Why the Xbox isn’t living up to expectations

The Xbox 360 is a wonderful machine, everyone knows about its 500mhz custom ATI processor and its Supertetraflop Giga Nanite .. Hyper Drive… or whatever… but why doesn’t anyone seem to really give a shit? Why was the original Xbox launch a thousand times more exciting than what happened with the 360? Why has Microsoft created another product that, although widely used just like Windows, people just love to hate? It’s simple, the Xbox doesn’t give you what you want, it tells you what you want.

Now hold on here just a second, you may be saying, the Xbox is a good machine and I own one and I totally play Halo as much as humanly possible after school or work. Yeah that’s okay, I’ll repeat myself… the system itself isn’t flawed, it’s the way the system was branded. It’s the way the product was handled. Let me give you a phrase which will hopefully clarify the situation.

Microsoft is a Bully

Everything can be summed up with the phrase above. You may whine now, it’s all business, and that I’m being biased because I hate the corporate machine. You’re wrong. I love Windows, I do trust Microsoft products to an extent, but I also love Sony and Nintendo. I love the corporate world, they give me so much of what I want and more, I will be the guy who picks out the name-brand piece of clothing over the generic brand.

So what’s this have to do with the Xbox 360 not living up to expectations?

Glad you asked. In an interview with The Associated Press, Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said analysts were expecting bigger spikes in sales of Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system but revealed that Microsoft expects to see more of a ramp-up throughout the course of the year.

Mistake Number One: The 360 Shortage

It is no secret that Microsoft hyped the holy living hell out of the 360 system, and yet they failed to capitalize on the momentum they created by creating not enough systems to meet the demand. Some would say this was a marketing ploy, if everyone got their systems on the day of release there wouldn’t be a hurricane of press announcing that everyone was happy. Oh no, some say they purposefully masterminded a plan to get as much headlines as possible. “Xbox 360 Sold Out in stores around the City” would be read in bold print somewhere in the newspaper, in the gaming magazines, on websites. Radio shows, Television shows, and websites would give out lucrative chances to win an Xbox 360… weeks and weeks of advertising… for absolutely free.

Who gets left out in the cold, you do. Cold and miserable, on the rainy night of the release only the first handful of fans got their consoles. You had your money in hand, and you had nothing but soggy shoes to show for it. You had to wait weeks if not months if you didn’t already fall prey to eBay.

Mistake Number Two: It’s a Playa.

Xbox… is an ass. Instead of earning respect as a strong system, with a memorable backlog of games, and an unforgettable experience… you get a system that has virtually no identity. You get a system that strongarms companies to be assimilated, no… the system never earned any respect, it bought it. As a result most of the games on the system are nothing spectacular. None of the games are anything we’ve never seen before. There is no Final Fantasy to define the system, there is no Mario, and there is no Sonic. Halo, while it may be fun, is largely based on the same old game we’ve been playing for years like Unreal Tournament or Half Life.

Sega had a history, Nintendo has a history and the Sony Playstation has a history. Xbox just kind of, jumped in at some point and yelled something about being cool and sat around banging a bunch of companies and getting them pregnant. There is a reason Final Fantasy needs little or no advertisement, where Halo does. Final Fantasy is a game that is spread by word of mouth, and the sales are amazing. Halo is a game you need to be told to enjoy; you need advertisements to tell you it’s the game to play. It’s not really THAT amazing.

Mistake Number Three: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

In short, one of the main reasons the Xbox is doing so poorly in Japan, is because it doesn’t conform to the interests of the gaming community there. The land of RPG’s isn’t getting any, why should they bother picking up the system? Some would say it was a form of Japanese snobbery that has dealt the system a crushing blow, but I would say that they really don’t give a shit about First Person Shooters. Take your pick, but you know I’m right. If an American company won’t even conform to a foreign interest, why should those foreign interests bother picking up the American system?

When you play the 360, you’re playing several different forms of First Person Shooters, a platformer, and graphically updated sports games. It’s the same crap as last year, but prettier. Wake up.

Mistake Number Four: Arrogant sons of bitches

If you’ve ever attended a press conference concerning the Xbox, you’d notice one thing. They make fun of the other companies. While you may argue it’s just a bit of joshing around, no harm done, it definitely leaves the company with a sour taste in your mouth. The traditional marketing for the Nintendo and the Playstation try to focus solely on the system, the Xbox decides to try to impress you by belittling the competition with snide remarks. Not only did they have to buy their respect, they also have to make fun of the ones who earned it.

Now before you jump on my back, I honestly have nothing against the system itself, it is worth repeating that I hate the marketing which I feel actually takes away from any positive the system has to offer. You may say, well the 360 is selling quite well… take THAT up your ass and smoke it. But what system WOULDN’T sell well given the amount of media attention and marketing put behind it. I just happen to think it was the wrong type of marketing message.

Why was the original Xbox launch more spectacular than the 360’s? They had the mystique of being the fresh-faced new comer, they were humble with their launch, and they played things cool and calm. I would like to think the general public respected that. Deep down, we all know when others are acting a little too haughty, and I would like to think that this was why the 360 isn’t living up to its hype.