2011....will it be the beginning of the end for the Xbox 360?

[Isildur´s Heir]

Yes, the title is on the dramatic side.
Yes, i´m totally anti- microsoft, i just want them to burn to the ground (not really, but there is the one that thinks so).
This is not a Microsoft will fall thread, but, what can this mean to the Redmond company?

Let´s start with something i said back in 2006: " Microsoft can´t live with the Xbox and the PC, one of them need to go".
The reason i said that is because Microsoft, to some degree, is competing with himself.
You can say that so is Nintendo and Sony, but that´s not true, because a home console and a portable are two diferent markets, the same can´t be said about the Xbox and the PC, which is the same one.
Sure, the majority of people don´t have a good enough PC, and consoles are the main platform of gaming...but even so.
Besides, the 360 is going strong and the PC....is still the PC.
Of course that my opinion so....

Now, there are three reasons to take notice:

- Microsoft is losing money from their Entertainment Division and because of that, rumors say that Microsoft might be thinking of spin off some of their consumer business, one of them being the Xbox. The fact is that they posted $172 million loses for Q4. In october, a investment firm (Goldman Sach) adviced Microsoft to divide it´s business into two seperate entities. Ballmer already said they will not do that, but the truth is, everyone Xbox related is running for the hills.

- Microsoft is returning their focus on the PC. Just this month they made, imo, the best decision possible, they hired Rahul Sood to be "Microsoft GM System Experience, Interactive Entertainment Business" (yes, it´s a mouthful). For the ones that don´t know, Rahul Sood is the the founder of VoodooPC, and when it was bought by HP, he became Chief Technology Officer for HP.
The man knows his stuff, he is not a old man (37, which makes him not narrow minded like many) and he loves gaming.
All of those things are great, except for the fact that he doesn´t like consoles that much, saying that they are inferior to the PC (which is not good to the Xbox).
Microsoft also just announced that Windows 8 will be the returning of PC gaming to it´s full glory

"Windows 8 will represent a real new push into PC gaming," the source revealed. "Gaming will be a key component for the whole OS."

IMO, it seems that we will see Live on the PC equal to the Xbox when Win8 arrives. Which also means that all games will be on the 360 and PC (we are starting to see this, Fable III is the first to return to the PC).
1st Parties (not just exclusives) are extremely important, for many reasons but one more important than the others, it gives credibility to the console, which, imo, the Xbox has less and less because of that.

- In an interview with MS's director of Xbox and Entertainment for the UK, Stephen McGill was asked about 2011 and his reply was:

"As for the future, we've got a brilliant line-up for 2011 but it's ultimately all about Kinect. Kinect is going to blow people's minds. They're [already] buying it, but we've got a line-up of Kinect games that will blow people away."

and i totally believe it, as it makes sense.
Forza 4 will use Kinect, rumors say that Gears 3 MIGHT use Kinect....so, if people don´t have Kinect in 2011, they are f***ed.
People will not buy Kinect as because Microsoft wants them to.
Microsoft can´t get a foot in Japan, they lost Europe and make no efford to get it back.....they only have 1 single market, the US.
Sony has an incredible lineup for 2011, Microsoft doesn´t (by the announcements so far) and even more with the all "2011 its´going to be about Kinect".


IMO, Rahul Sood might the best thing Microsoft did since Peter Moore left, and he might bring back the passion once the company had (IF he is not all about the PC, which is great for the PC, but not for the XBox).
Besides that, i see it as a grim year for the Xbox brand...

 

[MadVillainy]

No. No it won't

 

[Soapy]

No.

 

[Team Andino]

No. No it won't

No.

I love that after the long opening post that these were the immediate responses

 

[Benstamania]

I doubt Microsoft is going anywhere anytime soon... Not sure how anyone could hate any system... more so if you LIKE video games.

I do however think 2011 could end up being a subpar year for the 360... the only exclusive "must have" would be Gears 3.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

I doubt Microsoft is going anywhere anytime soon... Not sure how anyone could hate any system... more so if you LIKE video games.

I don´t know if you are refering to me, but i don´t hate Microsoft (contrary to popular belief).
Since Peter Moore left, imo, their are a pale image of what they once were, Moore was the heart and soul of that brand.
All they care about now is ESPN, media, facebook, Twitter and all that crap, video games, the heart and soul of it all is totally secondary.
The publishing arm of Microsft, Microsoft Game Studios, is awful, as they don´t have a good first party (they have good studios, like Rare, Lionhead and Turn 10, but tat´s it, it´s too few to be noticible).
But, all in all, i´m for games, not companies, so no...i don´t hate Microsoft, i´m just very disappointed with them since 2008.

The only thing, imo, really great about the Xbox 360 is the XBLA, which is superb.

 

[SuperFerret]

You know too much about things. All this behind the scenes business crap is just... meh, but if the 360 "ends" soon, that's fine. The console's had a good run.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Just keep bunging out Call Of Duty and Halo, easy sales.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Yes, 2011 will he the downfall of Microsoft. They are going to stop making Gears of War and Halo. They won't release any more fable titles. They are going to stop Activision from releasing Call of Duty on their system. They aren't going to do anything more with Kinect. They wont release any new IP's nor spend any money developing them. This is it for MS. The ps3 and the wii will be the only consoles in peoples houses at the end of 2011.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Forza 4 will use Kinect, rumors say that Gears 3 MIGHT use Kinect....so, if people don´t have Kinect in 2011, they are f***ed..

Um, LOL to this line.

Forza will use Kinect ALONG with traditional controls, Cliff Bleszinski has stated Gears 3 will NOT use Kinect and even if it does it wouldnt replace traditional controls. Do you even try to craft a solid argument, or do you just throw a bunch of nonsense out and hope something sticks?

 

[Lando81]

haha this thread piles on the lolz. M$ is in it for the long haul. Wether you like it or not!

 

[Coca Cola Duracell Franklin.]

- Microsoft is losing money from their Entertainment Division

Actually, Microsoft's Entertainment Division is making money thanks to the billions of dollars they get from Xbox Live and the royalties they get from third-parties (most third-party games sell the most on Xbox360).

But yeah, the Xbox will fail anyway because they're releasing a new version of Windows, and because Kinect (5 million+ units sold already) exist. Or whatever kind of reasoning that was. Cancel Gears of War 3 and close 343 Industries, it's all over.

 

[Cth]

PC Gaming has been heralded as returning for years..

.. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

And say what you will, the social network/netflix/-idization of consoles have resulted in even more sales than before, so that's not going away anytime soon either.

 

[Soapy]

PC gaming never went anywhere. In fact, it's probably bigger than ever now.

 

[Cth]

In terms of digital distribution, yes.

No one is seriously suggesting it disappeared, but the retail presence has shrunk considerably from what many consider the "golden days" which everyone seems to refer to when people say stuff like "returning of PC gaming to it´s full glory!"

It's pure PR speak.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

PC gaming never went anywhere. In fact, it's probably bigger than ever now.

Like Cth said, maybe in distribution, but not in sales. Too many PC gamers steal their games instead of actually paying for them. PC users themselves are killing that market.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Like Cth said, maybe in distribution, but not in sales.

But digital distribution can take in significantly more money than brick and mortar retail sales without actually reaching the same amount of sales. The guy who made Minecraft is no doubt making more money the team who made God Of War III. No cost in marketing, no cost in shipping, no massive budget poured into development. A guy had an idea, he put it out there, directly getting the penny's. $350,000 directly to him, no one else. It wouldn't be suprising it's he's actually taking in more money than the team made GT5 over a longer period of time, which sits on a platform pretty much devoid of piracy.

It's seems bit simple minded to purely pin declining sales on piracy. Accessibility and a change of times should probably also be factored in, outside of casual games, when it comes to core games, the pc has great difficulity in competing with consoles when it comes to that. Consoles (specifically the xbox360) aren't so much consoles anymore as they are cheap, accessible pc with little hassle (which usually results in a simplified pc style of game). Ironically, the company that is least pc like (Nintendo) are the ones running rings in sales. With the same advantage the xbox360 has over the pc, over the xbox360 itself, accessibility. Anyone can play a wii. It won't be surprising if Microsoft go down that route even more than they are now. I hope they do, so I wont have to see another Halo. or Another Call Of Duty. Or Another Fable. I don't know if you ever played any of Peter Molyneux's old pc games, but he use to be abit like that minecraft guy, getting a creative idea and putting it out there. Now his games appear to be derivative sequel after sequel. Whatever happened to that creepy pedophile simulator looking game? That looked interesting. I heard it got canned.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

a large, large part of why the pc market struggles is due to pc gamers themselves and the fact they don't want to pay for their games(obviously it's not the only reason but it's definitely one of leading causes). it's getting to the point where developers are questioning even releasing on pc because they know a large chunk of their product is going to be ripped off by pc gamers not willing to pay.

as for u not seeing more cod or halo, u just need to get over it. even if all these companies go casual, games like cod will still be selling through the roof, but why does it even matter? if u don't like a type of game, don't buy it. simple solution.

 

[Lord DeathMan]

Here's the way I see it:

Microsoft can go either way. Regardless as long as there is still Live and an online multiplayer community playing games I enjoy then I will be playing Xbox. If that community goes, then I will continue playing Xbox offline.

I'm not switching to the PS3, I don't like the multiplayer experience or the controller.

The whole thing I have to say, who cares? Is this an attempt to try to divert people to the Wii or other console? Oh, and just so you know. Not everyone can afford an excellent gaming PC with a large processor and graphics card. Which is what will be required to run most games anymore.

 

[DIRECTOR]

XBOX is not going anywhere

 

[chaseter]

It's going in my living room when I get a new box with a kinect.

 

[GhostPoet]

Nope. The Kinect is gonna hit big in 2011 with some great titles. That alone is going to help the console...not that it needs it. Everyone is predicting next year the Kinect will edge out the Playstation Move and Wii.

 

[EvilRocketeer]

Nope. The Kinect is gonna hit big in 2011 with some great titles. That alone is going to help the console...not that it needs it. Everyone is predicting next year the Kinect will edge out the Playstation Move and Wii.

I been hearing the same thing, but I guess we all have to wait and see...not really a fan of the wii....mine has been sitting collecting dust for 2 years..bought it for the purpose of playing twilight princess which was a mistake cause twilight princess wasnt that great.

 

[Benstamania]

Twilight Princess was honestly better on the Cube. Of course, it was built ground up for the Cube and then ported to the Wii.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

Why I Switched to PS3

I was hired at IGN to work on the original Xbox channel and eventually ended up running the Xbox 360 channel for a few years before becoming Big Chief. About half my time at IGN has been completely focused on Xbox. I’m the Xbox guy
But that’s changed.

I’ve abandoned Xbox 360 as my console of choice and taken my gaming allegiance to PlayStation 3. That’s not to say I won’t play games on Xbox 360 in the future — Forza is superior to Gran Turismo 5, Halo is better than any first-person shooter on PS3, etc. I’m not a fanboy. I really have never cared which system won the console wars. I still don’t. I just want to play great games and eyeing next year’s release list, far more good exclusive games are coming to PS3.
Yes, I know, there will be some unannounced Xbox exclusives on the horizon, but Microsoft has made several decisions over the past few years that suggest there’s far less interest in being the sole home for any third-party game. And with Microsoft axing so many of its studios (and letting others like Bungie go) the first-party offerings are slimming down. Since Kinect is going to continue to divide Microsoft’s attention (far more, it seems, than Sony’s Move), there will be fewer and fewer games I want to play that can only be played on Xbox 360.
What’s this really mean for me as a gamer? As long as the quality of the game is equal on both systems, I’ll be playing it on PS3 rather than Xbox 360. And I’m doing a lot of catch-up with some past PS3 games. It’s like diving into a treasure trove of unknown wonders. Lots of games to play and lots of new people to meet (peeps are much friendlier on PSN so far).

If you’re a real gamer, you own both systems anyway, but probably lean towards one over the other. I’d recommend making the same switch I’m making — at least try it for a few months. If you’re a PS3 fanboy, switch to Xbox 360 for a while and vice versa. Despite having played games on PS3 in the past, coming full over is like getting a new toy. Gaming is a little more exciting for me right now, because so many things seem new.

I’ve learned a few things in my two weeks as a PS3 convert:

Trophies are Fun
I don’t care much for Achievements (in fact, I turned off notifications a year ago). And I’m not about to switch my stance with Trophies. Playing a game that sucks just for some accolades is lame. It’s a waste of time and it benefits bad developers. If a game sucks, I’m not playing it to get Trophies or Achievements. I also won’t waste time doing things I don’t enjoy in a good game just for a little reward. There are too many games to play to waste my time.
But what I love about Trophies, something Achievements don’t provide, is the leveling system. That fits me as a gamer perfectly. I’m the dude who painstaking searches every room in a game to find all the items and max out my character’s upgrades. And Trophies feel like that. You get Trophies, you earn points, you level up. That level is far more satisfying than the score tally from Achievements. And the fact that there are four types of Trophies (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum) is very smart and feels more rewarding than 360′s random set of point values.

The Quality Bar is Tipping
Siding with the PS3 in its early days was just foolish. So many third-party games ran terribly on PS3. With a few exceptions (Bayonetta!!!), PS3 and X360 are almost always equals. And more and more developers I speak with have begun to favor PS3. The old barriers of “too tough to develop for” have crumbled. You really want to play the game on the version a developer prefers, because that’s the one where it will shine.

Downloadable Games
Xbox Live Arcade gets a lot of pub, but PSN has been putting out better and more original games for the past two years. No one seems to want to admit to it. Yes, Microsoft gets a few great ones like ‘Splosion Man and Shadow Complex, but as I have begun downloading PSN games, I’ve finding some true marvels. Shatter is better than 95% of what is on XBLA. And Trophies work much better for downloadable games than Achievements. Do you work harder for anything in gaming than the measly 200 points offered by XBLA games?

PlayStation Plus
It costs $60 for an Xbox Live Gold account. The benefits are, pretty much, being allowed to play games online. PS3 gives that for free. While PS3′s online past is horrendous, it’s gotten much better these days and most games on the free service are on par with XBL-enabled titles.
The real winner for gamers is PlayStation Plus. For $50 a year, you get a bunch of promotional deals. It’s like buying a gamer’s version of a Costco membership. You get all kinds of discounts (great if you buy a lot of downloadable games) and free games. Yes — FREE games. I downloaded all five episodes of a season of Sam & Max. Something I wouldn’t ever pay for, but free for PlayStation Plus members. There are tons of great deals on the store and in two weeks, the membership has almost already paid out.


I’m not abandoning Xbox 360. I will keep playing exclusives on Xbox, but most of my time will be spent on PS3. I’m just about to hit Level 7, which is pathetic compared to the folks who’ve been PS3 dedicated since the Trophy system launched a few years back. But I’ll improve — especially since most debug PS3 games allow you to use your retail profile to earn Trophies and transfer saves (something Xbox 360 doesn’t allow). I can’t tell you how many hundreds of hours of play time have been lost because my debug review code saves are worthless once a game hits store shelves.

2010 is almost dead and the New Year holds great potential for games. More so, right now, for PS3 than for Xbox 360. Worry not, Forza 4 and next Halo game, I’ll be there for you. But only as a brief vacation from my new home (not Home — yech), PlayStation 3.

http://www.ign.com/blogs/Hil-IGN/2010/12/30/why-i-switched-to-ps3/

I agree with pretty much all of it except the all achivement vs trophies, which, imo, they are good or bad in equal form; and the XBLA, which, imo, is the better part of the 360.
The underline parts are the ones that i really agree on

And just for the record...I NEVER SAID THE XBOX IS GOING TO DIE TOMORROW, IF EVER. I ASKED IF THIS WAS THE BEGINING OF THE END...I NEVER STATED IT AS A FACT