Has Microsoft's living room strategy panned out?

[BikeJunkie]

Even more odd is they think gaming is a waste of time, but the time they spend giving their opinion on an internet forum is somehow not.

It's only odd because you don't understand it.

 

[BikeJunkie]

WingNut made a good point regarding my swearing off of videogames on a videogame forum, so allow me to clarify for everyone. Although I didn't attack videogaming or anyone who plays them, I suppose some people are predisposed to feeling slighted.

1. I do not have a problem with videogames.
2. I do not have a problem with people who play videogames.
3. I do not believe that videogames are a waste of time, generally speaking.
4. Videogames are a waste of time FOR ME, because I no longer derive any enjoyment from them.
5. This "epiphany" stems from my own realization that when I was playing videogames, it was only so I could pass the time until something more engaging (TO ME) came along.
6. I did not come here with the intention of laying out my thoughts on videogaming. I came to this conclusion a day or two ago, and saw a post by Koing that was relevant, so I responded.

If you still look at this and find reason to be offended, it's not my problem and you're probably just prone to being butthurt 🙂

 

[purbeast0]

I'm not defensive about anything. To each there own.

I was just amused at how sitting down to play a board game is not a waste of time but sitting down to play a video game is.

 

[BikeJunkie]

I'm not defensive about anything. To each there own.

I was just amused at how sitting down to play a board game is not a waste of time but sitting down to play a video game is.

No offense, but I think you're being obtuse.

play monopoly with my kids

Sitting down to play Battlefield is a wholly different experience (and level of parenting) than sitting down with my kids to play a boardgame. If that still amuses you, then you're being obtuse.

 

[purbeast0]

No offense, but I think you're being obtuse.



Sitting down to play Battlefield is a wholly different experience (and level of parenting) than sitting down with my kids to play a boardgame. If that still amuses you, then you're being obtuse.

you can sit down and play video games with your kids. i know many people who play the lego games with their kids in co-op mode. that's just an example.

if you still don't get it, then you're being obtuse.

 

[BikeJunkie]

you can sit down and play video games with your kids. i know many people who play the lego games with their kids in co-op mode. that's just an example.

if you still don't get it, then you're being obtuse.

You've just moved the goalposts. My whole argument is that playing videogames as a hobby is a waste of my time when I could be doing countless other things. Playing Mario Kart with my kids qualifies as OTHER THINGS, because in that context it's not my hobby - it's playing with my kids.

Your obtuseness has been confirmed, though. Would it kill you to just take things at face value, or are you here just to be argumentative?

 

[smackababy]

You've just moved the goalposts. My whole argument is that playing videogames as a hobby is a waste of my time when I could be doing countless other things. Playing Mario Kart with my kids qualifies as OTHER THINGS, because in that context it's not my hobby - it's playing with my kids.

Your obtuseness has been confirmed, though. Would it kill you to just take things at face value, or are you here just to be argumentative?

So, as long as something is your hobby, regardless if you share it with your kids or not, it is a waste of time? That is what you're saying?

If my hobby is building model railroad and if include my (fictional) child, it is a waste of time. However, if I spend that time playing Monopoly, it is not a waste of time?

Sounds like someone is wasting far too much time trying to justify them calling specific instances of video game playing a waste of time.

 

[desura]

I fail to see how there is less excitement for the new generation of consoles since both PS4 and XB1 sold over 2 million units in less than a month, the best console launches ever.

Well,

the new consoles are for the hardcore only...

Lots of people bought the PS3 b/c it was the cheapest blu-ray player on the market at the time. And also, the two consoles brought in streaming video capability that the previous gen did not have.

I should add that the streaming media stuff was MS's real strategic rationale for getting into the gaming console business to begin with. Take over the living room and all that.

This gen looks promising, I won't lie, and I"m hoping to get a PS4 at some point in the future...

but compared to the PS3, all the PS4 offers is better graphics and a new controller. 360 to xb1 is a little better b/c the xb1 at least has blu-ray now...but you know, steve jobs' apple kinda did what MS wanted to do with the xbox, and they did it directly and not in a round-about-way, and for a fraction of the cost.

 

[purbeast0]

You've just moved the goalposts. My whole argument is that playing videogames as a hobby is a waste of my time when I could be doing countless other things. Playing Mario Kart with my kids qualifies as OTHER THINGS, because in that context it's not my hobby - it's playing with my kids.

Your obtuseness has been confirmed, though. Would it kill you to just take things at face value, or are you here just to be argumentative?

so playing video games single player qualifies as "playing video games" and is a hobby, but playing video games with your kid, does not quality as "playing video games" and is not a hobby, but rather "other things"?

okay gotcha...

so one of my hobbies right now is going fishing. i guess when i have a kid and take him fishing, i can no longer enjoy my hobby 🙁.

 

[purbeast0]

Well,

the new consoles are for the hardcore only...

Lots of people bought the PS3 b/c it was the cheapest blu-ray player on the market at the time. And also, the two consoles brought in streaming video capability that the previous gen did not have.

I should add that the streaming media stuff was MS's real strategic rationale for getting into the gaming console business to begin with. Take over the living room and all that.

This gen looks promising, I won't lie, and I"m hoping to get a PS4 at some point in the future...

but compared to the PS3, all the PS4 offers is better graphics and a new controller. 360 to xb1 is a little better b/c the xb1 at least has blu-ray now...but you know, steve jobs' apple kinda did what MS wanted to do with the xbox, and they did it directly and not in a round-about-way, and for a fraction of the cost.

the problem is you don't know what ps4 has to offer. it also offers live streaming, party chat, more organized/integrated store, and other stuff.

 

[desura]

the problem is you don't know what ps4 has to offer. it also offers live streaming, party chat, more organized/integrated store, and other stuff.

Evolutionary features. Welcome features, but evolutionary.

Those features I don't really see myself using or really caring that much about.

edit: and yes, it makes sense for sony to stay in the console biz...but MS I think has lost its original rationale, what with the emergence of the $35 chromecast and $99 AppleTV. Can windows phones throw video onto an xbox system?

 

[Skel]

Evolutionary features. Welcome features, but evolutionary.

Those features I don't really see myself using or really caring that much about.

edit: and yes, it makes sense for sony to stay in the console biz...but MS I think has lost its original rationale, what with the emergence of the $35 chromecast and $99 AppleTV. Can windows phones throw video onto an xbox system?

couldn't get people to jump on the PS4 vs X1 flamewar so now you're bringing in Apple?

 

[cmdrdredd]

Evolutionary features. Welcome features, but evolutionary.

Those features I don't really see myself using or really caring that much about.

edit: and yes, it makes sense for sony to stay in the console biz...but MS I think has lost its original rationale, what with the emergence of the $35 chromecast and $99 AppleTV. Can windows phones throw video onto an xbox system?

The chromecast and apple TV dont pass through cable or satellite TV nor play killer instinct. They aren't even close to the same market. MS is targeting the Xbox at gamers who also use other devices in hopes they see extra value.

 

[Dumac]

Well, no, it makes perfect sense. The shipped units numbers are basically what gets sent out to stores...which doesn't necessarily mean that it gets sold...but actual usage numbers from actual consumers are better data since they are the end-user.

No, it doesn't make perfect sense. It doesn't make any sense, actually. Checking browser statistics just lets you know about browsing habits of users. It doesn't let you know anything about the number of end user devices. The only way to know that is through sales, which you ignorantly reject.

Just saying. No one I know is gob-smacked crazy for these new consoles like people were crazy for previous console releases.

Anecdotal evidence? This is the HIGHEST SELLING LAUNCH PERIOD OF ALL TIME. Please try to understand that.

Look at the Wii U, and lackluster sales of the 3DS.

This is all because of Apple.

Bullshit.

First of all, the 3DS doesn't have lackluster sales. It started selling well after the price cut - better than the original DS. Or are you going to claim that the original DS had lackluster sales?

Secondly, just because something has bad sales (*cough* Wii U *cough*) doesn't mean you should blindly attribute it to Apple. The Wii U's sales can be due to a lot of things, such as poor marketing, poor design, or a lackluster library.

And you know what? with appleTV you can play iOS games on the big screen, and that I've realized is their console strategy

Who wants to play iOS games on a big screen? Who wants to play iOS games for a lengthy time in the livingroom?

Mobile games suck. They are shallow time-wasters for the masses, designed to suck nickels and dimes out of your mom. It is a completely different market. Mobile games don't even threaten handheld gaming as shown by 3DS sales, much less console gaming.

...and looking at the incredible rate of advancement in iOS processing...in a few years it will threaten these consoles.

...and anyone have any idea just how powerful the newest a7 is in comparison to x86 CPU's and desktop GPU's? If I had to guess, it's as powerful as a mid-range computer from like 2006

And what makes you think consoles and handhelds won't improve as well? Mobile phones will always be behind the curve, as the form factor requires. They aren't meant for sustained heavy lifting, nor are they meant to be graphics powerhouses. Battery life is key.

Well,

the new consoles are for the hardcore only...

Says who? At launch, only the die-hard get any console. Yet there is nothing inherently hardcore about the PS4/Xbox One, not to mention the record brekaing launch sales.

Lots of people bought the PS3 b/c it was the cheapest blu-ray player on the market at the time. And also, the two consoles brought in streaming video capability that the previous gen did not have.

That is a lot of conjecture. At $600, the PS3 may have been the cheapest blu-ray player but it wasn't cheap. Still only the early adopters of blu-ray got it. By the time blu-ray was mainstream, there were cheap $100 blu-ray players.

Not to mention the new consoles have a lot of new features on their own.

I should add that the streaming media stuff was MS's real strategic rationale for getting into the gaming console business to begin with.

Source?

This gen looks promising, I won't lie, and I"m hoping to get a PS4 at some point in the future...

but compared to the PS3, all the PS4 offers is better graphics and a new controller. 360 to xb1 is a little better b/c the xb1 at least has blu-ray now...but you know, steve jobs' apple kinda did what MS wanted to do with the xbox, and they did it directly and not in a round-about-way, and for a fraction of the cost.

PS3 was just PS2 with better graphics. I don't see your point.

 

[smackababy]

First of all, the 3DS doesn't have lackluster sales. It started selling well after the price cut - better than the original DS. Or are you going to claim that the original DS had lackluster sales?

The DS is the best selling handheld of all time. The 3DS had a price drop in its first 6 months due to it not selling very well. Compared to the DS, the 3DS has lackluster sales.

The DS has sold an average of 17 million units per year (and that includes years after the 3DS is sold, because it hasn't been discontinued yet and is still for sale). The 3DS is closer to 12 million, but it didn't pick up until a significant $80 price drop after the first 6 months.

 

[Dumac]

The DS is the best selling handheld of all time. The 3DS had a price drop in its first 6 months due to it not selling very well. Compared to the DS, the 3DS has lackluster sales.

The DS has sold an average of 17 million units per year (and that includes years after the 3DS is sold, because it hasn't been discontinued yet and is still for sale). The 3DS is closer to 12 million, but it didn't pick up until a significant $80 price drop after the first 6 months.

I talking about comparing how the 3DS and DS sold at launch. After the price cut, the 3DS got ahead of the DS in terms of units sold after launch.

 

[desura]

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/07/android-market-share-smartphone-users-google-apple

this explains better than I can the difference between "shipped" and actual end-user marketshare.

Anecdotally, I see fewer DS's nowadays than I did in the past.

Consoles are launched once and due to the huge cost of them don't get "refreshed" for like 5-8 years. the ipad seems to get a new faster chip every year.

 

[Dumac]

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/07/android-market-share-smartphone-users-google-apple

this explains better than I can the difference between "shipped" and actual end-user marketshare.

Yes, because PS4s are just sitting on the shelf in excess. 🙄

Anecdotally, I see fewer DS's nowadays than I did in the past.

Anecdotally, I see fewer iPhones than in the past. Probably 1/30 phones I see is an iPhone, but do I go out and claim Apple has a 1/30 market share?

Consoles are launched once and due to the huge cost of them don't get "refreshed" for like 5-8 years. the ipad seems to get a new faster chip every year.

And in the 7 years the PS3 has been out, iphones caught up right? No, they didn't.

Plus, it isn't as if console cycles are set in stone. If the market demands it, they can move faster.

 

[smackababy]

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/07/android-market-share-smartphone-users-google-apple

this explains better than I can the difference between "shipped" and actual end-user marketshare.

And, as you fail to understand, the shipped numbers from Sony and MS are mostly all in the actual end-users hands. There is a reason you can't buy an Xbox One or PS4 on Amazon. They don't have any of that 2 million units MS "sold". (They are expecting a new shipment on Dec 28th according to their site though).

So, the record breaking sales are actual sales. If they weren't, you'd have BestBuys and WalMarts filled with stock, yet their shelves are bare.

 

[Skel]

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/07/android-market-share-smartphone-users-google-apple

this explains better than I can the difference between "shipped" and actual end-user marketshare.

Anecdotally, I see fewer DS's nowadays than I did in the past.

Consoles are launched once and due to the huge cost of them don't get "refreshed" for like 5-8 years. the ipad seems to get a new faster chip every year.

I'm a bit confused if you're just a troll, or an Apple fanboy that's trying to say console gaming is dying because of the Ipad.

 

[blackdogdeek]

I'm a bit confused if you're just a troll, or an Apple fanboy that's trying to say console gaming is dying because of the Ipad.

It's the former. Possibly both.

 

[Wingznut]

Like, from the start, MS stated that the Xbox was about getting a foothold into people's living rooms. Except, right now MS has a box which costs $500 upfront, and even the last gen consoles still go for like $200. Meanwhile, the AppleTV is like $100 and the Chromecast is $35. Apple and Google are MS's biggest enemy, not Sony.

I tried playing Forza on my Chromecast... It was pretty terrible.

 

[desura]

I'm a bit confused if you're just a troll, or an Apple fanboy that's trying to say console gaming is dying because of the Ipad.

I'm not surprised that like 2 million units sold out. But I think sustained demand will be disappointing.

I do think that we will see the ipad start to threaten console gaming much like how the iphone and ipod touch have disrupted the mobile gaming market.

 

[smackababy]

Just putting this out there: AppleTV has sold a total of 13 million units. The argument they are even competing against MS is laughable. The AppleTV debuted in 2007 (2 years after the Xbox 360) and has sold around 1/7th of the 360s sales at 1/3rd of the price. In this past holiday Quarter, they've reported 2 million AppleTV units sold. So, they've managed to tie the Xbox One with no product shortage. Yeah... real big competition.

 

[smackababy]

I'm not surprised that like 2 million units sold out. But I think sustained demand will be disappointing.

I do think that we will see the ipad start to threaten console gaming much like how the iphone and ipod touch have disrupted the mobile gaming market.

What mobile gaming market? The DS sold 153 million units. The 3DS has sold around 35 million, and it is simply a derivative of the DS. The iPhone isn't killing Nintendo in the handheld market.