Microsoft announced at the beginning of this year that it had reduced its shipment goal for the fiscal year to 12 million units, down from 13-15 million units. Speaking to gamesindustry.biz about the new 360 warranty, Peter Moore has confirmed that Microsoft has missed the target of 12 million units. The company has sold roughly 11.6 million units, missing its goal by 400,000 units. Despite this, Moore states that Microsoft feels "really good" about the state of the Xbox. In particular, he emphasizes Microsoft's holiday lineup, and notes that it will be featured heavily at E3 next week.
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MS fails to meet 12 million mark
Microsoft announced at the beginning of this year that it had reduced its shipment goal for the fiscal year to 12 million units, down from 13-15 million units. Speaking to gamesindustry.biz about the new 360 warranty, Peter Moore has confirmed that Microsoft has missed the target of 12 million units. The company has sold roughly 11.6 million units, missing its goal by 400,000 units. Despite this, Moore states that Microsoft feels "really good" about the state of the Xbox. In particular, he emphasizes Microsoft's holiday lineup, and notes that it will be featured heavily at E3 next week.Exclusives: Sony's loss, Microsoft's gain
Chris Kohler of Wired magazine recently took a moment to list exclusives that Sony has lost to Microsoft. Perhaps the most intriguing titles on the list are GTAIV and Assassin's Creed, both of which were offered as exclusives to Sony. Sony didn't pursue the titles as exclusives, and two major titles became simultaneous releases for multiple platforms. Another interesting story is Beautiful Katamari which began as a mutliplatform title and is now slated only for Xbox 360. Finally, according to the article, Metal Gear Solid 4 on 360 is only a matter of time. The article is a decent read and serves as a good conversation starter (without even considering once Sony-only franchises like Ace Combat). It begs the question: are console exclusives as important as they once were?
Microsoft's Moore likens PS3 to Dreamcast
In a recent interview with Next-Gen, Peter Moore had some interesting thoughts on the current state of affairs for the PS3. Specifically, Moore offhandedly compares the machine to one with which he is intimately familiar: the Dreamcast. When The implication here, obviously, is that the PS3 is failing as the Dreamcast did. We would be remiss in our duties if we didn't note that the PS3's situation is vastly different than that of the Dreamcast. SEGA was coming off the unsuccessful SEGA Saturn before it launched the initially successful Dreamcast, only to watch it get crushed under the matte black boots of the PS2. Sony, on the other hand, is coming off the incredible success of the very console that killed the Dreamcast in the first place. Still, details aside, the meaning of the comment is clear, and those, Mr. Moore, are fighting words.
Looking past the initial swipe at Sony, the interview covers a fairly substantial range of topics. These include the Xbox 360 Elite, the continued existence of the Core 360, and how Microsoft plans to expand its software lineup. Hit the "read" link to check it out.
[Via Joystiq. Thanks, PacoDG]
Moore on 360 failure rates, Folding@Home, more
Speaking to Mike Antonucci of the Mercury News, Microsoft's Peter Moore answered readers questions about the Xbox 360. Among the more interesting questions was from a reader who had gone through two Xbox 360s within 7 months. When asked for a "straight answer" about 360 failure rates -- and whether or not they were higher than 3% -- Moore deflected the issue, saying that customers should focus on the treatment of the problem and not the problem itself. In other words, quality of customer service is more important than the quality of the product. According to Moore, "Y'know, things break, and if we've treated him well and fixed his problem, that's something that we're focused on right now." Moore further stated that he couldn't comment on specific failure rates because he was "shipping in 36 countries and it's a complex business."
Other issues discussed include Folding@Home, the shared processing initiative recently supported by the PS3. When asked whether or not the 360 would ever be used for such a purpose, Moore stated that if Microsoft believed it could aid projects like Folding@Home with the processing power of the 360, it would certainly consider it. Moore also takes time to address the Xbox 360's variety of games (or lack thereof), and the state of affairs in Japan. Hit the "read" link for the full article.
Robbie Bach: 360 will be profitable in 2008
In an interview with eWeek, Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, disclosed that he believes the Xbox 360 will be profitable by next year. We reported recently that the EDD lost $315 million last quarter, down from $415 million the same time the year before. If losses continue to shrink at a similar rate every quarter, it's reasonable to assume that Bach is correct in his assessment. Bach notes that the Xbox 360 has multiple avenues to generate money. Among them are of course game sales, but Microsoft also makes money from selling ad space on Xbox Live (as well as collecting subscription fees) and selling peripherals. According to Bach, Microsoft is "humming pretty well in the business."Also discussed in the interview is the potential of the Zune and Microsoft's plans for XNA. Hit the "read" link to check it out.
UK Xbox exec unimpressed with PS3
Yeah, so the headline isn't all that shocking. Nonetheless, the senior regional director of Microsoft in Ireland and the UK, Neil Thompson, isn't worried about the Playstation 3 (which finally landed in Europe last week). Speaking to Times Online, Thompson said that the PS3 poses no threat to the Xbox 360 from a technological standpoint. He says that the biggest threat Microsoft faces is Sony's well established brand presence. Technologically, Thompson notes that the PS3 has no notable features that he wishes were also in the Xbox 360. Thompson does admit that the PS3 may have a graphical advantage, but states that the Xbox 360 already outperforms the PS3's online capabilities and has a wider variety of games available..Concerning Blu-ray, Thompson says that Sony has jumped into the next generation format war prematurely, stating that the average consumer isn't ready to replace his or her DVD collection with another format. Furthermore, he notes that a regular DVD will actually play at a higher resolution on an Xbox 360 than it will on a Playstation 3. Finally, Thompson references the oft cited reasoning that the format war will be rendered moot by digital distribution in the long run anyway. Digital distribution, of course, is something the Xbox 360 already supports (very successfully, according to Microsoft).
So, an Xbox executive thinks the Xbox is top notch. No surprise there. Still, now that the new console war has gone global, we expect this isn't the last bit of executive sniping to be had.
Rumorang: Microsoft not buying Take-Two
Quelling rumors that Microsoft is bidding on the ailing Take-Two, Shane Kim has confirmed to CNN that Microsoft has no such intention. According to the CNN article, taking over an independent publisher that creates games for multiple platforms would actually create a revenue loss, as all Take-Two's development would be shifted to the 360 alone. Said Kim, "We could never launch an acquisition bid at a third party publisher."As for parties that are interested in the company, speculation ranges from Ubisoft to Elevation Partners (of which U2's Bono is a member) to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The article also suggests, as others have suggested in the past, that Take-Two may be sold in pieces, offering up divisions like 2K Sports and Rockstar Games instead of Take-Two being sold as a whole.
[Via DCEmu]
Microsoft to buy Take-Two? [update 1]
Update: Looks like Microsoft's Shane Kim has officially quashed this rumor. Details here.On Monday, Take-Two announced that it was delaying its annual meeting as a result of major shareholders requesting that CEO Paul Eibeler step down. The company delayed the meeting in order to come up with alternative solutions, with the most likely alternative being to sell the company. A trustworthy source from Rockstar Vancouver has told WorthPlaying that Microsoft may have already put in a bid to purchase the company (or at least expressed interest in doing so). With Take-Two in tow, Microsoft would own Grand Theft Auto, one of the most successful franchises in the industry. While this is a rumor of the highest order, the possibility is certainly intriguing.
Feel free to scream your jubilation, lamentation, or incredulity in the comments below.
Shane Kim thanks Sony for all the help
Speaking with Gamasutra, Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, is nothing but smiles when it comes to discussing the competition. Kim speaks openly about Sony's mistakes involving the Playstation 3 and notes that these mistakes have had a positive effect on the Xbox 360. Kim states that he's more confident in Microsoft's position now than he was when the system launched, noting that Microsoft has already shipped 10 million 360s, garnered 6 million Live customers, and will have 320 Xbox 360 titles by the end of the year.Kim states that Microsoft is leading the games industry and that the Xbox 360 has the best exclusive content. He notes, however, that Sony helped Microsoft along the way: "Sony has helped us with their own missteps, and I'd be foolish not to say that it's not helping us." Double negatives aside, we think we get the gist of Shane's comment.
Concerning Nintendo, Kim lauds the Wii's success and is glad to see Nintendo bring more gamers into the industry, nothing that he believes "it's Nintendo and Microsoft that are really generating the excitement for the industry." Kim doesn't see Nintendo as a direct competitor, but admits that Sony and Microsoft both have to woo the demographic that Nintendo has captured with the Wii.
Expect to see the rest of Kim's interview later this week.
Reggie disses 360's European presence
Nintendo of America boss, Reggie Fils-Aime, has some fighting words for Microsoft. In an interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Reggie was asked about Nintendo's success with the Wii. When asked about its performance in Europe in comparison to its competitors (i.e. Microsoft) Reggis responded, "360 is selling well only in one country: UK. Across the rest of Europe, it is not performing well. Wii, on the other hand, is selling exceptionally well all through Europe."
We know that Microsoft has been aggressive in tackling markets all over the world, launching its console in countries like Brazil and India last year. Whether or not the 360 is performing well throughout Europe, we really don't know, though we're sure Microsoft remains confident in it sales prediction of 12 million units worldwide by the end of June.
What say you, European fanboys? Is Microsoft's Xbox 360 a hot commodity outside of the UK, or is Reggie right on the money?
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Moore: motion control on 360?
Speaking to Game Informer, Don Mattrick and Peter Moore discuss the future of the Xbox 360. Specifically, Moore discusses the great stable of games heading to the platform -- Mass Effect, Forza 2, Too Human, etc. -- and how Microsoft plans to combat the tiny white elephant in the room, the Wii. According to Moore, Microsoft began to see the significance of the casual market when the Wii was still known as Revolution. Moore states that Microsoft's strategy is more than simply throwing more E rated games onto the 360, saying "it's more experiential than that." This quickly leads to the speculation that Microsoft may have a motion controller of its own in mind. At this point it remains pure speculation. After all, Mr. Moore could easily be talking about more games involving the Vision Camera. Whatever it is, Moore states that there will be announcements within the next couple of months. With any luck, we might just hear something during GDC next week.Do you think Microsoft has a Wiimote up its sleeve, or is it something entirely different?
[Via Evil Avatar]
The state of the Xbox 360 in India
Last month, it was reported that the Xbox 360 was doing very well in India, despite the fact that an Xbox 360 costs more than many Indians make in a month. GameGuru.in, an Indian gaming site, decided to dig a little deeper. Game Guru surveyed a total of 123 Xbox 360 dealers in India to uncover as much information as they could. Having contacted Microsoft, Game Guru was told only that Microsoft does not reveal regional sales numbers; they like to keep their numbers global. From their sample, a total of 839 Xbox 360s had been sold, with the majority of those systems being the Premium version (keep in mind, this was a limited survey and not all dealers were willing to reveal their sales numbers). Unsurprisingly, the console sold better in more affluent regions of India.Overall, anecdotal evidence suggests that Indians prefer the PS2. Not exactly shocking, considering the PS2 is substantially cheaper. Also worth noting, pirated PS2 games are readily available in India, whereas pirated 360 titles are not. While it seems that Indians are generally impressed with the 360 when they see it displayed, it seems that the machine is just too expensive for the average Indian.
Do we have any Indian readers that would care to comment?
Take Two downgraded. EA seeks 2K sports?
Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities recently downgraded his assessment of Take Two Interactive stock from "hold" to "sell." While Grand Theft Auto IV is a guaranteed smash, WMS is wary of the lackluster performance of 2K Sports and "everything else." Naturally, Take Two's recent "hot coffee" scandal add to the decision, which Pachter chalks up to management decisions. Essentially, Take Two allows great freedoms to its creators, which results in groundbreaking games like GTA, but also results in sexual content making it onto a retail disc.Pachter discussed the possibility of the company being bought, divided, and sold in pieces. It's "unlikely" according to Pachter, but he does note that EA would be the most likely candidate to purchase 2K, as it would give the company a monopoly on nearly all major sports products. Pachter said such a monopoly could be worth as much as $1 billion, though he believes 2K Sports itself could probably be had for $200 million.
[Thanks, dpcough]
See Also:
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PS3 kiosk, can you spot the 360?
The image above was snapped by Flickr user, hiredgoon. The photo was taken in a Harvey Norman store, an electronics chain based in Australia. It seems innocuous enough. Just an ordinary PS3 display to promote the machine for pre-order. Nothing special, right? That's what we thought, too. Let's take a closer look, shall we?
BBC slams 360 defects, MS responds
The BBC television program, Watchdog, caused a stir yesterday after airing a segment decrying faulty Xbox 360s. Specifically, the hosts noted that Watchdog has receive 248 separate complaints about the Xbox 360, with the number increasing as Xbox 360s are no longer covered by warranty. In other words, it was as though 360s seemed to break just after warranty expired. The episode showcases victims of the Ring of Death® and tells their tragic tales.
Today, Microsoft responded to the allegations, saying that the majority of Xbox 360 owners have an "outstanding" experience. MS also notes that their is no systemic fault in Xbox 360 hardware and that each failure is investigated on a case-by-case basis. Finally, while Microsoft admits isolated cases of unexpected performance, they also note that the failure rate is "significantly less" than the industry standard of 3-5%.
While the majority of our 360 owning bloggers have been problem free, there have been some "isolated reports" of hardware failure around here as well. Our own Dustin Burg is on his third. We're certainly not here to open up the complaint bin, but we would be curious to see the real failure statistics, something Microsoft has yet to reveal.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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