May 15, 2005
More predictions coming true
Well remember when I said that XBox has been losing lots of money simply because they expected to make it all back in games, and they're not? Well I have been saying that for a long time, but I never actually wrote about it on here, which discourages me. Either way, the point is that Microsoft has lost, on average, between $200 and $300 for every XBox sold, and then they hoped that by having charges for internet play and expensive games that they'd make it all back. They didn't. In an attempt to get more money back, they intiated a downright stupid plan, which was to make everyone who had placed a modchip (a device which allows systems to play illegal copies of video games) have their XBox turn off and never turn on again. They did this by making their most popular game (Halo 2) do this if a modchipped system connected to XBox Live. This made a few people buy new XBoxes, but they didn't buy too many new games, and they didn't need new subscriptions to XBox live. The result was more along the lines of lots of people hating Microsoft a lot more, and stopped buying XBox crap.
So what you say? Well, the XBox 360 was just annouced as being ready to come out sometime this winter (November or December), and it looks like there is one interesting feature about it: It sucks even more than the current XBox. Basically this system has no benefits over the current XBox (as far as hardware is concerned), and will have a ton of features that make it easier for them to charge you for getting onto XBox live. According to PJ McNealy of American Technology Research, "This is more an Xbox 1.5 than an Xbox 2. It's like an Xbox with a broadband cash register built in." They're also still debating whether or not XBox 360 will be able to play XBox games. Think about that: four years of games being trashed for no apparent reason. In addition to not making any money from these games anymore, they'd also remove any incentive for any game producers to make any more games for XBox this year. It'd also remove any incentive to buy any more XBox games this year. Well, I actually hope that they don't put any backwards compatability in it just so that no one buys it and no companies invest in it and the whole system is fucked. Man I hate XBox.
As a side note, does anyone else think it looks like a giant tampon? Anyone?
Anyway, since I missed yesterday this may come as a surprise for some of you, but the next part of hhgttg goes up today! Hooray!
Posted by Kickmyassman at May 15, 2005 10:01 PMMaybe you should join my secret underground movement to kill Xbox and just buy one, and then subscribe to Gamefly.com.
That would, if I am correct, cost them the $200-300 and then starve them of game money almost entirely.
And besides there ARE some can't-miss titles like Psychonauts which are really original. It's a win-win-lose situation!
A sleek, shiny metal tampon.
2 ft. square. With multi-media applications.
You could train a fetus to play Halo!
Personally, I'm waiting for Nintendo 21, or whatever they are going to call it. It WILL have backwards compatibility, and (so I've heard) a revolutionary control system involving lasers. I dunno, I really think (and hope) that this one will rocka my socks.
Posted by: Sam G at May 16, 2005 03:58 PMAbsolutely- but again it's all in the games. Nintendo released a very competitive system in the Gamecube but the fact that it is unable to obtain a comparable quality and amount of media for its system is the reason Nintendo has fallen to last place in console sales.
Then again, lasers are always awesome- but who's going to be the first company to release a console WITH A MOUSE AND KEYBOARD?
Well, that would be... SNES for mouse, Dreamcast for keyboard and mouse. I think some dude named Bill Gates has a whole line of them though...
Posted by: Sam G at May 16, 2005 09:24 PMThey actually did make a system that was basically a computer which emulated all the different OSs so that you could play computer games on a very fast computer, but they didn't sell for a number of reasons.
Posted by: kit at May 16, 2005 10:42 PMSo far nintendo's console is looking to be the sexiest console. Better than xbox360's tampon and ps3's refrigerator appearance. But thats kinda cool if nintendo does some sorta revolution. As long as they dont majorly mess it up, which could easily happen.
Posted by: Andrew at May 17, 2005 06:45 PM