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Xbox Portable for E3 2009
I've never really done predictions but I just wanted to consider one possible announcement Microsoft could make at their E3 presser on June 1st. I'd do the PS3 and Wii as well but since I only own an Xbox 360, I think I have a better chance of getting this right than if I made predictions for the other consoles.Let's consider the different rumors:
Xbox and Zune integration
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Zune in June
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Along with this consider the company's reticence going head-to-head with the iPhone by launching its own hardware. The Windows Mobile philosophy has always been "our software, your hardware". I don't see Microsoft breaking away from this and getting embroiled in yet another hardware battle for mobile devices. I think the company is planning on a backdoor entry to the consumer handset market just the way they used the Xbox to get into the home entertainment market.
What we'll possibly see is an Xbox Portable Zune phone, not positioned as a competitor to the iPhone or the Palm Pre but as a competitor to the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. Think less iPhone (though it will definitely compete with the iPhone) and more Nokia's N-Gage.
What do they get out of this?
- They already have a legion of Xbox 360 owners who would pounce at the device for portable gaming.
- They will capture the existing Zune users (are there any?) and potentially sell them on the Xbox 360 (depending on the level of integration).
- They will have another pitch against Sony for its PSP/PS3 combo.
- They will have a play in the mobile phone market without giving an impression to the WinMo partners that the ZuneBox will canabalize the sales of other devices: Hey, it's just a portable gaming device!
- It can't hurt their position in the marketplace given how much the company has gained from its Xbox business (while losing billions).
I'm not going to be standing in line to buy one of these. Atleast for now, I'm very satisfied with my iPhone and really don't see doing a lot of mobile gaming in the coming year. What do you think?
2 Comments:
Here's what I think.
If MS is releasing a Zune-Portable or an Xbox portable in _Q4_ 09, then it would have already lost momentum, seeing as it is that the iphone is shaping up to be an awesome mobile-gaming platform.
Consider this list:
1) SimCity 3000
2) Oregon Trail
3) Secret of Monkey Island
4) Myst
All are now available _only_ on the iphone and nowhere else. (alright, except for #3; they're re-releasing it for PC and Xbox as well)
Here's the point I'm making: these are all 'classic' games, titles recognizable by gamers of a certain age (aka folks who discovered PC games in early 90's) The iphone is as perfect a platform there is for these games: the processing power of an iphone is roughly equal to a desktop-with-VGA from that era. Now combine that with touchscreen / accelerometer capabilities and you've gotten yourself a bloddy good platform.
Unlike hardcore gamers, 'Classic' gamers are an untapped audience; they've mildly played these at some point, but for one reason or another, have moved away from gaming in general. Now you offer them a slice of their childhood in mobile-size pieces, they're bound to slurp them up.
Which is to say, they already are: come November, neither LucasArts/ EA nor the audience would be interested in getting to a new platform all over again, with or without OLED screens.
By 
The Cydonian, at August 11, 2009 4:57 PM
Akshay's alive and commenting! I haven't checked here in a while but I'm gonna be posting pretty soon.
Anyway, you're right (as seen by the recent announcements). Fortunately for Microsoft, they have multiple platforms they can leverage. So the only way they can make these things work is by proper integration with their other platforms.
I think MS loses out since it's generally a slow mover. The opportunity for a better mobile device for gaming is still there because accept it or not, the core audience will need some convincing before they give away traditional controls in favor of touch-based controls.
I personally thought that the N-Gage was an interesting idea but the execution was horrible. They could've had sets of N-Gage branded devices providing proper conversion. How difficult is it to add traditional gaming controls on a slide-out keyboard? How difficult is it to come out with a proper device that ensures that we don't carry around additional gadgets in our pockets.
Unfortunately, except for the boys at Apple no one has really addressed these questions.
By 
Farooq, at September 28, 2009 5:41 PM