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The competitive landscape for games consoles is more complex than ever. Against this backdrop, Microsoft is poised to reveal its next generation console with the target of standing out not only from Sony and Nintendo, but also from Apple, Google and Samsung and the multitude of alternative devices, platforms and channels that are encroaching on the established home entertainment industry.
IHS identifies three core strategies Microsoft needs to reveal on 21st May:
1. Take Xbox Live To The Most Popular Smartphones and Tablets
Core to maintaining console-device relevance in the home entertainment device battleground is engaging the audience on personal devices that are either used around the home or out and about. This means making Xbox Live services and content available on Apple and Google OS devices, as well as Microsoft's own Windows Phone and tablet products. IHS is looking for Microsoft to reveal a comprehensive roadmap which takes the current companion app strategy and delivers consumer access to Xbox Live-based video, music and games content on the most popular smartphones and tablets.
Microsoft must aggressively support competing smartphone platforms with its new Xbox strategy because of the weakness of its own mobile efforts. In 2013, Apple's iPhone and Google's Android will together represent 91% of the installed base of smartphones worldwide. By contrast, Microsoft's Windows Phone platform will decline to just 3% of the smartphone base from its 20% share in 2005, the year the Xbox 360 launched.
2. Double Down On Games and Interactive Content
Since the launch of the Xbox 360 in 2005 as a pure gaming machine, Microsoft pioneered the evolutionary role of the console as a hub for home entertainment. Now in 2013, Xbox 360 is one of many devices that serve video, broadcast and music content to the home. While it becomes increasingly hard to differentiate in broader entertainment terms, Microsoft continues to be very strongly positioned across high-end games content and online games services. This games offering anchors the broader entertainment positioning of the Xbox platform and will provide a defensive perimeter against potential new market entrants such as Apple and Google in the TV gaming space. As such, IHS will be looking for a heavier accent on high-end and exclusive games experiences than we have seen from Microsoft over the last two years.
Microsoft saw its console installed base market share increase from 14 per cent for the Xbox to 31 per cent for the Xbox 360 pursuing a strategy centred on the gamer.
3. Deliver Innovative & Exclusive Entertainment Experiences
Aside from games exclusives, which will continue to hold significant sway with early adopters, Microsoft has the tools and opportunity to deliver innovative entertainment experiences at the intersection of broadcast, video content and interactive entertainment. Dual-screening and play along experiences using Xbox SmartGlass, a next-generation Kinect interface and 'interactive' broadcast content - particularly sports - are all areas where Microsoft could carve out a unique role in the market setting it aside from the competition. IHS believes that a combination of smaller exclusive offerings taken together will help provide Microsoft marketing ammunition to drive next-gen Xbox sales.
What Else Do We Want To See?
- Make the platform easy to develop for and port to - to remove barriers to platform entry by content partners, to compete with smartphones and tablets that are easier to develop for
- Open up the publishing process for games - to remove barriers to platform entry by content partners, to compete with other, more open, distribution channels
- Adopt freemium monetisation models for games - to enable audience engagement, flexible monetisation and alignment to other high-growth games segments
- Develop a roadmap for the introduction of streaming games content and services - to allow impulse purchase of content, allow try-before-you-buy demos and corner the high-end on-demand experience to the living room
- Offer day and date digital availability of AAA games - to drive high margin digital sales to offset smaller packaged games sales
- Extend the subsidised pricing strategy for Xbox Live subscribers to other territories - to offset incoming competition from cheaper TV gaming devices
- Wrap social discovery features around Xbox Live - to leverage multi-screen deployment of Xbox Live and drive user engagement and acquisition
- A new user interface that successfully reflects a next-generation experience but that is also aligned to existing Metro UIs - to maintain UI consistency across Microsoft products
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This is the selling point I'm looking for. If they don't have any exclusives worth having (key word: exclusives) I'll be jumping ship on the brand over to Sony. I can get a smatter of crappy content on any device, no reason to force my hand to XLive if it doesn't give something amazing for the price.
I'm actually more worried that no one is going to focus on the games and me and my family will abandon console gaming completely.
Otherwise I see nothing here that is going to make people jump and crave these next gen boxes.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone .0056160
That's always been the problem with VR, from all the positive talk I read about OR I presumed that wasn't so much an issue.
The XBox/PS are all about offering cinematic gaming experiences, that's the only area they can call their own. The current generation of XBox players want to play games with graphics that mobiles just can't match. Now having said that there's definitely room for change in the revenue models, with F2P perhaps being brought more to the fore.
It's interesting though that for all the advancement in the power of the new Xbox, players are still going to be complaining (and rightly) about lag in online games. That's the area that needs to be next gen.
I agree about the lag in online games. Not sure if it should be the main focus, but it needs work.
Also for god's sake make the console use a color other than Black and White.
I asked several parents. They groaned at the $500 price point. Which astonished me, because these are the same people buying tablets, phones, and ipods. Parents are buying current gen consoles without hesitation and the rumors of no B/C is greatly affecting their decisions to pass on November.
2) What I really want to see from Microsoft is renewed interest in more Japanese games. I appreciate that there aren't going to be (m)any 5 million+ sellers in that category, but it's a thing that the 360 started off doing, then abandoned, and now it's something that is almost exclusively the domain of the PS3. It's a lame thing to forefeit when there are still interesting 360 games getting left in Japan.
Consoles market are usually for the core gamer audience and most of the major things suggested are either marginal to their main buyers and in some cases, they will enrage them, like freemium pay-to-win models.
In the end Core gaming is what will always make or break a console. So the main point should be the "Make the platform easy to develop for and port to" and "Open up the publishing process for games"
Also, investing more into first party game development (since these are assured to be exclusives) and try to cut some deals for juicy exclusives from third parties.
At that point, and only at that point, if you have spare energies you may start to think about xbox live on cellphones and tablet but in the end.. with what features? just checking on your xbox live friends?
You can't possibly hope to play high end games on those devices.)
http://www.xbox.com/