4:53 PM
So... that happened.
I didn't go into this year's E3 expecting much- the convention hasn't granted much room for optimism about the industry in the last several years, and to tell you the truth, I considered not even watching it.
Like... for a second.
But then, I watched all of them.
I'm not here to give you a blow-by-blow of all of the conferences, but instead to try and lend some perspective to a few things that seem the most important to acknowledge, or at least that I don't think have been discussed elsewhere.
So, after seeing Microsoft unveil the prohibitively expensive XBOX One X and the Porche 911 at their conference, I get the feeling that since they have so solidly lost the consumer-level console war to PlayStation (Where the PS4 has 57% marketshare overall), I think Microsoft is SPECIFICALLY choosing to cater to rich gamers. People with big-ass 4K TV's and tons of cash to burn. Microsoft's gaming division already has overwhelming marketshare on the PC side of things, so why NOT pull out of the consumer-grade console market and carve out a niche in what I'm sure will come to be known as "Luxury gaming"?
Seriously, though... Five hundred dollars for a gaming console? Did someone at Microsoft have a stroke and forget what happened in the 7th console generation? One of the biggest reasons XBOX 360 dominated the console market for its generation is because Sony had ruled over Gen 6 with the PS2 so completely, that they got cocky and introduced the PS3 at five hundred dollars. That move left customers out in the dust, so Microsoft was right there with a cheaper console when they needed it.
Maybe it's the convenient excuse that people who buy the XBOX One X are still technically on the XBOX One, so Microsoft isn't TECHNICALLY barring people from playing its games, but I think they're forgetting that gamers don't like feeling like they're not getting the best experience that their games can offer, not to mention owners of the original XBOX One are going to feel more than a little resentful when they try to trade up- oh, yeah, and expect your local Gamestop to start getting overstocked with used XBOX Ones, and having angry Ex-XBOX One owners (Ex-BOX?) walking out muttering about getting ripped off.
Microsoft's conference had plenty of good, but also featured a very loose definition of "exclusive". But I actually want to address the fanboys in the audience with this section: Why are you cheering for exclusivity? Are you really SO petty that you take pleasure in the fact that less people will be able to play the games you can? I would think that when you *like* a game, you'd want its playerbase to be massive, not artificially truncated. But there you have it.
The game devs are all sure to promote their games in more meaningful ways in the months to come, but I think it's pretty clear where Microsoft wants its audience. In a different economy.
(seriously though if you're gonna blow $500 on a gaming machine, just save a little extra scratch and build a PC instead. you'll save so much more on games.)
