Console Wars Thread! PS4 vs. Xbox One vs. Wii U Fight!

Except those numbers are awful for Xbox One. The system is available and no one is buying. PS4 doubled it while also still being supply constrained. Could you imagine if the ps4 were as readily available as the One?

 

I agree. I think MS needs to come out with a few games that gets people really wanting to buy an XBone.

I love the Kinnect, I'd have paid the extra $100 for it even if it didnt come with the system. But it's time MS come out with something for the Kinnect that made undecided buyers really want the system.

 

Yeah, I think they possibly could be going this route, but if so, I think it could be a very poor decision (especially if it results in "sacrificing" the gaming market). Right now, the PS3 is a better multimedia device, and there are a bunch of other competing devices in this area (including one coming from Amazon and other huge "behemoths"). All generally cheaper than the XBO.

I'm not sure MS has the unique must-have content/services that would allow for this business model to take off. Plus you wouldn't necessarily have to target fewer systems sold with this approach anyway. Trying to sell more games (and more systems for those games) doesn't really interfere with these plans (and in fact, it should strengthen it).

Selling half the systems, receiving substantially lower software sales (including for your first party games), fewer XBL subscriptions, etc., can result in a pretty big drop in revenue.

This is always an issue with the launch of systems. To be honest, I think both platforms are doing very well. Somewhat subjective (and I'm going off of memory), but I think the game libraries for both are quite a bit better than most systems at/around launch.

Sure, they do need more games (and content in general), but things look good now, and both have some great things in the pipelines. I do admit it sucks that some of that stuff isn't out NOW though...but that's just me being greedy and impatient.

 

My point was more along the lines that if XBO only sells as well as the original XB (~25M globally), there will be panic. Not that there's necessarily panic right now. Though I imagine there could be some uneasiness. Certainly the PR team has their work cut out for them (and they are doing a great job of making me distrust any numbers they give).

As long as XBO continues to struggle in sales (especially in the US), there will be thoughts of the Kinect being dropped. A price cut is likely the best way to increase sales, and the Kinect would be the best way to allow for such a price cut. I know you think quite highly of the Kinect, but clearly a lot of people do not. Perhaps MS can just convince people it is worth it, but generally it isn't a good sign if you have to work this hard to convince people your product is worth it.

 

Just a minor point, but I am actually fairly convinced that PS4 was still supply constrained in January (still doesn't even have great supply now from what I can tell). Though that said, I'm not sure that it would have sold something ridiculous like 800K or whatever if they were able to meet demand. Just under 300K is a pretty high number for January sales anyway (though it is hard to have an apples-to-apples comparison).

Great post though. Said much of what I was thinking.

 

Sorry for quadruple post, but didn't want to post all these things in one giant post.

Here's a complete list of numbers (from NeoGAF):
PS4: 271K
XB1: 141K
3DS: ~97K
PS3: ~53.5K
Wii U: 49K
360: ~48.5K
Vita: <17K

 

http://www.ibtimes.com/eliminate-xbox-one-bing-surface-says-microsoft-investors-1554691

On Feb. 4, Microsoft appointed 46-year-old Satya Nadella to the coveted position of CEO. The multimedia giant hopes Nadella will lead company efforts to unify practices and products across the brand’s software, services and hardware divisions. Recently, a number of Microsoft investors told the new CEO and the company's board of directors that they should cancel endeavors like the Xbox One next-gen gaming console, search engine Bing and the Surface tablet.

“Microsoft's Windows division has been facing shrinking profits; last year, the unit pulled in a net $9.5 billion, down from $11.6 billion in 2012 and $12.3 billion in 2011,” said the Washington Post. “Company filings suggest that the drop is largely attributable to declining demand for Windows among consumers, even as sales of Windows to businesses remain strong. The same division also reported a $900 million loss on unsold Surface tablets. The online services division, which oversees search engine Bing, reported a loss of $1.3 billion in 2013 -- less than the previous year but still in the red.”

Two shareholders have been pushing for the Redmond, Wash.-based conglomerate to leave behind “non-essential” product lines so Microsoft can readily focus on its primary source of income -- selling software to businesses.

Last November, CEO hopeful Stephen Elop, a former Nokia CEO, was rumored to believe the Xbox brand should be cut loose as well. Although the Xbox 360 is considered to be one of the most popular video game consoles of all time, Elop may view the brand as unprofitable. Bloomberg’s inside sources reported that Elop “would also consider selling healthy businesses such as the Xbox game console if he determined they weren’t critical to the company’s strategy.” During ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s last shareholder address on Nov. 19 last year, he called the Xbox brand a “reflection of what is possible when a company, our company, is united under a common vision.”

“Some investors have suggested that Microsoft spin off its money-losing consumer products and focus solely on the enterprise,” stated the Washington Post. "Even the Xbox deserves to go," Paul Ghaffari, the wealth manager for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, said in 2013.

What could this mean for Xbox fans? Eliminating the gaming brand has been proposed to Microsoft ever since the company’s business-oriented products reached high sales while customer-focused endeavors outside of Windows and Office saw a halt in sales. Without Bing, the Xbox and the Surface, Microsoft wouldn’t have to continue to spend billions of dollars on research and development.

Do you think Microsoft will eventually eliminate the Xbox brand?

 

Don't think they'll ditch it, especially at this point. I could see maybe years ago (or...maybe many years from now if things get really bad), but not now. IIRC, Gates will be more involved, and of course he's a big proponent of the Xbox platform. I got the impression Nadella is a fan as well. It is a good business, assuming they deliver a solid product.

I think the shareholders who are pushing for the this change have been doing so for years, so not sure there is really much new about this.

 

I paid $440 for the xbox one and gave to my chick for valentines day. Now I can have the damn TV back.

 

Man, the Vita is DOA. Maybe I can get one of the OLED ones cheap somewhere.

Looks like MS didn't learn the lesson that Sony had to learn last gen. You simply can't be that expensive, or at least that much more expensive than the competition. I still think they'll be 'fine' in the end, much like PS3 was, but more than likely the pendulum has swung again and Sony will lead in sales numbers this gen.

It really is a shame the Wii U is struggling as much as it is. In all honestly it does the same things the Wii did -great first party games, a unique controller and ****ty support for everything else - but in a better package. They'll be a distant third but still have some good games. Next time around they need to consider getting their hardware and most especially online structure up to par with the other two.

 

Anybody who thinks that Microsoft will abandon Windows Phone, Windows 8, Bing, Xbox or any of their other major product lines is clueless.

Xbox is not just a console any more, it is a content delivery system and gaming experience built in to every product - including Windows 8 and Windows Phone. It is also a leading global brand.

Bing is the #2 search engine in the world, and isn't just a search engine anymore. It is the backbone of Kinect, Windows Phone, Windows contextual search, and the upcoming Cortana. It is a learning decision engine, not a search engine.

Xbox One will do just fine in sales numbers. Again, even if it "loses" to PS4, it will be the #2 in the market and the one consumer facing product that has cultural recognition. Movies, TV shows, etc refer to "Xbox" far more than "Playstation." Regardless of what tech blogs and gaming forums say, Xbox greatly strengthens Microsoft's brand.

Windows 8 is the future of Windows (from the engineering perspective), and they will continue to refine it to improve the experience... but it isn't going away. Microsoft knew years ago that Windows 8 wouldn't sell as well as Windows 7 because, especially considering tablets are now the go-to device for most consumers. Also, countless enterprise clients are just now getting off of XP for the April 2014 deadline.

Windows 8.2 or 9 will get wide enterprise acceptance because of the integration with Server 2012 and future versions. It is a no-brainer to upgrade from an IT infrastructure perspective once you get past legacy systems support (the largest cost to most IT infrastructures). Integration with the Azure platform will also be integral for millions of medium and small businesses.

Windows Phone is the solid #3 contender and still rising. The upcoming enterprise pack will further the push to the business, and the merging of Windows RT and Windows Phone will help deliver the security aspect needed to finally replace RIM in government and HIPAA Compliance based businesses. Mobile is the future, and Microsoft's CEO made it a point to say as much.

Surface was meant to be a wake up call to Microsoft hardware partners. A, "here is our best shot - beat it" move. And it has worked. The quality of Windows-based devices have gone up tremendously over the past two years, even as PC sales across the board (including Apple) have declined.

TL;DR - Microsoft's unified vision and plan is working exactly how they expected. Microsoft has and continues to be running a long-game. They aren't a company that jumps on immediate trends to capitalize on the fickle consumer market. Microsoft is going to be just fine.

 

These type of articles "quote investors," as their sources. Well, anyone who owns a single share is an investor - and can have their opinion on how the company is run. It doesn't mean they have any say whatsoever in the matter.

The only investors who have a meaningful "say" in how a company is run are those that own enough shares to affect the board of directors. The vast majority of those investors, are Microsoft founders - and/or loyalists. So good luck wooing enough of them to get a change passed at the board of directors level. Then, once they get the majority of the board of directors, they have to convince the company that a new CEO would be needed. Microsoft has had a total of 3 CEOs, so again - good luck.

There is a reason investors don't run the companies they own. They'd run the vast majority of them in to the ground.

The internet is stupid.

 

Ding, ding, ding! You hit it on the head sir. Microsoft is selling the 4 screen experience (tablet, phone, TV, and PC). If MS flees from this we are left with a business and consumer PC company that has no chance of expansion into the higher margin products. It essentially will typecast MS for years to come. The Surface is gaining ground, WP is gaining ground, the Xbox is number two in a three console market, all these divisions might not be leaders yet but they have been MS's first glimpse of success outside the office/server/windows families.

 

Yeah, according to Internet rumors, all 3 companies will quit making games/gaming platforms, and Apple/Amazon/Google/Samsung/etc. will take over gaming.

Each company has its weaknesses (and poor business decisions), but don't think any one of them would do better by changing their general philosophies anytime soon.

Agreed with pretty much all of this. As well as PS4 seems to be doing, Vita is doing...not so well. I *guess* it might get a small bump as Sony continues to push Remote Play and PS Now...but that is overly optimistic. I suppose it shouldn't be a huge cost to Sony (I think it might be profitable just on the hardware alone at this point?), but I'm not sure if they can really dedicate much of their resources to the portable market anymore. PSP did OK in the end, but they are really struggling in this area. Better to just focus on PS4/consoles/PS Now, especially given the troubles across the company.

Yeah, XBO will probably be fine. Both Sony and MS seem to have much more profitable business models this time around, so you can be OK without selling 60M+ consoles. It is indeed a marathon and not a sprint, but XBO has dug itself a hole that will be hard to get out of. Unlike Sony, their platform isn't as well received in other regions, so it will be interesting to see how MS handles things if they struggle a bit in the US. Maybe they will find some ways to make headway in other regions?

A Nintendo console with similar hardware (and online services) as XB/PS would be pretty awesome. Sad that Nintendo seems to be taking so long to understand (and deliver on) that, but maybe they'll figure it out eventually. Given their continued success in the handheld market (unlike Sony), they can really do some interesting things with their platforms.

 

Thank you for sharing your opinions.

I too do not believe ms will eliminate xbox in the next a couple of years.

Also I think people do not need to worry about xbone not reaching the sales numbers of the original xbox.

 

My issue with the Vita (the only one I've had since I bought it really) is that every time they announce a new game, it's a ****ing JRPG. If you want *Americans* to buy your device, you might want to get some western games on there. Borderlands 2 will be nice, but I'm really only buying it because I want a decent shooter. Also it's like 2 years late.

 

I think shooters are best to be played on PC, consoles are pretty bad and handhelds are even worse.

As for the lack of US typeof games on Vita yea totally. ms is much better at this. They got quite some exclusive JRPGs in order to gain market in Japan and they got exclusive content on FIFA in order to gain market in EU. No matter these moves helped or not, at least they were trying hard.

 

Vita came at a wrong time. People who would have purchased Vitas are buying Nexus 7s, iPads, and little kids want iPod Touches.

 

That's your opinion. I've competed nationally on PC and console in FPS...I like both. I also like them on my handhelds, the sticks on the vita are great. I played Killzone: Mercenaries and it was quite good...I just traded it cus I wanted a PS4 game and Gamestop was offering great trade in deals.