When it comes to generating consumer lust, Microsoft often comes up short.
Windows 8 sales seem to be falling shy of analyst expectations. And despite its best design and engineering efforts, Microsoft continues to struggle to get anything more than a toehold in the smartphone market.
And yet Microsoft's success with the Xbox continues to undermine any argument that the company is preternaturally unable to understand consumer desires. The Xbox 360 has performed so strongly in its seven-year run that Microsoft is in the enviable position of being able to wait for rivals Nintendo and Sony to unveil their next-generation game consoles before disclosing its own plans.
"Nothing is off the table right now."
BioWare's multiplayer shooter Anthem was terminated this week because EA no longer wanted to maintain servers for people to play the game on, and without them, no one can play the game. But the former executive producer of Anthem has revealed that BioWare had technology working, close to the game's release, that would enable us to host our own servers to play the game on.
I'd be fine just playing it as a localhost and dumb as rocks AI bots. Just give me the choice.
VGChartz's Lee Mehr: "When you think about it, the essence of every game is problem-solving in one way or another. For the puzzle genre, that's expressed through a series of brainteasers. A challenge is placed at your feet and you're pushed to understand it with limited contextual clues. From industry veterans to relative newbies, familiar franchises to brand-new IPs, 2025 saw a deluge of impressive puzzlers. Among our finalists are not merely well-designed templates based on familiar staples; a couple move the genre forward in interesting directions."
"But its top spot in console gaming in the United States shows it can understand consumers."
And that sub-text, that MS's "success" has to be quantified, suggests otherwise.
@Hingle_Mcringleberry:
And because it only a segment of the overall market, has been achieved by means in excess of methods not used by the competition and doesn't account for things like an earlier release, a diminishing rather than growing lead over the competition, that success is quantified.
Or to simplify: if it wasn't for the money made from XBL subscriptions, there would likely be no success.
WP grew 52% last month and its the 3rd major mobile platform.
If i go to a shop every single Pc is bundled with Windows 8, Pcs sales are at +350m a year.
Kinect already sold more than GameCube and Xbox 1.
Xbox 360 is nearing 80m, thats almot 3x more than original Xbox, while Live boasts over 46m members.
Office is a major hit among consumers, used by over a bilion people every single day.
You dont ger journalism right, i´ll tell you that.
Have you even tried Outlook ? The Email Service is amazing, i dont see how people can be hating on MS when they are doing amazing job with their services.
As for Xbox, well i dont like the rumours they are bad but lets wait and see.
As for tablets just LOL only dumb people will buy a Tablet that is not Ipad because Ipad is the only worth Tablet out thereand the rest is just useless junk. There are some Windows 8 Tablets but Ipad is king, Android is terrible.
Just a friendly reminder, CNet is pro Microsoft.
So take whatever they say with a grain of salt (just like other pro Nintendo/Sony sites).
How about "Keep calm and Play PS4"? that's a better title picture. They could be biased. MS has tons of money you cannot tell. They could always have under the table talks with anyone. They paid large money to make GTA and Final fantasy Multiplat. Microsoft has so many investors and stockholders. They will do everything in their power to gain more money