5 ms·

These are basically random thoughts spurred by the points the article makes as opposed to direct statements about the content of the article... Microsoft alway

These are basically random thoughts spurred by the points the article makes as opposed to direct statements about the content of the article... Microsoft always intended to use games as a stepping stone to becoming a broader entertainment play. They were talking about this publicly as far back as the Xbox 1 (the former Xbox 1, now known as the Xbox 1 that isn't the Xbox One) in the 2001 time frame. I'm fine with that strategy and even encourage it, but as a gamer I'm distraught with other decisions they seem to have made (it is impossible to tell what decisions they've actually made from rumors or misreporting because they are failing on the PR/messaging for specifics of the Xbox One on a spectacularly epic scale currently). In the long run, the Xbox 360 is kind of the odd duck of the Xbox line in terms of hardware architecture considering the old Xbox 1 was x86 based and basically a closed PC, just like the new Xbox One. Of course, the 360 happened to occur over the time period that Live proved that a full online experience for a console should be considered an essential component. (I just wish they'd stop raising the cost of Live while also increasing the amounts of ads it throws at you (without raising the value to suit), and stop charging for things that are free elsewhere (eg. Netflix, etc), and start using some of the mountains of money they earn from Live to provide dedicated gaming servers, etc). The Wii U is actually a pretty nice device. I have one. I'll buy pretty much any system Nintendo puts out just to play their first party games, at least until they're forced to go the route that Sega did. But anyway, the remote touchscreen gamepad "second screen" thing is pretty cool I love using it for Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Instant. Being able to redirect the video play to the gamepad device's screen when the TV is otherwise in use is really nice, and it really makes things like searching a breeze compared to using a more traditional remote. Yes, you can achieve the same basic sorts of things with other consoles plus an external device like a tablet via things like SmartGlass, but with the Wii U it Just Works without having to dick around with anything.

angersock 13y ago
The 360 was a completely reasonable step for the series--at the time, recall, there weren't really many x86 chips at the price/performance/power spot that was needed for a gaming rig. Microsoft went to IBM and shopped around for cores, and got a bastard chip spinoff of the Cell PPEs--one with six logical threads of execution and a fairly normal programming model. This gave good vector performance and had many threads--at launch, there weren't cheap x86 chips that could do that.
lukifer 13y ago
Nintendo's success has always been driven by games, not hardware. While much of the punditry surrounding the U has legitimacy, it's failing mostly due to a lack of compelling first-party titles. There was never a chance that the U would sell in the same numbers as the first Wii; the "non-gamer gamer" moment has come and gone. But if it had launched with a new Zelda, a new (real) Mario, Mario Party, Mario Kart, Smash Bros. (the list goes on), they'd be selling moderately well, with the game revenue as the cherry on top. Hopefully it won't be too late by the time those titles trickle onto the platform over the next year or two.
- adventured 13y ago
  The non-gamer gamer moment didn't pass. It moved from consoles to smart phones, tablets and Facebook / online gaming (which had a mere 10 million users at the time of the Wii's release). The non-gamer gamer market is bigger than ever before, and will continue to expand.
  - lukifer 13y ago
    Yes, this is what I meant; it's not that the market disappeared, it's that they moved on from the couch+TV setup.
- gcb0 13y ago
  all of nintendo power WAS in games. for a long time now, it's on TV series and Mangas/movies adaptations. If it wasn't for pokemon and such titles, they would be long gone. They tried the same model in the west trying to license every movie game, but it never caught on. You still can see them trying with a few disney titles. anyway, i'd say the ONLY thing killing nintendo is their closed grasp of their developer program. If they were more open, they would have lots and lots of great innovative titles for the wiiU launch, and people would actually know the wiiU is a console, and not another weird controller such as the balance board thingy. When the original xbox (no gamer call it xbox 1, at least before the current xbox one) was launching, microsoft released the development framework to everyone and their mother! heck i even was invited by a group that was going to show microsoft some game ideas and get $100k scot free! Think they ended up launching a minor puzzle game (their FPS idea was rejected, obviously)
ctdonath 13y ago
the former Xbox 1, now known as the Xbox 1 that isn't the Xbox One Huh? Ok, I know I'm out of touch with console gaming ... but ... Huh?
- moskie 13y ago
  He's just making a joke about the naming of the Xbox consoles. What would you call the original Xbox (that came out in 2001)? Some might have called it the Xbox 1. But now Microsoft decided to call the new console the "Xbox One." So, what's the proper name of the Xbox that came out in 2001?
  - firloop 13y ago
    >So, what's the proper name of the Xbox that came out in 2001? I'd say Xbox, as no other console is named the Xbox except for the one that came out in 2001.
    - Dylan16807 13y ago
      Great, have fun going around saying "Xbox" and having almost everyone assume you mean the current model, the 360.
    - jerf 13y ago
      Of all the crazy hills to die on in console fandom, this has to be one of the most bizarre.
- georgemcbay 13y ago
  Exactly! But to clarify: In 2001, Microsoft released a game console known as the "Xbox". In 2005, Microsoft released a follow-up game console known as the "Xbox 360". To differentiate the original "Xbox" from the "Xbox 360", it was common for console gamers to call the first "Xbox" the "Xbox 1". As in, "Remember playing Halo LAN on the Xbox 1? Good times!". "Xbox" alone generally meant you were talking about the current "Xbox", the "Xbox 360". Adding the "1" made things clear that you were talking about the original. In 2013, Microsoft revealed (but hasn't yet released) another follow-up game console known as the "Xbox One".
alphang 13y ago
I prefer Siracusa's original article. It's wider-spanning, less dismissive, and a perspective that is informed by tech, hardcore gaming, and gamers' Nintendo sentimentality.

angersock 13y ago

The 360 was a completely reasonable step for the series--at the time, recall, there weren't really many x86 chips at the price/performance/power spot that was needed for a gaming rig. Microsoft went to IBM and shopped around for cores, and got a bastard chip spinoff of the Cell PPEs--one with six logical threads of execution and a fairly normal programming model. This gave good vector performance and had many threads--at launch, there weren't cheap x86 chips that could do that.

lukifer 13y ago

Nintendo's success has always been driven by games, not hardware. While much of the punditry surrounding the U has legitimacy, it's failing mostly due to a lack of compelling first-party titles. There was never a chance that the U would sell in the same numbers as the first Wii; the "non-gamer gamer" moment has come and gone. But if it had launched with a new Zelda, a new (real) Mario, Mario Party, Mario Kart, Smash Bros. (the list goes on), they'd be selling moderately well, with the game revenue as the cherry on top. Hopefully it won't be too late by the time those titles trickle onto the platform over the next year or two.

adventured 13y ago
The non-gamer gamer moment didn't pass. It moved from consoles to smart phones, tablets and Facebook / online gaming (which had a mere 10 million users at the time of the Wii's release). The non-gamer gamer market is bigger than ever before, and will continue to expand.
- lukifer 13y ago
  Yes, this is what I meant; it's not that the market disappeared, it's that they moved on from the couch+TV setup.
gcb0 13y ago
all of nintendo power WAS in games. for a long time now, it's on TV series and Mangas/movies adaptations. If it wasn't for pokemon and such titles, they would be long gone. They tried the same model in the west trying to license every movie game, but it never caught on. You still can see them trying with a few disney titles. anyway, i'd say the ONLY thing killing nintendo is their closed grasp of their developer program. If they were more open, they would have lots and lots of great innovative titles for the wiiU launch, and people would actually know the wiiU is a console, and not another weird controller such as the balance board thingy. When the original xbox (no gamer call it xbox 1, at least before the current xbox one) was launching, microsoft released the development framework to everyone and their mother! heck i even was invited by a group that was going to show microsoft some game ideas and get $100k scot free! Think they ended up launching a minor puzzle game (their FPS idea was rejected, obviously)

ctdonath 13y ago

the former Xbox 1, now known as the Xbox 1 that isn't the Xbox One Huh? Ok, I know I'm out of touch with console gaming ... but ... Huh?

moskie 13y ago
He's just making a joke about the naming of the Xbox consoles. What would you call the original Xbox (that came out in 2001)? Some might have called it the Xbox 1. But now Microsoft decided to call the new console the "Xbox One." So, what's the proper name of the Xbox that came out in 2001?
- firloop 13y ago
  >So, what's the proper name of the Xbox that came out in 2001? I'd say Xbox, as no other console is named the Xbox except for the one that came out in 2001.
  - Dylan16807 13y ago
    Great, have fun going around saying "Xbox" and having almost everyone assume you mean the current model, the 360.
  - jerf 13y ago
    Of all the crazy hills to die on in console fandom, this has to be one of the most bizarre.
georgemcbay 13y ago
Exactly! But to clarify: In 2001, Microsoft released a game console known as the "Xbox". In 2005, Microsoft released a follow-up game console known as the "Xbox 360". To differentiate the original "Xbox" from the "Xbox 360", it was common for console gamers to call the first "Xbox" the "Xbox 1". As in, "Remember playing Halo LAN on the Xbox 1? Good times!". "Xbox" alone generally meant you were talking about the current "Xbox", the "Xbox 360". Adding the "1" made things clear that you were talking about the original. In 2013, Microsoft revealed (but hasn't yet released) another follow-up game console known as the "Xbox One".

alphang 13y ago

I prefer Siracusa's original article. It's wider-spanning, less dismissive, and a perspective that is informed by tech, hardcore gaming, and gamers' Nintendo sentimentality.