don't like is because of the message, or the lack of full disclosure, but that wasn't the case with the X1 reveal.

[SilentNegotiator]

"But I'm not a stockholder so I don't care about sales of either"

I'm a gamer and ps4 owner, so I care. More sales, more support.

edit: "Not necessarily, if you're Nintendo that is"
Overall slowest selling system, least amount of third party support. Not a surprise, not a conspiracy.

[Software_Lover]

Not necessarily, if you're Nintendo that is.

I honestly think the media and publishers, for some reason, want to get Nintendo out of the hardware game.

I own a ps4 also. I currently don't have an XBone because I sold mine so I could buy the white bundle. I know you find it hard to believe since you constantly label me because I don't kiss the @$$ of Sony for every little thing they do. I criticize both. I applaud both.

[CloudRap]

Not so much the message as the GPU I would argue, the fact is if the xb1 was the more powerful console, sales would be radically different.

[Software_Lover]

I don't even believe that and I have stated it many times.

[Blaze929]

"Initial Messaging Wasn’t Clear"

and it still isn't. That no used game thing really hurt them and it's sad I run into people who STILL don't know they removed that. They STILL think the Kinect is for the NSA. They STILL think it can't do 1080p.

Xbox One has really evolved since launch and the fact that we're only ~1 year in is amazing. They just need to reorganize the marketing.

Kinect Fitness for example - i don't think ANYONE really knows about that. All MS had to do was get Michelle Obama on board and done. 1:1 with her fitness agenda in the United States.

There are just so many things Xbox One does, that people have no idea about or even how to use and I think MS just needs to find a better way to let people know that.

When it comes to games and if that's all you care about, sure go for PS4. But as far as features and everything you can do with Xbox One - it sweeps the floor with the basic features PS4 still doesn't have.

[Samsara82]

Yeah i agree with the fact that a lot of features are not shown or not talked about for the xbox one...I guess having too many features can be a problem as to what you want to show to your customers.....it's better they simply show the content that made the first consoles great and let people discover the great other features... I personally love technology so I know everything there is to know about the console but I get always surprised that friends of mine that have the xbox and don't even know half of the functions of the console...

[Blaze929]

@Samsara82 - exactly. I started to separate the gamers from the tech enthusiast then things started to make sense.

[BX81]

The messaging and the price point hurt ms bad.

[jimjam3442]

even with a standalone i would not have bought one,
all the drm and 180's about poilicy made me uneasy, if they can change it to somthing we like that easy, then they can also turn that around and bring back all that bs, that easy.

[HaveSumNuts]

No shit Sherlock.

[tgunzz]

I forgave their missteps long before launch, and I have been enjoying my xb1 since day 1 purchase... Game on

[jimjam3442]

to each his own man, i hope you dont end up regretting that decision. PROTIP: dont trust Microsoft. my dad has been so screwed by that company, as have i. i once bought a 12 month gold subscription way back before games with gold, one month later my account gets hacked (and major nelson once had his account hacked so dont say it was my fault) so i call support. "nope sorry our service cannot be breached, i suggest next time you be more careful with who you give your password to, thanks for calling microsoft customer support, is there any other way i can bend you over today?"

[tgunzz]

Protip: don't trust any company my gaming friend. I have been gaming for quite some time, and have been fortunate to own every console (with today's big 3). I never regret any of my gaming purchases (they are for my enjoyment period). I have experienced nothing in this world without flaws, or issues, and most are correctable. What goes on in gaming doesn't even scratch the surface of what I have seen, and been through. Respect.

[truegamerkt]

No the message was clear, people just didn't like the message.

[RiPPn]

Agreed, don't know why they can't grasp that, there was no wording that would have sold the original vision.. it was a turd, and you can't shine a turd.

[Bathyj]

Exactly what I was thinking. They act like it was some lack of understanding on our part. Oh we got it dude. We just ain't buying it.

Figuratively or literally.

[PrinceOfAllSaiyans]

Kill the hypocrisy MS

[Illusive_Man]

Xbox One is improving rapidly, great games are here and coming this fall and beyond, MS feedback community is second to none. Not sure why people are still harping on stuff from two years ago.

[Bathyj]

Trust , or rather lack there of

[CloudRap]

It was misunderstood, Xbox One DRM was going to be a Steam-like system that would replace the archaic insert disc DRM Sony plagued us to another 6 years with, yeah I know you couldn't trade in games but really who even shares games anymore? I sure don't. Digital is the future its inevitable and like it or not I guarantee you the next gen consoles won't have disk drives if not the slims versions of the current ones.

[amiga-man]

Strange I could have sworn I downloaded The Last Of Us last week. with none of that DRM crap MS were peddling.

[Wikkid666]

Since it has no DRM... then you should be able to give it to all your friends. So please give that a shot and let us know how it turns out for you.

[amiga-man]

As it stands Wikkid sharing games with friends is what the next PS4 update is all about.

and don't pretend sharing games with friends on the xone wasnt without limits because it was and you know damn well but choose to ignore that.

[Wikkid666]

@amiga

Did I bring up XBO at all? Don't make this fanboy war. You made a super ignorant statement. Stand by it. Copy the file and give it to friend, since it doesn't have DRM.

[amiga-man]

Wikkid, your one of the biggest fanboys out there so don't try and act all high and mighty, I will take no lessons from you, As it stands I don't know any game unless free without DRM so what are you on about?

[Wikkid666]

"Strange I could have sworn I downloaded The Last Of Us last week. with none of that DRM crap MS were peddling"

Refresher

[LeCreuset]

@Wikkid

Amiga-man didn't say "it has no DRM." He said "with none of that DRM crap MS were peddling." Stop pretending not to understand the distinction.

He was able to download TLOU last week and I was able to play on the traditional disk, where I retain the ability to loan the game out, give it away, trade it in, etc. without restriction, while neither of us has to maintain a continual online connection every 24 hours.

[rainslacker]

Didn't know that sharing games was the same as trading them in.

It wasn't Sony that plagued us to another 6 years of the customer still having some control over their purchases. That was the fault of the massive number of gamers who wanted that model to still be available, and spoke out against MS message, because it was clear as day to most people.

You may know those people more as the consumer. Go figure that they have some control in this day and age.

[Ashlen]

Blaming it on Kinect is hugely over-simplifying the situation.

It's been a constant string of bad decision and poor PR from the beginning. Even now the choices they make are unpopular with the public.

People only have to look at the Tomb Raider affair to see they are still making unpopular decisions.

[TheFallenAngel]

They are probably sitting at 5mil sold to customers

[sweendog]

Is this guy Captain Hindsight?

[sweendog]

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Couldn't edit so added this

[Macdaddy71]

Plus people don't think of all the 360ers that has not upgraded yet!!!! When they do things will change,...most to all ps3 gamers moved to ps4, but not 360 gamers... I don't see why it matter...I bought both systems, if your true gamer you will....

[Seafort]

How can most to all the PS3 gamers have moved to PS4? I don't see 80 million PS4 sales, do you?

It's most likely that a lot of X360 gamers moved over to PS4 this time and that's why the PS4 is doing so well in sales. That and the console is pretty good with a positive, gaming focused PR.

I will buy a PS4 in a year or 2 like I did with PS3.

I game mostly on PC anyway. I will only buy a PS4 for Sony exclusives.

I have never had a Microsoft console and never will.

[Muzikguy]

I have to disagree. You don't need both systems to be a "true gamer" first of all. Even that's flawed because you left out Nintendo. I have one system and that's fine. Been gaming since the 80s. The number of current systems doesn't matter. Also most PS3 owners don't own a PS4. I didn't realize there are 80million PS4s out already :)

It's not just this post, but I've seen a lot of generalizations to try and favor one over the other. Multiplat games are still selling better on PS3 than 360 so there are many owners that haven't made the next gen leap yet, on both sides. Saying it to justify the lack of X1 sales is just sad. I wouldn't want the system after what was touted before launch

[CervantesPR]

PS4 is the best console, the xbox one is the console of timed exclusives IMO, sunset overdrive IP not owned by microsoft,MCC PC port leaked on amazon,scalebound not sure if timed exclusive, quantum break coming to PC,dead rysing 3 coming to PC,ryse coming to PC, TR coming to PS4,PS3 and PC,titanfall 2 coming to PS4 the xbox one is a trap, the early access console.

these timed exclusive deals will be harder and harder since PS4 will have more than twice the install base, will be too hard for devs to ignore.

PS4 is at 10 million vs xbox one 5 million
and this is before the big guns from sony start to roll out.

this generation will be 40 million xbox one, 35 million wii U and 140 million PS4's.

[Automatic79]

@ Cervantes lol the new PSYCHIC on N4g.

[Muzikguy]

MS should stop with the sob stories. Everyone saw the vision they had, and that's not what gamers wanted. They spoke with their wallets. The message was clear with the DRM, online check in, TV features only working in certain areas, systems not able to be played in certain parts of the world, and forced Kinect people didn't want. The sooner they stop with the "we were misunderstood" mentality, the better for everyone. It's getting tiresome seeing them trying to justify their decisions when they keep pulling 180s and changing things even though "we can't just flip a switch". They don't even have a clear vision anymore, just blaming everyone for the lack of sales. Funny, I don't hear Nintendo doing it

[Spotie]

The message was convoluted, but clear enough. And we can't all be tgunz and almost immediately forgive multiple transgressions that the offender then blames on us.

Since maniacmayhem knows my comment history so well- he really doesn't; he just likes to make stuff up and say I said it, since I don't have the bubbles to rebut him- he can tell you I was among the many MS haters looking to give them a chance. For me, it was the potential of another Lost Odyssey that had me anticipating this console. That would have been a system seller for me.

But not in the face of all the stuff they've done in the last year+. Because I'm far from the only one to have been turned off almost weekly by the next thing they said or did, Microsoft should expect the XB1 to languish in sales for a while. Eventually, some will come around, but when I see moves like what they've done with Tomb Raider, I question if they've changed at all. Maniacmayhem can tell you I've also been pretty positive on Spencer, but now I'm not so sure he isn't just paying us very good lip service.

Can't expect to do very well when the core audience doesn't trust you.