The fine folks over at Xbox recently announced over forty new media apps that were going to be available on either Xbox® One or Xbox 360™ – and sometimes both. This announcement (along with the super cool one that talks about being able to support external hard drives like our Backup Plus Fast) really helps to position the Xbox system as THE entertainment epicenter of the living room. This is a strategy that Microsoft started when they released the Xbox 360 back in 2005. (Man, I feel old right now.)
But what about the games, have they become secondary?
When you look at the launch titles for Xbox One when it released last year, it was definitively missing that “must have” title to help push console sales. Even now, as we head into the premiere event for the video game industry, E3, will there be anything announced as the break-out title that will help push the console past it’s arch rival and current industry leader PlayStation®4?
I know people who’ve held off buying the new system for the fact that they felt there wasn’t enough compelling games worth the high price tag. Now that Xbox One has come down to $399, it’ll be interesting to see if these folks sing the same song or will change their autotune.
As an entertainment platform, Microsoft’s strategy makes sense. Giving consumers a central system to access all of their entertainment could put them in a great industry-leading position. Not to mention it makes the living room cleaner when not dealing with various streaming devices, cables, etc. That is, assuming everyone adopts this strategy. Gamers are an interesting lot and rarely do they have just one system. You can thank studio exclusives for that.
E3 will be interesting to watch this year. Last year it was all about the system because it hadn’t released yet. It was about showing off the processing power, the graphics and all the other bells and whistles that come with having a new tech toy. This year should be different and more about what you can play on it versus what you can watch on it.
My expectations for Team Xbox to prove that the Xbox One is still a viable video game system are high. Are yours?
[…] ever really be ready for a show like the Electronic Entertainment Expo? As I referenced in this post, it’s a big question on whether the Xbox® One is still a viable gaming platform as opposed to […]