Microsoft..... YOU BLEW IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sabre2922]

The industry responds to Xbox360 Pricing plan:http://next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=790&Itemid=2

most of the responses are positive some are very negative see for yourself.

[GarrettCRW]

Actually they did. They threatened vendors that wanted to pack other OS's with their hardware.

Its how they maintained a good part of their 90%+ Market share. Just recently, when this behavior came to light (past 5 years or so) and the maturing of Unix and Unix compatible software on x86 has the situation begun to change.

Its 2 diffrent thing to threatend and acctualy happend. But the thing is that there have always been other OS's to choose from. So MS have never had a true monopoly on OS. You can do a google search on "OS timeline" to find more info on other OS's :)

It's illegal to use one's power in the marketplace to squelch competition....which is precisely what Microsoft did during the '90s with Internet Explorer when computer manufacturers dared to put Netscape on the desktop. Right-wing judges and the corrupt Bush Adminisration have made any chance of restitution impossible, since M$ managed to defy Posner time and again but have his ruling negated because he was "biased".

[smokehouse]

I don’t think the fanboy’ism in the thread is as bad as other sites I’ve seen.

With that said there are some good points and some bad points.

-First off, MS is going to try to bring the PC and the game console together, that’s what they do. I’ve known this all along so it’s not really a surprise to me.

-Second, the $299 package is a joke; I’d be willing to say that in less than a year the “core” system is a thing of the past. It’s also going to screw some people by making them choose the $299 package or nothing when the $399 packages sell out. How many people were forced to buy a rose colored GBA when the came out because they were out of all the other colors?

-Third, many of you are forgetting that many places might do the insane package deals like Circuit City did with the PS2 last time (remember having to buy Fantavision, an extra controller and a memory card?). I bet there will be many $499 system “packages” this time around. Or, they’ll add a bunch of crap to the core package and get it up to around $400.

-Fourth, I keep reading comments about how MS is trying to make Sony look bad with the $299 unit. What? The PS3 is so far off at this point that it doesn’t matter! By the time the PS3 sees the light of day the 360 will have already seen the first price drop.

I’ll g on record by saying that this entire next generation of consoles has got to be the biggest cluster-f that I have ever seen. Normally the next consoles are announced, a street date is set and they come out. This round has been nothing but false rumors, design changes, vaporware and an overall state of confusion so bad that you’d think the Ultra 64 was coming out again.












Finally, we all know that MS has made it’s billions by selling garbage software that doesn’t work. Imagine any other company selling something with that kind of fail rate. Companies do recalls but when EVERY copy they make of an OS is bad and they still make billions, they have to have some kind of monopoly to still be in business.

[jdc]

You have to take one thing into account.

THIS is a gaming site with gamers as members. I'd say that most of us would find the value in the complete 360 package.

BUT......your average consumer out there has a Walmart mindset and it's getting worse every year. They demand the cheapest way to obtain everything. They won't stop to consider and weigh out the penalties of the cheaper 360. All they'll see is the price. The base 360 will fly off of the shelves, especially if it turns out to be the lowest priced of the next gen consoles.

[Diatribal Deity]

These are some interesting statistics which I'm sure Microsoft has taken into account...(this data is compiled at the end of every year so it has not been updated through 2005 which means you may be able to add a year or two onto the age brackets)

TOP 10 INDUSTRY FACTS

1. U.S. computer and video game software sales grew four percent in 2004 to $7.3 billion -- a more than doubling of industry software sales since 1996.

2. Seventy-five percent of American heads of households play computer and video games.

3. In 2004, more than 248 million computer and video games were sold, almost two games for every household in America.

4. The average game player is 30 years old and has been playing games for 9.5 years.

5. The average game buyer is 37 years old. In 2005, 95 percent of computer game buyers and 84 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.

6. Eighty-three percent of all games sold in 2004 were rated "E" for Everyone or "T" for Teen. For more information on ratings, please see www.esrb.org.

7. Eighty-seven percent of game players under the age of 18 report that they get their parents’ permission when renting or buying games, and 92 percent say their parents are present when they buy games.

8. Forty-three percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a greater portion of the game-playing population (28 percent) than boys from ages 6 to 17 (21 percent).

9. In 2004, 19 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999.

10. Forty-two percent of game players say they play games online one or more hours per week. In addition, 34 percent of heads of households play games on a wireless device, such as a cell phone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002.

Based on this information do you consider yourself Microsofts target market? Are 43% of DP members women? So like has been touched on before, most of us who frequent these boards and others and make rants probably fall on the fringes.

[anagrama]

I think your Return key is malfunctioning Anthony - every time you press it, it seems to leave 3 or more lines between paragraphs.

[mr_nihilism]

The PS3 is totally more powerfull (don't listen to dumb people saying 2X powerfull) but PS3 edges out the xbox 360 in every single fucking way...

And I'll bet that developers will take full advantage of that extra power and in the process make the 360 look like shit, right? Whatever. Current games don't even take full advantage of the hardware specs at this late stage.

I"m betting the games will look identical on both systems. It's only the titles that will be a deciding factor.

[buttasuperb]

The PS3 is totally more powerfull (don't listen to dumb people saying 2X powerfull) but PS3 edges out the xbox 360 in every single fucking way...

so wait and see wat SONY has for online, there was an article I read about CELL and networking. I just want some more details... my advise will be not to get the xbox 360 at launch .... compare the 2 consoles and then get one.

ahahahahahahahahahahahaha

That is all.

[googlefest1]

the 299 is a gimic -

i think i understand why they did it

i DO belive that they dont want people to have the core systems -

I think that this is a gimic to get as many Xboxs' into homes this Christmass holiday. Many parents and grandparents don't know jack about the electronics market or the history of the Xbox. Concerned with the state of thier pocket books this season they will buy the core system. Sonny Jr. here will say yippe Xbox 360 and in a little while NO HD?? WTF? and will eventualy get one down the road.

Hardcore Xbox fans will know what the diference is and will most likely get the premium system. Some straped for cash will buy the core system just do they can have it now and play some "new" games and have plans to shell out the money for the HD couple months down the road.

If xbox live requres the HD then all Live fans will get the premium system or the HD down the road.

SO i think this is a good move - i think this will get more systems into houses this Christmass season. I think this is an MS gimic to 1 up sony - hoping they can snag some sony customers this holiday season and have more commited house holds for the next Christmass season.

personly i wish the core system came with an HD -- OR the premium system came with out a wireless controller - i despise wireless controlers. Personly id like to get the core system for the wired controler and an HD with it but at the current HD price thats a dumb move.

im not getting a system at launch anyway - i hope "other packages" come out down the road

[ice1605]

Cool! I've never been a fan of Microsoft anyway. Let them die.... And it sounds like Sony may do the same thing (two systems, low and high end). Go Nintendo go!!!


(just my opinion - let others speak their mind - but stupid attacks against my 2 cents will go unanswered.)

Yeah! Go Nintendo!
(Apple and Nintendo rule Die Microsoft!!!)

Ice

[Zadoc]

nevermind

[Nature Boy]

I'm just gonna say that I applaud the decision to release two versions of the system. Choice, as a consumer, is always a good thing.

I'm personally more concerned with the prices of games in the next generation. Much more concerned. I have no desire to go back to the prices I had to pay for, say, N64 games, and I hope a good chunk of the market agrees with me and doesn't want to pay either.

[Nesmaster]

I'm just gonna say that I applaud the decision to release two versions of the system. Choice, as a consumer, is always a good thing.

I'm personally more concerned with the prices of games in the next generation. Much more concerned. I have no desire to go back to the prices I had to pay for, say, N64 games, and I hope a good chunk of the market agrees with me and doesn't want to pay either.

Actually that will be a big determining factor for me... if the games come out at 60-70 dollars each again i may skip the entire next generation until everything has a huge price drop and just work on this generation and older...

all 3 systems will look great... its the software that will move systems.