• 23Jul 07

  Xbox 360's sales plunge

  It seems finally Microsoft is starting to pay for bringing their monopolistic ways to the world of gaming consoles. 360's sales plunged 60% in the fourth quarter. I bet the losses will continue to mount when more and more people like me, trade their 360's for PS3 games and accessories or the PS3 itself.

  It just does not pay to support a company that has lied to all of us by rushing a defective product to the market.

  • Posted Jul 23, 2007 5:05 am GMT
  • Category:
  • 0 Comments
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 13Jul 07

  Microsoft: Game Over

  It has been almost two years since the Xbox 360's launched and up until a couple of weeks ago, it was nothing but smooth sailing for the first next generation console in the market. Sure, the Wii has outsold the 360 consistently since its launch, but most people may argue that the Wii is not really competing for the same market as the 360 is.

  Microsoft's console has the sales, the games and an excellent online service. It has the ingredients to win this generation's race. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the design flaw on their console has finally surfaced and they can no longer hide it from the public. The news could have not come at a worse time for the company. It was just a few days ago when they admitted that 11.6 million of their consoles are faulty. Instead of initiating a recall, they made a feeble attempt to appease their customers by extending their warranty to 3 years.

  This is view by some as a bold move by the software giant, but not by me. Extending the warranty does not really solve the problem for 360's owners like me. Sure, if I do get the 3 rings of death I will get my console repaired for free. The thing is that my console does not really need a repair, does it? My console needs to be redesigned. No customer wants to buy a product to go through the hassle of having to return it for repairs. That is what it is: a hassle.

  Microsoft's attitude resembles that of the Big Tobacco Companies. Let's just get customers without much regard for the aftermath. Sure, I am under no delusion about Nintendo or Sony. They are not charitable organizations, but they do seem to care more for their customers.

  In part, Microsoft's attitude is understandable; after all they are used to being a monopoly. Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for us consumers, the console market is all but a monopoly. They cannot just sell a "lemon" and tell the customers: "do not worry, we promise we are going to make it all better.

  Even though some people might think this problem will go away, I doubt it. I think we are just seeing the beginning. It will not be long before the lawsuits start appearing. As a matter of fact, lawsuits have started for other issues with Microsoft's console.

  If you ask me, I think Microsoft has lost momentum, not only because of the hardware failures, but because of porting exclusives like Gears of War. Now, PC owners will be able to play 360's 2006 flagship, and will be able to play it with more content that will not be available for the console's version.

  On E3 2007 things looked dull for Microsoft. Most of the games shown were multiplatform coming also for the PS3.

  On the other hand, Sony seems to have taken this opportunity to take a punch to its main competitor by reducing the PS3's price by $100 and doubling its sales. Adding to Microsoft misfortunes, this year's Sony conference brought jaw dropping exclusives like Killzone 2, Heavenly Sword or MGS4, and that is without counting timed exclusives such as Haze or UT3, which will not come to the 360 until next year and when it does, will be a crippled version without the capability of installing user created mods.

  Sorry Microsoft, but you have disappointed me. I wanted to keep my 360 as a complement to my PS3; now I am just trading it for PS3 games and accessories. I just cannot risk getting a bricked console just to enjoy Mass Effect (which I am sure it will come to the PC within the year anyway).

  Game over Microsoft.

  
  • Posted Jul 13, 2007 12:19 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
  • 1 Comment
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 29Oct 06

  Things look brighter under the Sun

  Well, since my last blog post I have been playing some more on the 360 and I must admit that things are looking a lot better for the Xbox 360.

  It took a year after launch but I am finally enjoying all the new games coming out. Dead Rising was a blast and with a very original game play, it kept me busy for a while. Test Drive Unlimited is an excellent driving game, even with all its flaws on the multiplayer department. Splinter Cell Double Agent is amazing. True, frame rates can really drop at times, but all in all the game play and the graphics are pretty good.

  Well, I think I have learned my lesson: never buy a console when it’s just out. Better wait 9 months to a year to get things warmed up. I am looking forward to Gears Of War now.

  I was going to get a PS3 at launch, but I think I am going to wait a bit, until there are more titles to play with. I am still getting it of course, but I do not want to make the same mistake I made with the 360. All consoles have a poor lineup of games at launch and to be honest, apart from Resistance, the PS3 is no different.

  By the way I just read a post on the PS3 forum that said: “Fanboys: The end of gaming”, or something along those lines. I think it’s not the fanboys that ruin games; it’s the trolls that need to put down other people’s hardware to make them feel better about themselves.

  • Posted Oct 29, 2006 8:06 am GMT
  • Category:
  • 0 Comments
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg

See Previous Blog Posts