Obvious Diversion

Microsoft’s Head Start Program

The best feature of the Xbox 360 is the fact that it will be out this Christmas, while the other two consoles won’t be available until sometime in 2006. Microsoft knows that often times it’s better to be first than best and it’s hoping that this head start will give it an installed base and momentum that will be insurmountable by the time the competition hits the market. Every technology choice on this console looks like it was made to make sure they hit the shelves this Christmas at a decent price point with minimal loss per unit. Is Sony worried? You’d better believe it because it’s straight out of Sony’s playbook.

In the last generation of consoles, the PS2 hit the shelves well ahead of both the Gamecube and the Xbox and despite a sad launch library, it took the crown. It can even be argued that the PS2’s hardware was less impressive than the competition evidenced by a plight of jaggy games and the grumbling of frustrated developers, both problems that were eventually resolved by the sweat of developers and eventual game profits. If the performance numbers released by Microsoft and Sony are to be believed, Microsoft may be the weakest of the next generation of systems in terms of horsepower but it may not matter if Xbox gains a healthy lead due to it’s earlier release.

A Serious Shift in Marketing

That said, this is a powerful system and I’m sure it will produce all sorts of pretty for gamers to revel in, but it’s interesting to see how the online specs listed on the official Xbox site don’t really list specs in the technical sense, but features in the sense of what you can actually do. Just like their MTV special, which everyone I’ve spoken to seemed blase on, their focus seems to be the “mainstream” market and less the “hardcore” gamer. It seems to me though that the hardcore gamer has been their core audience with the Xbox. Do they risk loosing their earlier adopters to another console by not catering to them? Does it matter since Microsoft seemingly has no console competition this fall? It’s too hard to say at this point, plus the marketing could evolve over time.

Trojan Horse Loses Against Cost Effectiveness

The most disappointing element is that Xbox 360 is not a media center by itself. I realize it can function as an extender and as a result play nice with the PCs in the house, but this is pretty limited functionality compared to what could have been. This seems like a missed opportunity to invade the living room, but it’s clear that Microsoft is focusing on being a success in the games industry with what is clearly a games console. Keeping the cost per unit reasonable so that they don’t suffer the sort of loss per unit they did with the current Xbox is a priority. This is easily seen in their choice of a standard dual layer DVD drive and optional, as opposed to included, hard drive. This may be the right bet. Sony is offering up a unit that is heavy with hardware, and their loss per unit may drag the whole company into a nightmare if sales and return do not go as planned. Boy, this is going to be fun to watch.

What About Backward Compatibility?

The lack of backward compatibility is unfortunate. Microsoft was silent on this issue at first, but once they realized they were getting beaten up over this, they announced that some games would be compatible. “Some” is not what gamers want to hear. With Sony supporting PS1 and 2 games and Nintendo supporting the last twenty years of their games, Microsoft looks foolish for letting this one slip by.

The Controller

The controller is a safe design. There’s not much else to say about it really, although what happened to the black and white buttons? Also, that white looks like it will get awful filthy with hand sweat gunk over time. Regardless, it repeats Sony’s transition from the ps1 to the ps2 of keeping a previously successful design that looks familiar. Few risks taken, but few mistakes to trip them up.

Undisputed Champion (At Least for a Few Months)

I can already hear neurologically-impaired writers combining “Xbox” and “Xmas” into mind numbing article titles, but it’s absolutely true. Microsoft will own this holiday season and while Nintendo and Sony will try to pull attention away from Xbox 360 by focusing on their fall game releases (Zelda) and portable systems (the PSP), Microsoft will undoubtedly exit December with a very real head start.