Comments on: What is Microsoft? http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/20/what-is-microsoft/ A veteran's view on marketing games Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:53:25 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Bruce http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/20/what-is-microsoft/comment-page-1/#comment-38 Bruce Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:45:58 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/20/what-is-microsoft/#comment-38 Great comment!! I think that Microsoft would do well to go after the 192 million members of MySpace by enhancing the social networking elements of Xbox Live. They are in a position to create a vastly superior offering and this would offer a richer experience than AI. Great comment!!
I think that Microsoft would do well to go after the 192 million members of MySpace by enhancing the social networking elements of Xbox Live. They are in a position to create a vastly superior offering and this would offer a richer experience than AI.

]]> By: Evan http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/20/what-is-microsoft/comment-page-1/#comment-36 Evan Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:04:37 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/20/what-is-microsoft/#comment-36 Thank you for the interesting take on Microsoft. I think the the approach of focusing on software and services, rather than hardware, is probably smart, given that hardware tends to become commoditized over time for most applications. And Microsoft did a good job of capturing an early lead in the online arena with Xbox Live. However, it remains to be seen if Microsoft can maintain that lead -- Sony's online content and services have been impressive, in some ways more innovative, recently than those of Microsoft. If nothing else, Sony has shown that it is not going to cede the online space to Microsoft without a bitter fight. I also wonder how much online services enter into most gamers' decisions about console purchases. I recently read an analyst report that indicated that the overwhelming bulk of gamers valued the single player experience over the online experience. Conventional judgement seems to hold that as gamers gain experience, they will increasingly move to online play. However, I am an example of a gamer that jumped into online play early, but find it increasingly less attractive as single player AI improves. As the power of the consoles improves, it seems to be less necessary to put up with the hassles of online play because AI is approaching the point at which it is as good (and one day might be better) than the experience of playing against other people. Of course, AI cannot replace the social experience of interacting with other people online, but I am unwilling to pay money for that interaction when I can find other online ways to get that for free. Thank you for the interesting take on Microsoft. I think the the approach of focusing on software and services, rather than hardware, is probably smart, given that hardware tends to become commoditized over time for most applications. And Microsoft did a good job of capturing an early lead in the online arena with Xbox Live. However, it remains to be seen if Microsoft can maintain that lead — Sony’s online content and services have been impressive, in some ways more innovative, recently than those of Microsoft. If nothing else, Sony has shown that it is not going to cede the online space to Microsoft without a bitter fight.

I also wonder how much online services enter into most gamers’ decisions about console purchases. I recently read an analyst report that indicated that the overwhelming bulk of gamers valued the single player experience over the online experience. Conventional judgement seems to hold that as gamers gain experience, they will increasingly move to online play. However, I am an example of a gamer that jumped into online play early, but find it increasingly less attractive as single player AI improves. As the power of the consoles improves, it seems to be less necessary to put up with the hassles of online play because AI is approaching the point at which it is as good (and one day might be better) than the experience of playing against other people. Of course, AI cannot replace the social experience of interacting with other people online, but I am unwilling to pay money for that interaction when I can find other online ways to get that for free.

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