# All not well with Microsoft?



## Cayal (Nov 6, 2008)

Interesting things I've read recently...most of it unconfirmed.

However, the 360 hasn't been selling well this year, mostly coming in 3rd weekly/monthly overall.

To add to those woes is they are now being sued for concealing the failure rate of the XBOX 360 (The Red Ring of Death)

Microsoft sued for concealing Xbox 360 failure rate News - PC Advisor

To add to that, Microsofts two biggest games are Gears of War and Halo.

They have a two game contract with Epic for Gears of War (1 and 2), however there is now rumours further games will come to PS3 and to add to that, Bungie - the makers of Halo who are now independant - are apparently having some issues with Microsoft and may look into games on other consoles.

Gameplayer - Bungie and Microsoft Drifting Apart (page 2)

Things are certainly not well with Microsoft's gaming division, with criticism of it not bringing out new IPs, rather trying to steal from Sony or copying what is already out.


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## Lenny (Nov 6, 2008)

I may be wrong, but I think Bungie are enjoying a so-called "Second Party" status. Rather than being a first party dev, as they were with MS, or a third party dev, they're second party - Microsoft gets a first look at their games, and if they don't want them then Bungie are free to take them to other consoles. I'm not sure if this is contractual or just an agreement, but I can remember it being said when Microsoft let them go.


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## Cayal (Nov 7, 2008)

They are fairly angry at Microsoft when they didn't show their game at E3 but rather at TGS08. But I believe the article said they are looking at other avenues.

It will be interesting, however they are known for one game so we will see what else they can produce and what for.


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## Ice fyre (Nov 12, 2008)

I think the only reason I would even consider buying an X-box is for Fallout 3 which looks brilliant.

I feel there is no way I can even consider buying a console for one game as I havent seen anything apart from Fallout3 worth buying. All I see are driving games and games like GTA, which quite frankly I detest. I have tried various games on it and as of yet found nothing I like that I couldnt get for another console.


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## Highlander II (Nov 12, 2008)

Ice Fyre - I wouldn't even grab a 360 for Fallout3 - b/c it's available on PS3 and PC also.  You just need to have a new-enough PC for F3 to run.  (I, sadly, don't, thus my not currently playing it  )


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## Cayal (Nov 12, 2008)

I'd get a 360 for Gears 1 and 2 and Mass Effect.

Hopefully Mass Effect 2 will be multi.


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## dustinzgirl (Nov 12, 2008)

I love my 360. And we bought it used and broken off ebay, switched the registry name to ours, sent it to Microsoft, they fixed it cuz it was within the three ring warranty....so we got it for about a hundred dollars. 

I love Mass Effect, and I'm hoping for 2 to be just as awesome. 

I do wish that there were more two player games without split screen, it would be a lot easier for the kids to play more without the arguments over who's turn it is. 

Microsoft also lost ten thousand 360's when a DHL shipment train derailed. 

However, this isn't the only place where sales are slowing badly, its also in cars and housing, so I don't think its entirely the 3 ring problem. PS3 and Wii are also slowing.


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## Armadillo-002 (Nov 13, 2008)

I think Microsoft it trying to get the attention of the Japanese gamers but run the risk of alienating the western gamers by getting all the games that appeal to the masses rather than the ones who made it a releative 'success' ie the western gamers.


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## Armadillo-002 (Nov 13, 2008)

why don't they focus on what made them popular; games like Fable II (action-adventure-role playing games genre) rather than JRPG who are going to disappear in the next couple of months.


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## Cayal (Nov 13, 2008)

Armadillo-002 said:


> I think Microsoft it trying to get the attention of the Japanese gamers but run the risk of alienating the western gamers by getting all the games that appeal to the masses rather than the ones who made it a releative 'success' ie the western gamers.



Gears 2 and Halo 3 show Westerners are not alienated.

But the Japanese don't care for X-Box either.


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## Armadillo-002 (Nov 20, 2008)

You seem to miss what am saying Cayal, Microsoft have SPENT millions of $$$$, trying to get major japanese developers on their system. Why would a major US conglamorate would want to spend major $$$$ on developers, who have a complete different work ethic to them, unlesss they see major investment in tapping in to the masses. As in the case of the Wii.


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## dustinzgirl (Nov 20, 2008)

Armadillo-002 said:


> You seem to miss what am saying Cayal, Microsoft have SPENT millions of $$$$, trying to get major japanese developers on their system. Why would a major US conglamorate would want to spend major $$$$ on developers, who have a complete different work ethic to them, unlesss they see major investment in tapping in to the masses. As in the case of the Wii.



Um...a whole bunch of games and designs for video game technology comes from Japanese companies, always has and always will. Pay attention to your loading screens when playing games and see how many times Atari pops up, for example. 

They spend money on Japanese developers because Japanese developers know their stuff, are willing to work 80 hour weeks, and are culturally  more loyal than their Western counterparts. Hundreds of sociocultural studies have been released examining this (I wrote the abstracts for a few of them...shhhh). Most of them boil down to: Japanese workers whine way less than US workers and are cheaper because of it. I'm not trying to stereotype, its just published in sociology papers (then again, most of anthropology and sociology are stereotypes, lol). Not to mention that Japanese developers are more effective, efficient, and generally better than Western developers. 

The Japanese companies started the gaming craze. Its only right they still be part of it. 

Alone in the Dark and Dragonball Z---made by Atari, and they friggin rock. So was Test Drive, which is kinda fun to play while waiting for NFS:Underground to come out.
Atari - US

It has absolutelty nothing with trying to break into the Japanese 360 market, but the 360 did top the market through Sept in Japan. Sony, however, is the best seller in Japan....as is Nintendo...historically speaking way better than MS 360..

Because they too, are Japanese companies!!

And Japan has been making video games since before many of us were born. They didn't make the first video game, but they made them better.


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## Armadillo-002 (Nov 22, 2008)

mmmmm... you do strike points dustingirlz, what am saying is, the real reason why microsoft ditched the original XBOX was because it ONLY attracted the hardcore bunch (mainly PC gamers), who have made their way to the console scene; you just have to look at the majority of the XBOX games and see what they are catered for. Now that MS have suddenly decided to go for major japanese developers, who under normal circumstance would be developing for the PS3, are now appearing for the XBOX 306, hence appealing for the massess. Games like Final Fantasy would probably never be a major success on the XBOX 360 format (not as big as on the PS3 anyway) to say Halo 3 or Gears of War 1&2 both on which are coincidentally FPS and sell well.

What am saying may come across as dividing the spectrum, but really just seeing what type of games seem to do well on which format and countries. 

As for efficiency, spot on, they whine less, knuckle (no pun there, lol) down and put more effort in to their work more than most of the western companies do.


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## Urlik (Nov 24, 2008)

it looks like MS are getting a bit desperate in the UK
I've lost count of the number of multi platform games that MS have advertised as if they were 360 exclusives
only last night there was an ad for Fallout 3 but instead of the usual shot of boxes for PC, PS3 and 360, there was just the 360 box and then it went to a shot of the 360 itself.


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## Cayal (Nov 24, 2008)

I got that ad down here (at least for Fallout 3). But I see it as free advertising for Sony.

I mean, someone has a PS3. Sees Fallout 3 thinks it is on xbox 360 - goes to the store/looks it up online to get more info on the game - sees it is also on PS3.

But, Sony's problem is lack of advertising for games.


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## Durandal (Nov 25, 2008)

dustinzgirl said:


> Um...a whole bunch of games and designs for video game technology comes from Japanese companies, always has and always will. Pay attention to your loading screens when playing games and see how many times Atari pops up, for example.
> 
> Alone in the Dark and Dragonball Z---made by Atari, and they friggin rock. So was Test Drive, which is kinda fun to play while waiting for NFS:Underground to come out.
> Atari - US
> ...


 
Hang on, Atari is not and never has been a Japanese company.


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## dustinzgirl (Nov 25, 2008)

Durandal said:


> Hang on, Atari is not and never has been a Japanese company.



Well that just blows my whole theory out of the water, I think I was confused with another game console thing, or something. 

But yeah, so lame, the typings of me.


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## Cayal (Nov 25, 2008)

It just sounds Japanese.


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## dustinzgirl (Nov 25, 2008)

Cayal said:


> It just sounds Japanese.


I think I was thinking about Sega, but said Atari. Or something. Who knows? Sometimes I'm a dork.


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## Cayal (Nov 25, 2008)

dustinzgirl said:


> I think I was thinking about Sega, but said Atari. Or something. Who knows? Sometimes I'm a dork.



So am I. But my girlfriend loves that about me.


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## Urlik (Nov 25, 2008)

Cayal said:


> I got that ad down here (at least for Fallout 3). But I see it as free advertising for Sony.
> 
> I mean, someone has a PS3. Sees Fallout 3 thinks it is on xbox 360 - goes to the store/looks it up online to get more info on the game - sees it is also on PS3.
> 
> But, Sony's problem is lack of advertising for games.


 
but if someone doesn't have a console and sees that ad, they might think that the game is a 360 exclusive and base their console purchase on an ad that misleads them into thinking they can only get that game on the one console.

everybody is so used to seeing all the available formats shown at the end of the ads that when this ad only shows 360 it gives a false impression.

FO3 isn't the only game they do this with, just the latest


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## Armadillo-002 (Nov 25, 2008)

The Atari Jaguar sucked big time!!!, flopped to the megadrive, how embrassing that must have been. Well credit has to be given to the XBOX/s for lasting this long in the gaming industry, most western consoles don't do that well e.g. Gizmondo disappeared in 6 months or so.


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## Rahl Windsong (Dec 30, 2008)

Ice fyre said:


> I think the only reason I would even consider buying an X-box is for Fallout 3 which looks brilliant.
> 
> I feel there is no way I can even consider buying a console for one game as I havent seen anything apart from Fallout3 worth buying. All I see are driving games and games like GTA, which quite frankly I detest. I have tried various games on it and as of yet found nothing I like that I couldnt get for another console.


 
I am playing Fallout 3 on the PC and it is a really good game, though Fallout fans of the past seem to think it took directions that do not belong in the Fallout series.

However I have a different approach to that, and that it is very hard to go back. Like try going back to the neighborhood you grew up in and see if its the same way you remember it, it never is.

You can never go back and find the same things you did the first time around, however you can move forward and discover new things and Fallout 3 is really very cool if you take that approach to it.

Plus just like Oblivion it has an editor and there are mods already coming out for it. If the mods go like they did for Oblivion then Fallout 3 will have a very long life because Oblivion is still going strong.

As for all not well at Microsoft, they are such a HUGE company that I really don't think the xbox 360 could cause them to go under. It would be a blow to them for sure but their main business is still operating systems and applications.


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## Antilles (Jan 1, 2009)

Maybe with the current global economic state, people just are not buying game consoles?


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## Cayal (Jan 4, 2009)

I think Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony posted profits from their gaming division and increase of sales from last year.



Rahl Windsong said:


> As for all not well at Microsoft, they are such a HUGE company that I really don't think the xbox 360 could cause them to go under. It would be a blow to them for sure but their main business is still operating systems and applications.



The gaming division has (or had) lost them billions. I don't think the original X-Box profited and with the RROD on the 360 they have had to shell out billions on extended warranties.


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## dialibra (Jan 12, 2009)

yo what shall we do build another plat from


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## Cayal (Jan 12, 2009)

The developers of Braid release a 360 theme that they wanted to give away for free...Microsoft said no and charge people for it.


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## Urlik (Jan 12, 2009)

Cayal said:


> The developers of Braid release a 360 theme that they wanted to give away for free...Microsoft said no and charge people for it.


 
not only did they charge for it, when the Braid developers said a price of 800 points, MS upped it to 1200


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