Restaurant Wars

I write this a mere three hours after Microsoft's big Xbox press conference. It represents my collected thoughts at the time, not a Nostradamus-esque foretelling of exactly how it's going to be. Everyone else is busy talking about specs, games, rawkin' graphix, connectivity, online issues … fine little details that will change a hundred times before any actual launch. I'd rather take a few steps back and see where Microsoft has decided to steer the ship.

I had two thoughts Tuesday while watching the Xbox One reveal. The first thought was that Microsoft and the rest of these console companies really need a fashion consultant to properly dress them before they go out on stage. Seriously, Donny baby, call me! I'll even do it pro bono. No longer will you have to face the shame of your jacket flapping in the breeze as you walk across the stage, or sharing the stage with a Doctor Who underling who paired a suit with Chuck Taylors.

The second and more relevant thought I had while watching the press conference was that Microsoft has chosen to pursue a very specific core demographic with this launch. I am not in it.

And that's okay.

Console gaming has traditionally been like eating a family-style meal: Everyone sits at the same table, eating from the same dishes. Sure, there may be some variety —  Platform Beans definitely taste different than Country-Fried RPG — but ultimately, it's the same people sitting down to the same meal. We could argue about why this has been the case: technical limitations, a relatively small pool of gamers, teeny tiny marketing budgets. But this is clearly no longer the case. New restaurants open up every day, promising new cuisines. Not just cuisines, but entirely new styles of eating. Imbibe by touch screen! Waggle your waiter! Share an asynchronous meal with someone halfway 'round the world!

New restaurants naturally bring in new diners. Those who found the family-style Grandma's Kountry Cookin' unappetizing find ever more options to entice them to the table. As the pool of diners expands in both size and demographic makeup, it allows increasingly specialized restaurants to break into the market and remain financially viable. Who would have thought ten years ago that AngryBucks would be on every street corner in America?

To finally break this tortured analogy, the game is changing. The combination of growth, demographic shift, and technological innovations allow for more profitable specialization that diverges from the main Console Borg. The Wii U doubles down on the Wii's insistence of carving its own niche and converting Octogenarians and families at the expense of "core gamers." The Xbox One, judging by Tuesday's reveal, pushes that divergence even further.

The first niche of gamers Microsoft excluded in the unveiling was, well, everyone outside of America. Perhaps turning the console into a honest-to-goodness cable box appeals to some people, but functionally it's not going to be very applicable across the board — even more so when you add on things like fantasy league integration (depending on which specific sports they target). Considering the 360's truly abysmal sales in the Eastern Hemisphere, this is not a surprising move — but it is still one that targets a much tighter demographic than a standard "game console" would do.

The second section that they eschewed in the conference was the, uh, "non-dudebro" demographic. Unlike some here on the writer staff who shall remain nameless, [Ed. note: He means Sean Sands.] I don't typically participate in things like Corona keg stands. I'm not passing judgement on those who do, [Ed. note: Yes, he is.] but highlighting nothing but major EA Sports titles and the new Call of Duty — to say nothing of a Halo TV series — clearly targets a very particular person.

And that's okay.

I get why Microsoft is drilling down this far. My day job is as a marketer and product manager, so I understand the important concept of accurately identifying and promoting to your core consumer. Microsoft will likely sell fewer consoles with this tactic, but they will also decrease what it costs them to market it. I don't begrudge them their decision. I may feel a twinge of pathos as I bid a fond adieu to my beloved console, but I can't deny it's simply where the market is headed. It's not like they haven't telegraphed this decision, with Halo-branded Mountain Dew and Doritos, or pictures of people playing Halo while eating Mountain Dew-flavored Doritos and drinking Dorito-flavored Mountain Dew.

I'm sure that the Xbox One will have other game types on it. The built-in upgraded Kinect — an announcement that my Dance Central-loving brain cheered — poises the console to break new ground just as the Wii U did. However, the complete and utter lack of Kinect integration into any of the actual games shown was disturbing. Will such games exist? I'm sure they will eventually, but it would be nice to see the Kinect thrive as more than a glorified remote control. I almost wish that it was on a different console, as I think the XBro One!!1!1 and the Kinect don't have much in common.

I guess there's always the PS4. Or Ouya. Or … who knows? The market is growing.

Yes, still growing. It's true that video game revenue has cooled from its meteoric rise a bit, but it's still increasing at a healthy clip. This growth creates more room for growing market segmentation. One person compared it to a muscle, which in order to grow stretches and creates fissures in the tissue itself, which are later filled in by newly-created cells. In order for growth to continue, it's not unreasonable to expect a more segmented console space.

And that's, well, I guess it's okay.

At some point we may feel that our favorite hobby has left us behind, abandoned us by the roadside while they chase people with more money or more highly prized by advertisers. We could become a "gap generation," if you will. But, as with muscles, those gaps will fill in eventually. Personally, I'm not worried about being left behind, even though I too sometimes feel the sting of a single tear as I wave forlornly at the Doritos Bus passing me on the street.

We will all get picked back up by someone, at some time. I don't know what that will look like. It could be a console specifically engineered to enjoy point-and-click adventure games in the most ergonomic way possible; it could be a premium service that selectively culls and cultivates games with the most thoughtful, engaging narratives; it could be whatever the PS4 winds up being. At this point it's impossible to tell.

And that's okay.

Comments

Minarchist wrote:

Although it's somewhat tangential to this discussion, Leigh Alexander's Gamasutra piece about the reveal is relevant. Trends are pushing people away from larger TVs and computers and more and more mobile. Didn't it feel a bit like many of the "extras" Microsoft pushed at the reveal are going to be outdated the second they hit store shelves? Or do you agree more with the guy who wrote the rebuttal, who oddly has almost the exact same initial viewpoint as I but goes off the rails a bit in inventing a target market that I'm not sure exists?

It's not even a difference between TV and mobile, it's about how many devices can do all these things. When Xbox 360 first got Netflix it was amazing. Now everything has Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, etc. The only difference is the Xbox One will be $400 minimum and require an Xbox Live Gold subscription. A subscription that could once be justified, but now makes little sense.

The more I think about it, the worse I think Microsoft's marketing is misplaced. The only thing that justifies the price of an Xbox One (or the theoretical one, but I cannot believe they'll release more cheaply than a Wii-U Deluxe) over a Roku Box is the fact that it plays games.

And the people that would buy it to play games aren't happy right now.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
agentwred wrote:

Let's face it, the best of them (Dark Souls, Dragon's Dogma, etc.) did come to the xbox, and there is no reason they won't continue to.

Dark Souls and Dragon's Dogma might have been multiplatform, but it isn't difficult at all to name JRPGs that were PS3 exclusive, especially if your tastes are more niche. The trend in Japan has not been toward more multiplatform games but toward more exclusives for the PS3 and (increasingly) the 3DS, PSP, and Vita. Dark Souls and Dragon's Dogma are the exceptions, not the rule, and while some of those PS3 exclusives might fall under your umbrella of "crappy" JRPGs, they're important to some people and not so easily dismissed.

I would also add that Dragon's Dogma and Dark Souls are more in the style of a Western RPG (only further proving how silly defining a game's genre by its country of origin is), and neither are truly known for their story-telling prowess.

I'd argue there were other JRPG's that were more notable this generation. Problem is I've only played a handful myself, but I do know I'd count The Last Story and Xenoblade as some great games this generation and neither were even on a hardcore uber-processing system.

lostlobster wrote:

We've all known for years that MS and Sony want their consoles to become entertainment hubs. Why is everyone acting like this was some horrible "switcheroo" that they've played on gamers?

Perhaps because these are suppose to be and are marked as gaming consoles?

Tenebrous wrote:
lostlobster wrote:

We've all known for years that MS and Sony want their consoles to become entertainment hubs. Why is everyone acting like this was some horrible "switcheroo" that they've played on gamers?

Perhaps because these are suppose to be and are marked as gaming consoles?

"Supposed to be". Says who? Were MS and Sony explicitly charged by God to make game consoles? You might want them to be this or that, but they'll make whatever they think they can sell. That started as game consoles in the 90s, and now it's gaming/media centres.

Anyway they still play games, so there's your second concerned addressed.

Gravey wrote:
Tenebrous wrote:
lostlobster wrote:

We've all known for years that MS and Sony want their consoles to become entertainment hubs. Why is everyone acting like this was some horrible "switcheroo" that they've played on gamers?

Perhaps because these are suppose to be and are marked as gaming consoles?

"Supposed to be". Says who? Were MS and Sony explicitly charged by God to make game consoles? You might want them to be this or that, but they'll make whatever they think they can sell. That started as game consoles in the 90s, and now it's gaming/media centres.

Anyway they still play games, so there's your second concerned addressed.

Gad, chill out. These things are called gaming consoles, therefore people expect games to be at the forfront. The name sets expectations. That was all I was explaining. Why do people have to overreact about these sort of things?

ranalin wrote:
agentwred wrote:

The thing is, the fans of these games will find them; they don't have to be spoon fed info about the games like the...fine dangit! I'll say it...dudebros have to be.

lol seriously? the whole superiority complex about who plays what type of games around here is starting to wear thin.

You mean I am not superior because I only play indie flash games with unicorns?

I'm with you ccess - I dropped $100 on a Roku2 last year, and so far, the only media thing it doesn't do better than the Xbox 360 is YouTube (because Google pulled the official app from the Roku marketplace).

Its also been 2 years since we cut the cord and dropped our cable TV package - I could care LESS about the media features in the Xbone, because I've already got another device that eats the 360's lunch when it comes to media connectivity.

McIrishJihad wrote:

I'm with you ccess - I dropped $100 on a Roku2 last year, and so far, the only media thing it doesn't do better than the Xbox 360 is YouTube (because Google pulled the official app from the Roku marketplace).

Its also been 2 years since we cut the cord and dropped our cable TV package - I could care LESS about the media features in the Xbone, because I've already got another device that eats the 360's lunch when it comes to media connectivity.

My big question this fall will be whether I update my PC & get a Roku, or replace the PS3/360 with a next generation console.

Tenebrous wrote:
lostlobster wrote:

We've all known for years that MS and Sony want their consoles to become entertainment hubs. Why is everyone acting like this was some horrible "switcheroo" that they've played on gamers?

Perhaps because these are suppose to be and are marked as gaming consoles?

You've cut out the first part of my post when I point out that MS has promised that their E3 will be about games for the new console and yet people, you included, seem to consistently ignore that fact and continue to claim that MS has forsaken games and gamers. The XBox One plays games. This is known. Claiming anything else is manufacturing drama.

Sorry, posted twice.

Tanglebones wrote:
McIrishJihad wrote:

I'm with you ccess - I dropped $100 on a Roku2 last year, and so far, the only media thing it doesn't do better than the Xbox 360 is YouTube (because Google pulled the official app from the Roku marketplace).

Its also been 2 years since we cut the cord and dropped our cable TV package - I could care LESS about the media features in the Xbone, because I've already got another device that eats the 360's lunch when it comes to media connectivity.

My big question this fall will be whether I update my PC & get a Roku, or replace the PS3/360 with a next generation console.

I am about there myself. I may even skip the Roku because I have my TV hooked directly to my computer now.

lostlobster wrote:
Tenebrous wrote:
lostlobster wrote:

We've all known for years that MS and Sony want their consoles to become entertainment hubs. Why is everyone acting like this was some horrible "switcheroo" that they've played on gamers?

Perhaps because these are suppose to be and are marked as gaming consoles?

You've cut out the first part of my post when I point out that MS has promised that their E3 will be about games for the new console and yet people, you included, seem to consistently ignore that fact and continue to claim that MS has forsaken games and gamers. The XBox One plays games. This is known. Claiming anything else is manufacturing drama.

When did I ever say they forsook gamers? Let me quote myself:

Gad, chill out. These things are called gaming consoles, therefore people expect games to be at the forefront. The name sets expectations. That was all I was explaining. Why do people have to overreact about these sort of things

To make it even more clear, what you call a thing marks expectations. If Microsoft was marketing a chocolate bar, but its initial marketing emphasized its caramel core, it is still a chocolate bar, but pure chocolate lovers might get the wrong idea.

Looks like I need to read up on what a Roku is.

....so, why would I want that instead of a laptop connected to my TV? The only content on that page I use regularly are PBS and Ted.

Keithustus wrote:

....so, why would I want that instead of a laptop connected to my TV? The only content on that page I use regularly are PBS and Ted.

Because it's easier to use than a laptop. Same reason you'd have a console hooked up to your TV instead of a PC. Some people prefer ease of use to power and broad utility.

ranalin wrote:
agentwred wrote:

The thing is, the fans of these games will find them; they don't have to be spoon fed info about the games like the...fine dangit! I'll say it...dudebros have to be.

lol seriously? the whole superiority complex about who plays what type of games around here is starting to wear thin.

I'm not saying all people that play Halo know nothing else about game or don't follow them, but I do know that many of them are far less aware than us on here. I have many friends who I play games with who, as the years go on, are less and less aware of smaller, less marketed titles. And many of my friends who are big nerds and big gamers, and totally not dudebros, are big Halo fans.

So I stand by my statement of that the fans of certain types of games--fighters and JRPGS (while I'm not the biggest fan of these, many of my friends are fans of both of these genres)--are more likely to actively search for information on games than a large segment of Halo fans and COD fans, I somewhat agree on the comment about the superiority complex.

Huh. I just have my expandable-upgradeable-fixable computer hooked up to my 50" plasma TV. With a controller. I'm set.

agentwred wrote:

like the...fine dangit! I'll say it...dudebros have to be.

IMAGE(http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i453/czpv/DBA_zps58b745d4.jpg)

agentwred wrote:

And Mateo, the console business has never cared about computer gamers. If you would rather play your game on a computer, than you are going to play your game on the computer. If you don't care about the hassle of using a computer, then you don't care about the convenience of playing on a console. That's been true for 20 years and is not going to change.

I'm aware, but the Xbox One has to be understood in relation to the rest of the Microsoft ecosystem.

Microsoft wants people to be able to use applications, files, and games across all platforms. It's their version of Apple's ecosystem lockin.

So, think about that for a moment. If it has to be cross platform, then you lose a lot of gaming depth-it has to translate across whatever interface the gamer wants to use.

That means big content MMOs are going to be things of the past, in favor of the sort of MMO-lites we now see clogging the App stores.

Maybe, just maybe, we get more MMO-ish RPGs likes Dragon Age, or Skyrim, but they will have to be further dumbed down to appeal to One's apparent demographic.

As an MMO gamer, I find that sort of disheartening.

As much as I like the occasional dalliance into dudebro territory (Gears, Halo), I'd hate to see my only choices as a MMO gamer become whatever Bioware or Bethesda decide to release on consoles.