The end of an era?
Microsoft is exiting the game console business, one of several "Trojan Horse"
efforts to gain access to the TV in the family room. Remember Web TV?
A quick search on Google reveals many articles about the imminent death of the
game console business, with calls for all of the major players to pull the
plug. What has caused the demise?
Clearly casual gaming on mobile devices has been a factor. The high priced
console games have always had limited appeal, and some gamers prefer tricked
out PCs. The industry tried to expand the appeal by attempting to turn the
consoles into a front end for entertainment on the big screen. Sony Play
Station Vue is a good example, although the service also allows access via the
new mobile screens. Microsoft even offered a board with Cable Card capability,
but we all know how Cable Card failed to capture much of the market...
In the end, it looks like Moore's Law and economics caught up with the game
consoles. When first introduced the X-Box and Play Station offered the most
advanced graphics processors in any consumer platform. Today's smart phones and
tablets now offer similar capabilities. But the ability to sell tens of
millions of low priced and/or ad supported games to the masses was the final
straw. Developers turned their attention to this new market and left the
console market to the few remaining first person shooter franchises.
RIP...
Regards
Craig
http://www.polygon.com/2016/4/20/11468032/xbox-360-production-ending-microsoft
Microsoft ending Xbox 360 production
Microsoft has stopped manufacturing new Xbox 360 consoles, the company
announced today.
"Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft," said Phil Spencer, head of
Xbox. "And while we've had an amazing run, the realities of manufacturing a
product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us."
Spencer added that Microsoft "will continue to sell existing inventory of Xbox
360 consoles, with availability varying by country." The Xbox 360's current
retail price is $199.99, in a bundle with a 500 GB system and a copy of Forza
Horizon 2.
Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 on Nov. 22, 2005, in North America; the console
turned 10 years old last November. That same month, Microsoft added Xbox 360
backward compatibility to the Xbox One, a feature the company had announced at
E3 2015.
Spencer noted that Microsoft will continue to support the Xbox 360 for the
foreseeable future, with full Xbox Live services for apps and online gaming;
free Games With Gold titles; deals for Xbox Live Gold subscribers; and hardware
support. However, Microsoft's third-party partners have begun to retire Xbox
360 services, such as ESPN, which shut down its app on the console last month.
"The Xbox 360 helped redefine an entire generation of gaming at Microsoft,"
said Spencer. "I am incredibly proud of all of the work and dedication that
went into development of the Xbox 360 hardware, services and games portfolio
over the last decade. And I'm grateful to the fans for their continued passion
and support."
To take a trip back through time, check out Microsoft's unveiling of the Xbox
360 during "MTV Presents Xbox: The Next Generation Revealed," a half-hour
special that aired May 12, 2005, on MTV.