Is Microsoft too Focused on Kinect?

Will the company's drive to create 'the future of entertainment' leave its existing audience out in the cold?

[LOGICWINS]

IMO, they're doing exactly what they need to do.

They realize that the majority of their hardcore audience are okay with the 360 being supported with two three major exclusive franchises(Gears, Forza, Halo) and COD.

^^THIS is the reality of things(even though the Internet disagrees). Gears 3 is the most pre-ordered game in the world at the moment and MW3(360 version) is outpacing Black Ops in pre-orders. Numbers don't lie.

Because they know they have the hardcore crowd covered..they can focus on the casual crowd. After investing $500 million in Kinect advertising ANY prudent, logical business person would focus on Kinect as much as possible.

[Bumpmapping]

Thanks for the laugh seriously I needed it.WTF does sales have to do with hardcore?! COD is not hardcore btw.Maybe you stop and think hmmm maybe GEOW3 sales are huge because you guys have not had any hardcore games to play.

LOGICWINS/Majority of COD sale are from casual gamers that's all they play is COD.Keep on that whole sales argument I find it hillarious.

[LOGICWINS]

"HAHA
Thanks for the laugh seriously I needed it.WTF does sales have to do with hardcore?! COD is not hardcore btw.Maybe you stop and think hmmm maybe GEOW3 sales are huge because you guys have not had any hardcore games to play."

1. You guys? Who said I had a 360?

2. So YOU determine what a hardcore game is? LOL, now YOUR the one whose making me laugh. Over 50 million COD players across the globe disagree with you.

3. Hardcore gamers buy hardcore games..which is why sales is a factor. People buy things they like. Hence, sales express what people want. The more sales a game gets, the more desired it is by the public.

[MAJ0R]

what you said was true but that doesn't mean people aren't pissed off because of their casual focus, their not creating new IP's or anything beatifically to it's hardcore audience

my prediction is that MS will be the Nintendo of next gen and focus mainly on hardcore while still throwing the long time franchises at the people who play them

[LOGICWINS]

@Major- I agree. There ARE people out there who want more out of the 360s hardcore exclusive lineup. Heres the problem:

The majority of the 360s user base has shown that they don't care about more exclusives with their buying habits. I personally do see anything wrong with this.

People who aren't satisfied with the 360's library have MANY options out there for them.

1. Buy a PS3(doubles as a Blu-Ray player, large library of exclusive titles across most major genres)

2. Game on the PC which has 90+ exclusive games coming out this year.

And the people who ARE happy with the 360s hardcore exclusive library can play Gears 3, Forza 4, Halo Anniversary, Supremacy MMA, MW3, Saints Row 3, AC: Revelations, BF3, Fear 3 etc.

[XRider]

Kinect helps sell more 360's and 360 fans still have the core games coming out. MS isn't here to give you a rub in the tub. They sell products and they do it well. Which is probably why they are one of the riches corporations in the world. MS is outselling everyone by targeting two groups of gamers. How is that a bad thing? Please enlighten me.

[Nicaragua]

50 million sales for the COD franchise does not equal 50 million players globally unless you are assuming that each new iteration of the game brings on 10 million brand new players - which would be nonsense.

[thugbob]

I see your reasoning, but it could also be the fact that Microsoft aren't giving the games that suit THEIR hardcore crowd. Mircosoft tried with games like Alan Wake and JAP RPGs, but it's obvious that their audience don't like those type of games. Microsoft needs to find the type of games they like(which looks like shooters). I do agree that Mircosoft needs to focus on Kinect though. They can't just leave it alone. They need to show that they have faith in their product.

Edit: I'm not saying that they are not satisfied. I'm saying that Microsoft is not giving them more exclusive that they will like. Instead they just make sequels to the ones they know they do like.

[LOGICWINS]

"I see your reasoning, but it could also be the fact that Microsoft aren't giving the games that suit THEIR hardcore crowd."

How do you know that? How do you know that the 360's hardcore crowd isn't being satisfied? Serious question btw. Give me numbers, give me statistics, give me evidence.

And no..seeing a couple of people complaining about the 360's lack of exclusives on N4G isn't sufficient.

[SilentNegotiator]

"They realize that the majority of their hardcore audience are okay with the 360 being supported with two three major exclusive franchises(Gears, Forza, Halo) and COD"

How do you know that? How do you know that the 360's hardcore crowd is being satisfied? Serious question btw. Give me numbers, give me statistics, give me evidence.

It's a two way street, sir.

Go ahead; PROVE that hardcore 360 gamers don't want 'hardcore' games in between Gears, Halo, and COD.

[NewZealander]

people say MS focus too much on kinect, and people would also complain if MS didn't support kinect enough, i think the problem is they marketed kinect, showing all these cool gimmicks like scanning in objects etc, and it hasn't lived up to that hype, hell we in New Zealand STILL dont have voice command!

kinect has turned from cool idea, to just another motion controller for the kids, hell if i was a kid i would probably still prefer a decent platform game over the bollix they pump out for kinect.

[Hicken]

Wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Addressing every issue I have with what you've said, in no particular order.

Sales don't mean a thing. For one, there are more casual gamers than hardcore gamers; any "hardcore" game that casuals play in droves(such as CoD, though I don't even consider it hardcore anymore) will have skewed sales numbers because of that. Likewise, there are just a handful of exclusives a hardcore gamer will play on the 360. The same can be said for casual gamers who branch out beyond their "gateway drug," CoD. So once you're done with Activision's entry, you then try Gears and Halo; thus the sales numbers for these titles are skewed as well.

The majority of ANYONE'S hardcore audience is NOT satisfied with a handful of exclusives. They want new, quality IPs on a regular basis. They want innovative, groundbreaking games that push the limits of their system's capabilities.

You keep quoting "numbers don't lie," and you're right. But there's something you're neglecting to mention: numbers can mean what you want them to. And so far, as you've done is say "the numbers say" MS is doing what they need to be doing. By your definition, that's abandoning the core audience that brought them their success (and stuck with them through a dismal system launch that would have been a deal-breaker for any other company) and sucking in more casuals.

The proof you keep asking for is readily evident if you pull your head out of your own ass and look around: PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY. Hell, you could say I'm a PS3 fanboy, and I STILL don't like the direction MS is taking with Kinect. When I go to work and people I've known for years ask me, "So what's good on the 360 these days?" I have nothing to point them to, because these people are not interested in Kinect. "Wait until September," is all I can tell them, or, "About time to get you a PS3."

I'll claim all day every day that the PS3 is a better system, and I can do more than use my opinion to say so. The "numbers don't lie" when I say the PS3 has outsold the 360. They don't lie when I start naming off exclusives. But, at the end of the day, a successful Microsoft means a more dedicated Sony.

What Microsoft is doing right now is not a long-term, successful business plan. It was folly for them to pour so much money into the casual market. After all, a casual gamer is someone who doesn't play a lot of games, or doesn't play often, or both; such an individual is NOT going to further the growth of your system, and when you pour money into a new IP or one of your exclusives, they're not as likely to buy it as hardcore gamers. If, by some chance, these casuals become hardcore, they'll want games that aren't casual; games that have been ignored in favor of kids games and exercise games.

Your argument from the start= FAIL. Why? Because you don't know what a hardcore gamer is, and you don't understand the relationship that any gaming company has with that audience. That is the one group you DON'T alienate, because that group will stay beside you, no matter what else happens.

[Bigpappy]

Logicwins: Great name and good try. You try to use logic with this group, and you will loose every time.

Here is the deal. PS3 fanboys are happy with PS3 because it has more exclusives that 360. They think all 360 owners should get rid of their 360's and join them in owning a PS3 and join them in not buying said exclusives. But the fact that Sony is making them makes them happy that they have a PS3 and can use that on all websites to fight with the 360 "rivals". That is all this 'Exclusive' hoopla is all about.

Now the question is: "Is Microsoft too Focused on Kinect?". I say no, and here is why. M$ is 6yrs into this gen and has very strong 3rd party support. Most 3rd party games sell better and perform better on the 360. Keep in mine that the PS2 did great because it had very strong 3rd party supported (Take2, Square, Kanami, ...). They have chosen not to rush to get a new console out there, but instead try and expand their base with an expensive add-on (Kinect). I has been on the market now for close to a year and has performed much better than anyone could have predicted (sold over 10mil is 6 months). At E3 they showned multiple ways it will be useful, this year and beyone. For casuals and core alike. If M$ had not done this, they would have said that M$ made a quick cash in and bailed on the add-on. But to the delight on millions, that is not the case. M$ has shown a commitment to the device, and has been able to get 3rd party to also invest their efforts in the device. Sony could only wish they had that type of support right now for the Move. This is not to say Kinect is better than Move or vice versa, but that M$ is getting better support for thier device, which will insure that it stays around and continue to grow a fanbase.

Any 360 only owner who say they have nothing to play on 360 because they do not have enough exclusives, need to explain whick exclusives M$ lossed that they can no longer play? With the great supply of great 3rd party games, why exactly do you need more exclusives? But if you do need the system with the most exclusives, there is the PS3 or the wii. There is nothing wrong with switching consoles if that is what you really want from a console. I personally did not buy many of the exclusives on the 360. But the ones I did buy were great and sold really well.

By the way COD is not as casual as God of war (hack and slash that promps you which button to press). COD is as "Hard Core" as they come.

[Hicken]

Exclusives move systems. Exclusives SELL systems. Why buy a PS3? Cuz it has Uncharted. Why buy a 360? Cuz it's got Halo. Multiplatform games don't do that. Exclusives do.

Most multiplats DO play better on 360. Why? Because those are developed FIRST for 360, then for PS3; the former is easier to design for 9and Microsoft has deep pockets they're not afraid of reaching into).

The sales numbers for the Kinect are as skewed as the sales numbers for the 360 itself; whereas, for the latter, systems replaced during the RROD fiasco were included in their numbers, the former was bundled with the new 360s and the system itself was available ONLY as that bundle for months. If you wanted a 360, guess what? You'd have to shell out an extra hundred for one with Kinect, because that's all retailers had.

At E3, they showed sparse integration with a handful of games, and a bunch of stuff that's little better than the shovelware that makes up the majority of the Wii's library. Kinect inclusion for ME3, Forza, and Halo. Then there's a bunch of stuff hardcore gamers won't be bothered to even look at, all of which casual gamers will buy because the actual quality won't really matter. (Not turning this into a fanboy debate as you'd like, but look up the number of MOVE-optional games and MOVE games, total. There are about as many MOVE-optional games as Kinect only games, period.)

3rd party support is great. But 3rd party support isn't why you choose one system over another. It's great to have Sega or Square on board for games, but it's even more important that Sony is putting out games for the PS3, and that Microsoft is putting out titles for the 360. It shows loyalty to the customer: you bought our product, so here's a game only you can play.

A casual game can most easily be denoted by its demographic. Do lots of young kids play the game? Do lots of women(no offense) play this game? Is this game and/or one or two others like it all that a person owns? Chances are: its a casual.

The GoW demographic spans from teens to middle-age, mostly male. The majority of owners of a GoW game are likely to be into sports games, particularly football. They also tend to play Grand Theft and other 3rd person titles. (This is based on my experience as a seller of games and systems.)

CoD players tend to play MW2 and Black Ops. And Crysis. And are unsatisfied with anything else, as it's not fun (read:easy) enough.

Gimme your logic.

[Nicaragua]

So your criteria for a game being casual or hardcore is whether or not it has QTE or on screen button prompts? - utter bollocks.

Vanquish, Ninja Gaiden, and Bayonetta all have these kind of button prompts and i would hardly refer to them as casual.

Even Black Ops (from the series you claim dosnt have button prompts) has button prompts so that pretty much pisses on your theory.

[gamingdroid]

"Exclusives move systems. Exclusives SELL systems."

You are partially wrong there. Exclusives do help systems move initially, but after that it's contribution is negligent. Why do you think Xbox 360 still sells after all these years considering RROD and lack of exclusives?

People buy consoles, because they want to play games period and not just exclusive games!

"Most multiplats DO play better on 360. Why? Because those are developed FIRST for 360, then for PS3; the former is easier to design for 9and Microsoft has deep pockets they're not afraid of reaching into)."

What about the fact that PS3 uses an obscure architecture? Nobody really uses multiple mini-cores (if you can even call it that) with severely restricted memory access?

Development tools do matter and one quick look at XNA and you know the tools are good, very good.

"3rd party support is great. But 3rd party support isn't why you choose one system over another. It's great to have Sega or Square on board for games, but it's even more important that Sony is putting out games for the PS3, and that Microsoft is putting out titles for the 360. It shows loyalty to the customer: you bought our product, so here's a game only you can play."

What about Gears of War? How about Call of Duty? GTA? All third party games and all sell very well!

"At E3, they showed sparse integration with a handful of games, and a bunch of stuff that's little better than the shovelware that makes up the majority of the Wii's library."

It's shovelware for you, but for the casual crowd they would buy that up like Big Macs. Dance Central and Kinect Sports sells almost as well as PS3 exclusives!

"Kinect inclusion for ME3, Forza, and Halo. Then there's a bunch of stuff hardcore gamers won't be bothered to even look at, all of which casual gamers will buy because the actual quality won't really matter."

That really remains to be seen as I don't think hardcore games on Kinect have even had a chance yet.

"(Not turning this into a fanboy debate as you'd like, but look up the number of MOVE-optional games and MOVE games, total. There are about as many MOVE-optional games as Kinect only games, period.)"

Yes, and why does that even matter? With as many games, does it sell? Do people care? As far as I can tell, the PS Move integration is nothing more than what Wii has already done for ages and nobody cared then either.

If anything, Kinect is actually less intrusive when it comes to motion control, because the PS Move wand actually replaces the controller, but Kinect can be used in addition to the controller.

"It shows loyalty to the customer: you bought our product, so here's a game only you can play."

No, it shows the seller is making money. It is naive to believe that a company is some kind of charity for their fans. Never has been and never will be.

After reading your analsysis, I'm sorry to say, but it seems clouded by PS bias. Why is PS Move games fine, but Kinect not? You are explaining away Xbox 360 sales when convenient, but ignores other platforms do the same thing.

[2v1]

how would you know any of this if you dont have a 360!

[gamingdroid]

Historically hardcore meant the people that play a lot, not fanatics. By that measure, CoD, Halo and potentially Gears is in that crowd as the most bought and most games played (as seen via monthly Xbox Live statistics).

To claim CoD isn't hardcore is just plain ridiculous.

Now if you defined hardcore as niche games that require patience, then yeah, I can see CoD being non-hardcore, but for all intensive purposes CoD gets played by a lot of people, doesn't appeal to your mom, get's played a lot and do require skill! That fits almost all definitions of a hardcore game.

[jdfoster00]

COD isn't a fucking exclusive! And doesn't have a lead platform!!! Only thing 360 has is TIMED exclusive. (actually mw2 was running in higher res on ps3- r bowling comment from twitter)

[jdfoster00]

How can you include COD in their? Cod is multiplatform... And is the same on ps3 and pc as on 360 only thing 360 has is TIMED DLC ... Rem

[Anon1974]

I don't think Microsoft is too focused on Kinect. While I don't play Kinect (tried it, didn't do anything for me) Microsoft has hit a home run with Kinect. From a business standpoint, I see no reason why Microsoft wouldn't push Kinect. Personally, I just wish there could be more of a balance for the company between focusing on Kinect and their core gamers who made the system what it is today.

[ABizzel1]

@ Logicwins

You pretty much said everything I was going to say. MS knows they already have as much of the hardcore audience that really need, and so now their focusing on scooping up some of the Wii audience with Kinect since many of them are probably ready for the next thing. The thing is the Xbox 360 has been out for a while now, so will Wii owners look at it as something new, or skim past it and wait for the Wii U (I saw a perfect example in Gamestop yesterday where they had the E3 conferences up and the Wii U came up, and the family seemed excited to get it when it came out since it worked with everything the Wii already has).

Moving back to MS, I think it sucks for the hardcore. It shows MS focus on them is second now that they're pushing Kinect as much as possible. This year is an amazing year for 3rd parties with tons of the best franchises receiving new releases and MS has a few exclusives. And that's all you can hope for next year. Get a PS3 or Wii if you're looking for new experiences, because MS's focused on Kinect, recycling current franchises, and 3rd party so they can get ready to launch the Xbox 720 soon.

[Jinxstar]

I don't doubt your numbers are off at all Logic but if your going to make "factual" statements like "Gears 3 is the most pre ordered game in the world" provide a link from some kind of credible source. Not just "gamestop says on twitter" or something like that because... I have never seen that kind of information divulged to the opublic. Worldwide preorder numbers from every retailer?...

[firemassacre]

Because they know they have the hardcore crowd covered

that part made me laugh

[LOGICWINS]

As I said, numbers don't lie.

[lashes2ashes]

numbers have nothing to do with it. gears and modern warfare 3 will come and go shortly and outside of halo4 the core line up on 360 is crap. i own both systems and dont really feel like there is much for me on 360 anymore. i used to play most games on 360 and now i very really use it. im looking forward for some hardcore kinect games but Microsoft showed they hardcore kinect games are like the star wars kinect game. i think i will pass on that crap.

[LOGICWINS]

"i own both systems and dont really feel like there is much for me on 360 anymore. i used to play most games on 360 and now i very really use it."

And I know half a dozen people who think the opposite. Most of my friends, except me(I only own a PS3) have both consoles and they prefer their 360 over their PS3 hands down.

Everyone has opinions.

"gears and modern warfare 3 will come and go shortly"

What exactly do you mean by that? Don't ALL games come and go?

[firemassacre]

NUMBERS DONT LIE.

then farmville is the greatest game of all time.

(. ) ( . )

[Rainstorm81]

fire massacre dont forget Wii sports and Wii Fit some of gamings greats cause numbers dont lie....O_o

[Aarix]

Hate to say logic, but logic doesn't count when dealing with ps3 fanboys

[death2smoochie]

I just want to see how MS is going to implement Kinect in the Next Xbox.
Well it be built in?

[aviator189]

I'm wondering the same thing. That'd actually be pretty great if ms does indeed go down that route. Well, great for me and my kids at least.

[BrianG]

I'm half tempted to say hopefully not.

Do you want to put your Nextbox on top of your TV? Or dead center in front of your TV for optimal performance of the embedded camera?

They could always ship a smaller, slimmed downed, possible upgraded version with each console though. Sort of like a second "controller", with controller in " " for obvious reasons haha.

[firemassacre]

haha nice 1 rainstorm81

[Solid_Dave]

All I want to say is, Gears Of War is better than COD. Oh, and I think that Kinect is pretty cool.

[Gen0ne]

Yeah, I kinda agree with both those things. I like Gears better than COD and Child of Eden is proof that the Kinect ( can ) be cool.

[Der_Kommandant]

Focused in miking the shit out of kinect

[bobrea]

Wow, what an original idea for an article.

[Gen0ne]

I love my Child of Eden, I wouldn't want to play that game any other way actually. But, it's a long time coming before anything of substance accompanies it. And no, Dance Central doesn't count. Not because it doesn't count, I just personally don't need it. I don't think they're focusing too much on it. It's what they've decided to focus on concerning it, that I'm not particularly impressed with. A little too casual for my tastes. Not all of it, just too much of it.

[drsnobby]

1ST and formost kinect moved alot of 360,s and MS is going to push kinect to the very end.the core games are gonna be there no matter what.nintendo went total casual and now there trying to win them back with the Wii U.kinect exended the life of the 360,so alot of attention is being focused on kinect.don,t forget casuals outnumber the core this generation.

[gcolley]

kinect is not as good as they say though unfortunately. it kinda sux

[phoenixdown]

right microsoft?

[gcolley]

yes they are. kinect this round should be a development exercise and not the main attraction as it simply is not ready. not saying it is broken, just not up to MS' marketing message. i think next gen will be a huge improvement, so focussing on it so much right now could jeopardise the future kinect, the kinect they have promised but not quite delivered. speaking from experience here as I dust around one on my TV every week and havent turned it on for 3 months.

[FlintGREY]

They're doing exactly what any other company does that tries to sell a new product. They have games for the hardcore covered already. People just want something to bitch about.

Leave them alone. Let them sell their product. Let them be the billion dollar company that they are.

GET OVER IT BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kinect is here to stay whether you like it or not. Either don't buy it, or find an alternative that fits your needs.

Edit: LOL thanx

[Gen0ne]

Is that supposed to be 'Get over it bitches'? Because 'GET THE OVER' doesn't quite work. You might wanna hit the old edit button.

[spektical]

yes they are too focused on kinect. Honestly, who can blame the company for its new direction? They hit a gold mine, and they will continue to feed it casual games like DisneyKinect and SesameKinect, etc etc. Its going to sell like hotcakes. Some casual games are really fun, but when you are just dropping shovelware ala Nintendo style, its going to get bland rather quickly.

More importantly, they are not supported the hardcore market as much. Unless 360 fans are ok with Gears of War, Halo as their only core titles... ( i dont consider COD hardcore anymore, since cod4.) Sure there will be multiplats, and a couple other third party exclusives. But I'm just saying SONY and NINTENDO keep pumping unique first party titles into their libraries.

[drsnobby]

could u name some 1st party titles on all 3 conles that moves hardware?

[2v1]

all!!

[spektical]

gt5 for sony
mario for nintendo

[Why o why]

Ill repeat what i said the other day, sorry for the spam people, ipad sucks at quick editing

Sigh...anybody can pull a quote dude. I noticed you missed greenberge's array of crap talking quotes but you've stated MS aren't innocent so kool i only mentioned it because you said something about focusing on the negative an all that.

'Unnecessary skepticism'....really?

Closing and disbanding studios.

Having less studios than they began with, 500 mill (alleged) on Kinect

More kinect games announced than core exclusives at the main gaming trade event.....

Rare announces kinect game instead of Killer Instinct

6 plus month gaps in retail (non kinect) exclusives, c'mon man.

Its not all doom n gloom but MS have shifted their focus and keeping the people who want to believe alls well with the same 4 games. Multiplatform games dont come into this as they have always been there when both hd consoles were released so that point is full of holes.

MS is relying on multiplatform games to appease its core whilst they court our younger siblings and mothers with their 'casulation' from the avatars to the dashboard to kinect. How can you not see it furthermore how have you not seen some of n4g's most ardent 360 followers express disappointment over the past year for the same reasons im stating. They cant ALL be ps3 fanboys or kinect haters can they?

Multiplatform games are NEEDED, many of the great games this gen are in fact multiplatform games but wasnt the point about MS's 07/08 lineups being the best evar because of the exclusives...why move the goalposts now? You dont close studios and expect to magically create games. MS decided that it wasnt financially viable to fund the upkeep of studios...it opted for paying for timed exclusives and dlc and sometimes a combo of the two. Thats how they appease their fanbase and for some thats perfectly fine. Some people just want more games to choose from and they come in the shape of exclusives. Just look at the amount of comments made when a good game goes multi...some because of spite and sheer fanboyism (both sides) but some because another game gets added to their pool of potential games. If ps fans dont want to play dante's inferno, they may play god of war; prototype, infamous; baja, motorstorm etc, yes MS fans can also say crackdown gears, halo, fable but you catch my drift... some people love x genre so much they buy em all, you think they're complaining because theres more choice? MS has been lessening the need for the 360. Im not getting rid of mine, gears is coming but all the multis are just that so i can play them on whatever.

[Why o why]

I hear you and theres nothing wrong with your preference at all. My gripe is that im seeing a lot about what company should or wouldnt wanna switch with x, y or z. None of these companies care about our lives. If i fall on hard times sony nintendo or ms dont know me. All i expect from this consumer manufacturer relationship is games to play on a good system that will be supported. I see some of the comments about how much moola MS/sony/nintendo is making OFF US....lol if whoever wants to laud that but 99% of them get diddly squat from it from a financial aspect. IF ms is making soooo much moola wouldnt many of us expect them to handle the big kinect push alongside their oldschool core push.

Sony, according to some, are making less yet they're providing more to me especially. I dont hold a calculator, I hold a pad cause im a selfish GAMER not a stockholder or an accountant for any of em. I want sony nintendo and ms to fund more games and new ip's than i can ever play. MS dont have the means to do it AND promote like beasts no matter how much revenue people think they earn or they would also have a comparable amount of studios running. Likewise sony cant market and promote each of its many exclusives like MS does theirs AND keep so many studios going.....The model i prefer is obvious because i benefit more from it as a core gamer

Ill add that if people like deadrek 6's and bigpappy think alot of 360 gamers, not all but a lot of em arent pissed theyre totally out of touch. We're not hooked up to professor x's machine dude.....we cant show you more proof than what the commentors here say and many of the true core 360 crowd have already expressed this. Speculating on what games may of sold if they were released exclusively is stupid. You dont know it any more than i do but the trends seem to be heading to ms focussing more on k whilst relying on 3rd parties to give the core their fix

Sorry about the spammin

[bredstick65]

From a retail manager... ...Xbox came out first and captured the market. Nearly every Jr. High and high school kid has it and that is why it sells so much software.

The Kinect was targeted towards moms during the holiday season on Oprah and Ellen that is why it sold so much.

These things HAD a major impact on the gaming industry but like most things the cream floats to the top.

Over the last couple of months the PS3 has outsold the XBOX with many 360 owners finally giving in to the fact that the 360 has little to offer. It gets harder every month to be loyal to a system that really does not know its identity.

Microsoft thinks that the kinect is their path to profit. The reality is the games suck. People keep buying games currently to justify the $149 they spent on it while the core owners of the XBOX buy PS3's and realize what it has to offer. The fact is the actual stand alone Kinect sits on shelves with little to no movement.

The consumer eventually wises up to the reality of the situation. Kinect is garbage. Seaseme street and Disney theme park games are not cutting edge. You as the controller is great in theory but terrible in reality.

Microsoft blew it. They had the industry in the palm of their hands. The majority. All they had to do was push out some great titles.

Instead they chose the average gamer and the quick fix to revenue. Consumers wise up to this eventually. Microsoft lose their core audience to the PS3 daily and what it has to offer. I have seen this over and over the last few months.

If the next Sony system hits the shelves at the same time the next Xbox hits who buys what? Casual gamers don't rush to the stores for the next best thing they wait for it to be trendy. Gamers rush and turn it into trendy.

What do you buy? I buy what has the most to offer... ..and playing a game as Elmo or touring Disneyland is not what I am looking for. By the way I have three kids 9,7 and 4.

[drsnobby]

Would u be so kind as to give me a link to back up your claim please :)

[Hicken]

Would you be so kind as to google, please?

Alternatively, would you be so kind as to use your common sense?

[Ddouble]

Very well said.

[femshep]

I don't see anything wrong with adding small kinect features to games (like Ghost Recon and the gun modding). It dosn't have to be a full kinect halo or gears but small pieces to make the bigger picture better. Its the simple things that really shine..

Plus someone has to step up and try to do something different or else we will all be playing the same rehashed game play for years.....change only happens when someone has the balls to make it happen

[EVO-OM3GA]

During the KINECT Launch and all the interviews after MS clearly stated 2011 was gonna be all about KINECT so why are we having this discussion?

[Seventh_Blood_Reborn]

"Is Microsoft too Focused on Kinect?"

No-no-no-no.

/S

[Hatiko]

Uh, do we need any more confirmation of this except the fact that Kameo 2 and Perfect Dark Core were cannned so Rare could make Kinect Sports?

[Droid Control]

YES!

I supported Microsoft by buying a launch model of both the original XBOX and the XBOX 360. I continued to support them as a loyal customer.

Now, they have completely betrayed me buy shifting ALL their focus onto Kinect and the Nintendo Wii casual market.

[InTheLab]

A couple things based on what I've read so far...

The 360 IS supported by a ton of gamers that don't care about exclusives. As long as there's a Madden, FiFa, or CoD released annually, they're happy. As a multi-console hardcore gamer, I find this line of thought to be a detriment to the industry. "We support you for giving us less every year".

The 360 IS supported by a ton of gamers...true gamers that demand more from their console of choice. These are the people that want more quality games like Alan Wake and ???? Those people don't want to rely on multiplatform releases, especially this year when so few multiplatform games are any good. We've seen Dead Space and what? LA Noire. Two really good games swimming in a sea of crap. These are the gamers that are getting fed up with MS's treatment of their base...they're also the people the make up the other 45 million that do not own, nor care about Kinect.

For the price of Kinect alone, you can buy a Wii and have a similar experience. Mom and grandpa won't be out buying an expensive accessory just to pretend to work out. That ship has sailed.

Exclusives make or break consoles. The only exception seems to be the Xbox 360. Why? Media hype and fanboys. If you're happy with with the 360's current line-up 3 exclusives coming after an ENTIRE year since the last (Reach), then you are either a casual or a dedicated fanboy. Earlier in this gen, the PS3 was crucified for having a poor line-up of games, and rightfully so. The 360 is now in the same position the PS3 was, but fanboys, the media, and casuals have allowed it to escape the same criticism. Remember all of those "articles" on the top gaming consoles of all time? Would any of you place the 360 anywhere near the top ten with it's piss poor line-up of games from the past 3 years? Gears and Halo...that's all you have to look forward to which leads me to...People need to stop placing Forza along side the true giants from Microsoft. Bundles and major discounts are the reason why the series has sold what it has, which is less than 3rd or what Halo 3 alone has. We're talking less than 9 million for the entire franchise. Forza is not one of those franchises that people wait in line for or pre-order months in advance like Gears and Halo. It's also not a 6 million+ seller like Gears and Halo. It's a solid franchise with a great meta-score, but it is not a system seller.

As for MS's focus on Kinect, they really have no choice. There's nothing left of the other side of the business and they know it. They've ruined relationships with 3rd party devs and closed down most of their studios. They've basically done the same thing as Activision by only supporting guaranteed hits like Halo and Gears. The difference is, they don't have a CEO that's foolish enough to admit it.

[Aarix]

This thread is making me sick. Who cares what Microsoft is supporting. So there's only like 5-6 exclusives coming out. Who can afford to buy them all. Anyway there are so many good multiplatforms games coming out that it's a good year to be a true gamer. I believe a true gamer is someone who believes in exclusives up to a point. Bit I'd never trade in a console cause it doesn't have enough exclusives, only idiots do that. So Microsoft is giving a couple amazing exclusives and supporting the rest on casual. My hardcore gaming is satisfied. So stop b****ing and play your console of choice. Just shut up about it.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

This is definitely the problem a console company has when they introduce peripheral hardware late / mid life cycle of a console.

They have to support it full force otherwise it will most certainly die. However, the millions of fan base gamers who dont have said add-on will feel completely abandoned as the company is focused on the getting all to add that device. Its called splitting your base and I wouldn't recommend any company do it.

Sony did it with the PS Move but they have taken a different approach which is to not truly push the device but treat it as add-on tech here and there. Very few games "require it" and it does enhance here and there but on a whole its like just another controller. No real push from Sony to get you to buy it. MS had to push on Kinect since it was such a unique departure from the game pad. If they don't go all in on this, Kinect most certainly would die off much like their vision camera (which being honest was total shit).

[Venjense]

I definitely think MS is too focused on Kinect. The tech isn't there yet, Kinect can't really offer quality gaming experiences, either core or casual, the controls are far too limited and imprecise.

[JonnyBigBoss]

Throwing away the hardcore group and going more casual than Nintendo was a lame tactic. Thankfully, many gamers are jumping ship. $190 to play Dance Central is insanity.

[Legionaire2005]

I blame Nintendo for messing up this generation of gaming with motion control crap, that company created a trend that follows. Well at least Nintendo realize it abandon its hardcore gamers. Now Nintendo making up for it with the WiiU, a game system that should of been the Wii itself back in 2006. Back in 2006, Nintendo would of still won the console war if this new console was release back than. Kinect!!! What an atrocity that came to the 360!!! This is what will extend the life of the system? As if great games weren't the reason for the extension? With little to no exclusives 360's future is uncertain. As for Playstation on exclusives as usually, which is great!!! They treat their Move like a secondary device that's really not needed, because its a bit tag-on. Playstation 4 is a bright future for Sony, with 3 successful systems under their belt.

[TheKingslayer]

I need a moderator...