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News is not good over at camp Xbox. People weren't very impressed by the games on show recently, and worse still, the ones that did look half decent have been revealed as having been seriously doctored!
Reports also suggest that Square and Enix won't be developing for Xbox, so that won't please the console RPG fans. It looks like Japan is turnung it's back on it too. It's too big for their homes! Further to this, they may end up loosing the name Xbox!
So is it all over before it's begun for Microsoft?
Theyve got a lot of work to do before E3, otherwise they'll be completely overshadowed by the GameCube. And surely Sony will have some big projects announced to make that the console to choose over the Xbox.
I think half of the problem is that there doesn't seem to be anything inspirational in the games hes showing. There doesnt seem to be much new, so why buy it?
Any suggestions for Billy Boy?
Reports also suggest that Square and Enix won't be developing for Xbox, so that won't please the console RPG fans. It looks like Japan is turnung it's back on it too. It's too big for their homes! Further to this, they may end up loosing the name Xbox!
So is it all over before it's begun for Microsoft?
Theyve got a lot of work to do before E3, otherwise they'll be completely overshadowed by the GameCube. And surely Sony will have some big projects announced to make that the console to choose over the Xbox.
I think half of the problem is that there doesn't seem to be anything inspirational in the games hes showing. There doesnt seem to be much new, so why buy it?
Any suggestions for Billy Boy?
The Xbox's future does look very bleak as you point out, but I'm afraid this won't stop them making a come-back. Most people will argue that many of the greatest consoles have had their hiccups in the primary stages of distribution, such as the PS2 pre-ordering fiasco, however, the Xbox is Microsoft's first dive into the 'Great Console Race'. Having seen the previous failures of other companies such as Atari and Sega, I reckon the marketing department at Microsoft will have some kind of contingency plan to make their transition as smooth as possible. Now they have unleashed the Xbox to the worlds press, Microsoft can't really back down to Sony and Nintendo through fear of loosing face in the public eye. They have promised a console 3 times faster than the PS2. This has already dropped to 2.5 times as fast according to recent reports from Microsoft, however, this speed is still an amazing feat. The 'Gamestock' festival Microsoft laid on was only a minimal success. Punters weren't especially impressed with the graphics presented to them or the games line-up. We must remember that the Xbox is still in development as are the games. There will be plenty of tweaking between now and the launch day.
Microsoft do still have an ace up their sleeve: their excellent line-up of games developers, including previously PS2-loyal firms such as Konami. Also, the world famous Metal Gear series will be rearing its ugly, metallic head. Sega are one of the latest games producers to sign-up, promising games such as Sonic and Crazy Taxi.
All of this is great in the eyes of Microsoft, but the fate of the Xbox will not be decided by the software. Or even the hardware for that matter. The area that Microsoft need to concentrate on is selling the Xbox idea to the Japanese. Our gaming friends in Japan are, to put it bluntly, die-hard games fanatics. You would imagine that the thought of a console more powerful than the PS2 would cause more disruption than an eathquake measuring 8.5 on the reichter scale striking during rush-hour in Tokyo! But the response on the Eastern front has been very subdued. The Japanese are strong believers that small is beutiful. The Xbox is not! Being much larger than the PS2, the Xbox was deemed too big and hefty by the Japanese public. This will mean a dramatic fall in sales for Microsoft in Japan. Japanese games investors will pull out of the deal and leave Microsoft in the lurch for new software.
Overall, the future of the Xbox is very uncertain. It will either be a massive hit world-wide or a total failure. There will be not in-between. Maybe Mr Gates has tried to put his fingers in too many pies!
Microsoft do still have an ace up their sleeve: their excellent line-up of games developers, including previously PS2-loyal firms such as Konami. Also, the world famous Metal Gear series will be rearing its ugly, metallic head. Sega are one of the latest games producers to sign-up, promising games such as Sonic and Crazy Taxi.
All of this is great in the eyes of Microsoft, but the fate of the Xbox will not be decided by the software. Or even the hardware for that matter. The area that Microsoft need to concentrate on is selling the Xbox idea to the Japanese. Our gaming friends in Japan are, to put it bluntly, die-hard games fanatics. You would imagine that the thought of a console more powerful than the PS2 would cause more disruption than an eathquake measuring 8.5 on the reichter scale striking during rush-hour in Tokyo! But the response on the Eastern front has been very subdued. The Japanese are strong believers that small is beutiful. The Xbox is not! Being much larger than the PS2, the Xbox was deemed too big and hefty by the Japanese public. This will mean a dramatic fall in sales for Microsoft in Japan. Japanese games investors will pull out of the deal and leave Microsoft in the lurch for new software.
Overall, the future of the Xbox is very uncertain. It will either be a massive hit world-wide or a total failure. There will be not in-between. Maybe Mr Gates has tried to put his fingers in too many pies!
What kinda Duck?
A Duck In A Truck?
A Duck In A Truck?
The X-box sounds like its big enough!
:-)
:-)
We could always take out the insides of the consoles, and sail the world in them.
XBox stands at the counter.
"...and an S1 please, the Crispy Duck,that's with 6 pancakes"
"...and an S1 please, the Crispy Duck,that's with 6 pancakes"
News is not good over at camp Xbox. People weren't very impressed by the games on show recently, and worse still, the ones that did look half decent have been revealed as having been seriously doctored!
Reports also suggest that Square and Enix won't be developing for Xbox, so that won't please the console RPG fans. It looks like Japan is turnung it's back on it too. It's too big for their homes! Further to this, they may end up loosing the name Xbox!
So is it all over before it's begun for Microsoft?
Theyve got a lot of work to do before E3, otherwise they'll be completely overshadowed by the GameCube. And surely Sony will have some big projects announced to make that the console to choose over the Xbox.
I think half of the problem is that there doesn't seem to be anything inspirational in the games hes showing. There doesnt seem to be much new, so why buy it?
Any suggestions for Billy Boy?
Reports also suggest that Square and Enix won't be developing for Xbox, so that won't please the console RPG fans. It looks like Japan is turnung it's back on it too. It's too big for their homes! Further to this, they may end up loosing the name Xbox!
So is it all over before it's begun for Microsoft?
Theyve got a lot of work to do before E3, otherwise they'll be completely overshadowed by the GameCube. And surely Sony will have some big projects announced to make that the console to choose over the Xbox.
I think half of the problem is that there doesn't seem to be anything inspirational in the games hes showing. There doesnt seem to be much new, so why buy it?
Any suggestions for Billy Boy?