Has Microsoft Found its Mojo?
After quite a few mis-queues, is Microsoft back on track to make a respectable run against the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 this generation?
Some very positive news over the last few months has propelled Microsoft into a great position for holiday 2008 and through 2009.
In summary:
- Price Drop
- It appears that the price drop (like most) has had a very positive effect on moving hardware. The latest NPD figures released show a month over month increase in Xbox 360 hardware sales of 78%.
- Casual Gamer
- Soccer mom's, retirement home residents, and other non-hardcore gamers are apparently the holy grail of this console cycle. Nintendo knows it... Sony knows it... and Microsoft knows it. Just take one look at the Xbox 360 Holiday 2008 Bundles
, and you will quickly realize just how much Microsoft has them in their laser sights. In addition to the holiday bundle offerings, the anticipated Xbox experience with 'Mii-like' avatars, friendly navigation, and Netflix movie streaming will certainly help the cause as well...
- Japan
- The original Xbox with the 'Duke' controller just didn't cut it in the land of the rising sun. Throw in some quality RPG's, and stronger support from Square-Enix and suddenly Microsoft has some traction. As of early October 2008, the Xbox 360 hardware was outselling the PS3 (three weeks running).
- Games
- Sometimes marketing types forget, but consoles are all about the games, and Microsoft has them in spades this holiday. Gears of War 2, Fable II, Left 4 Dead, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2... The list goes on...
The console war is certainly a marathon, not a sprint, but things are looking up for Microsoft's 2nd try at the video game console market.