Industry Opinion on the Xbox 360 Launch

[Justin Buser]

Read what gameing professionals think about Microsoft's launch of the Xbox 360 - including game line-up, online connectivity (can Live get any better?) and overall image.

Mixed Bag

For a global launch, I would say Microsoft is doing an OK job. Whether or not it is creating shortages is irrelevant, it should have made more consoles for the public. The game line up was only so-so if you are a non-sports/FPS fan, but if you love those games then you were in heaven, I think. It's an OK line up, but it could have had more variety in terms of games. Graphics aren't going to sell me on a game whether I'm talking from a gamer or an industry perspective. Remaking games that are or just came out on the Xbox isn't cutting it either. Microsoft's image has definitely gone up in the gaming community and over all around the world. It has been the talk of the town for weeks on end. The heat sink issue couldn't have been worse and it is handling that pretty well, so overall I think it gained some notches in the image department.
-Duane Brown, DreamCatcher Interactive Inc.

In my opinion, Microsoft did a superb job of establishing Xbox 360 as the premier next-gen gaming platform. However, it suffered a huge setback when it failed to get enough machines to the market for the Christmas holiday. While coordinating a console launch across multiple continents is truly a massive undertaking, a company as massive as Microsoft has no excuse for being so grossly unprepared.
-Coray Seifert, Large Animal Games

Low Marks

Respect to Microsoft for making it first to market. It is going to need it. At E3, I loved its stuff. But so much has happened since then - the Revolution controller for example. And, I think people are starting to comprehend how truly powerful the PS3 is going to be. So the Xbox 360 looks more and more like an Xbox 1.5 than a 2.0; an iteration more than a leap, and certainly not a revolution. I am afraid it is going to need all the first-mover advantage it can get.
-Marque Pierre Sondergaard, Heroes Team

A disappointing launch - my impression is that Microsoft has two major launch problems... poor supply and poor pricing. In my opinion, some of the next-gen games look great, but most people won't buy a new console until the price falls a bit (I think $400 for the real system is simply too much to reach critical mass), and of course until the stores actually have them. When people do buy a next-gen console (Xbox 360 or otherwise), I expect them to buy only the best next-gen games, and to adopt more of a "save money mentality" by buying less expensive older-gen titles, by buying more used games, and by more renting. I personally feel like the industry is a bit out of touch with mainstream gamers and that this launch is poor enough that it gets the industry's

Good Marks

For Microsoft, the launch was very successful. Hype was built, rarity was implemented and all is ready for the holiday rush. The box itself is too expensive for most families however and aside from avid video gamers, the two consoles scheme is confusing at best. I'm guessing aunties and grannies will buy the "small" box for the kiddies, because of the price, absolutely oblivious to the consequences. The launch titles seem alright but why not wait for the PC ports instead of decapitating our wallets? King Kong is already available for the PC and six hours of play is not enough to sell a console and a game in a million years. Kameo seems ok but, again, not enough to sell a console, especially with a possible new franchise in the fray. Everybody is waiting for Gotham Racing 3. None of the launch titles is interesting enough to sell the console at this point. For me, Oblivion could do it but it will also be available for the PC so I will not bother with the Box. I'll wait for the next one...
-Kim Jolicoeur

The launch itself was very successful in my opinion. A worldwide release is something other companies could learn from, even though shortages are a problem. The negative side of the launch was not the hardware but the software. It seems that too many launch titles were poor conversions from another platform. You could even find a lot of titles with less content than their PC and other console counterparts. Hopefully this won't be the case with the next wave of games. In all, the exclusive Xbox 360 titles did the best, I think.
-Anonymous

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[Morder]

That was a good read, thanks for the post.

[ChuckSteak0331]

That guy is half retarded. He contradicted himself about ten times. It was a good launch, nope, now its a bad launch. their games sucked, no you are in heaven. People like that dont count, its us on here, with our 360's that matter. I love it, and I think you'd agree. There, thats the opinion that counts.

[Dragonuk]

Originally Posted by ChuckSteak0331

People like that dont count, its us on here, with our 360's that matter. I love it, and I think you'd agree. There, thats the opinion that counts.

nice well said