Experts predict a bleak future for the Xbox 360
By Arnold Zafra
A group of experts have predicted, like everyone else, that if Microsoft will not do something drastic, the Xbox 360 might be facing a bleak future.
Analysts who attended the Nordic Game 2008 conference in Sweden all predicted that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is facing a sharp decline in sales in the next twelve months. Nick Parker, of Parker Consulting and a former Sony employee, said that the Xbox 360 has not been able to penetrate the casual gaming markets of France, Spain and Italy, primarily because it refuses to shake off its urban, irreverent adult male associations.
“The brand image never went away. And although Halo 3 is a big game, it just emphasises again what the Xbox is all about,” says Parker.
David Cole of DFC Intelligence was a bit more harsh with his prediction, and said that Xbox 360 will finish last in the console wars.
“When you look at an installed base basis, the Xbox 360’s going to come in third place when all’s said and done. The concern I would have with a company like Microsoft is, one of these days they’re going to have to make a profit on this business otherwise why are they in it?” said Cole.
Cole further suggested that for Microsoft to re-enter the market for next generation consoles, it must find ways to make the Xbox more profitable.
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June 27th, 2008
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September 9th, 2008
Microsoft does not need to make a profit on the 360 console. They make plenty of money from all the license fees, etc they earn from all the games of which the 360 has the largest library currently. And with upcoming console price drops, motion controllers, completely new dashboard with new features, possible blue-ray add-on, and the upcoming netflix movie streams. The 360 should come out in first place this next year in my opinion. The 360 will be the cheapest console of the 3, have he most games, and best live experience
November 21st, 2008
I dont think so, 360 is on its way out possibly just because once 360 exclusive rpgs are ported for ps3 also, its already happening with eternal sonata etc., ps3 will be the dominant system for games, but i still think Wii will be #1 since its the most ‘fun’ to have at a party, PS3/Xbox is more for the hardcore gamer.
February 10th, 2009
As long as the 360 maintains it’s lead with almost two times as many top rated games in as many genres, it will maintain it’s lead over PS3. While Sony may have bought out studios for exclusive games, quality third party titles outnumber these significantly and make up the majority of the PS3’s top twenty titles. Instead of buying more studios, Microsoft has realized exclusive DLC is the best way to maintain it’s lead this year, and as long as it is quality, gamer’s won’t complain (if they own a 360).