The Xbox is big for Microsoft this year, but it might not be so big for the devoted fans.
Microsoft is reaping the rewards of the Xbox 360 and Kinect's success over the past year, and they're showing it off in a big way at CES 2012. However, very little of the Xbox buzz coming from Microsoft has to do with games. 2012 might very well be the Year of the Xbox 360, but not for many of the gamers that brought it so far.
Xbox 360: Your New Streaming Media Set-Top Box
Streaming media isn't anything new for the Xbox, of course--it was
one of the first ways to stream Netflix Instant onto a TV without using a
PC. However, Microsoft is doubling down on streaming media this year,
aiming for 100 apps by the end of 2012. That's not 100 dinky Android
apps, either--each app requires that Microsoft partner with the content
provider to make sure that Xbox users are getting the best experience
possible.
It hasn't gotten off to a great start. The highly-hyped
Microsoft/Ultimate Fighting Championship partnership, for example,
started with a whimper when Microsoft promised free UFC streams via the
new UFC Xbox Live app for the December 30th Overeem vs. Lesnar fight
card, and failed to deliver minutes after the fights had already
started. But Microsoft is learning from this experience, and I have no
doubt that whatever streaming services they do add over the next year
will be every bit as solid as its Netflix streaming currently is.
But
what gives the Xbox 360 the edge over, say, the Roku, or a solid Google
TV device? Well, for starters, you're more likely to already own the
Xbox 360 than another set-top box or Internet-connected Blu-ray player,
and the comparatively massive installed base of Xbox 360s undoubtedly
makes Microsoft a prime partner for the various streaming media
providers out there.
More importantly however, the combination of Bing and Kinect give the
Xbox 360 the exact Smart TV experience Samsung and LG are shooting for
in their new 2012 TVs. By now, everyone knows that the classic TV remote
simply doesn't cut it in an Internet TV world. Why pay $2000 for a
high-end Samsung Smart TV when you can get a good media selection and
voice/gesture controls with a game console and additional peripheral you
probably already have? Considering Microsoft designed the Kinect
technology that everyone at CES is trying to imitate, it's hard to bet
against them in this one.
So what does this mean for gamers? Well, Microsoft reported a 140%
year-over-year increase in streaming media consumption on the Xbox 360
between 2010 and 2011, so there's no doubt that the existing owners are
enjoying it. But it certainly doesn't seem like Microsoft is making any
efforts to drive the development of Kinect-only titles that speak to
their core gaming user base.
Kinect for Windows: Not for Consumers
When Steve Ballmer announced that Microsoft would be selling Kinect for Windows for $250, it caused quite a stir--why charge an extra $100 for what is essentially the same product?
As it turns out, there's a pretty good reason for that--the Kinect
for Windows isn't really meant for consumers in the first place. After
all, there's not really a whole lot you could use it with in Windows,
anyway.
Instead,
it's for the companies out there who want to use the Kinect to develop
their own applications--for business, medicine, education, and so
on--without having to wade through the community-made, open source SDK
which doesn't fully support all of the Kinect's functions. The $250
price tag essentially covers the cost of the unit itself, plus more
detailed tech support meant for enterprise purposes, and the official
Microsoft SDK. Which is great for making the world more like Minority
Report, but not so great for making a Kinect game that doesn't involve
Sesame Street or dancing.
Don't Expect a New Xbox Any Time Soon
There's no doubt that the existing generation of game consoles are starting to lag behind the PC. Blockbuster titles like Skyrim
or Battlefield 3 simply don't look as good or play as well on an Xbox
as they can on even a lower-end gaming PC--and when you consider the
high-end niche gamer who wants to mod their games, crank up the
settings, or even live-stream their sessions via Twitch.TV or other
video streaming sites, there's simply no contest.
However, that doesn't stop Skyrim or any other triple-A title from
selling like crazy--which means that Microsoft has no incentive to come
out with a next-generation console any time soon. And while PC gaming
seems to be making a comeback, there's no question that many gamers out
there are happy with what their Xbox does.
That's not hard to understand. Research and development on a new
console is expensive, and when you're able to extend the viable lifespan
of your console by turning it into a media-streaming set-top box with a
cool user interface without charging your users extra for the
privilege, it seems like a win-win scenario.
The dedicated gamers out there, on the other hand, may notice that
their Xbox just gathers dust while they stick to their PC for the latest
and greatest--except for when they want to watch Hulu on their HDTV.
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