4 ms·

Cash flow positive business are destined to become profitable in the long run. But even if the division weren't cash flow positive, it'd still be a pretty good

by aston 17y ago

Cash flow positive business are destined to become profitable in the long run. But even if the division weren't cash flow positive, it'd still be a pretty good bet by Microsoft. They've successfully locked down a place in my living room that they didn't seem to have a chance at 10 years ago.

axod 17y ago
Console businesses operate in cycles. Profitable now, means nothing in 5 years. You might be completely dead in the next round of consoles. Most xboxes are in teenage boys bedrooms not in living rooms. The impressive part is how they've been able to convince some people that the xbox is a success.
- trezor 17y ago
  I have to disagree on this one. Everyone I know with a Xbox 360 has them in their livingroom, hooked up to a big-ass HDTV. Ofcourse you can attribute that to my age, and the fact that I don't know too many teenagers, but for the teens in my family, if they are gamers at all, what they have is a PC in their bedroom. Console-gaming is if not exclusively at least largely a social thing, and thus makes more sense to have in a room made for socializing. While my argument isn't backed by solid data and mostly relies on my own experiences, you can't really claim yours is any better either. As for as the Xbox 360 goes right now it is a massive success. It is one of the top three consoles in a market where there used to only be two. That's big achievement in itself.
  - axod 17y ago
    The numbers show wii's have massively outsold xbox+ps3. There's only one winner in the current console lineup.
    - ebrenes 17y ago
      I guess the iPhone must be an abject failure then! After all, Nokia's 3300 series has sold over 200 million of those phones. So it's clear there's only one winner in the mobile phone market! Please, if you're going to compare numbers, be aware of what you're comparing. The Wii, Xbox360 and PS3 are only similar if you're an outsider and can't realize the apple to oranges comparison that's taking place. The Wii's major feature is that it's a family entertainment system and not a gaming console. The reason it's sold so much is because, as many others have stated, it managed to breach into new market segments. Yet when I talk with any person that dedicates a significant portion of their time to playing games (ie a gamer) they never talk about the Wii, they talk about the Modern Warfare 2, PS3 and Xbox360.

by aston 17y ago

axod 17y ago

Console businesses operate in cycles. Profitable now, means nothing in 5 years. You might be completely dead in the next round of consoles. Most xboxes are in teenage boys bedrooms not in living rooms. The impressive part is how they've been able to convince some people that the xbox is a success.

trezor 17y ago
I have to disagree on this one. Everyone I know with a Xbox 360 has them in their livingroom, hooked up to a big-ass HDTV. Ofcourse you can attribute that to my age, and the fact that I don't know too many teenagers, but for the teens in my family, if they are gamers at all, what they have is a PC in their bedroom. Console-gaming is if not exclusively at least largely a social thing, and thus makes more sense to have in a room made for socializing. While my argument isn't backed by solid data and mostly relies on my own experiences, you can't really claim yours is any better either. As for as the Xbox 360 goes right now it is a massive success. It is one of the top three consoles in a market where there used to only be two. That's big achievement in itself.
- axod 17y ago
  The numbers show wii's have massively outsold xbox+ps3. There's only one winner in the current console lineup.
  - ebrenes 17y ago
    I guess the iPhone must be an abject failure then! After all, Nokia's 3300 series has sold over 200 million of those phones. So it's clear there's only one winner in the mobile phone market! Please, if you're going to compare numbers, be aware of what you're comparing. The Wii, Xbox360 and PS3 are only similar if you're an outsider and can't realize the apple to oranges comparison that's taking place. The Wii's major feature is that it's a family entertainment system and not a gaming console. The reason it's sold so much is because, as many others have stated, it managed to breach into new market segments. Yet when I talk with any person that dedicates a significant portion of their time to playing games (ie a gamer) they never talk about the Wii, they talk about the Modern Warfare 2, PS3 and Xbox360.