Microsoft just announced the pending release of the next generation
of its gaming device dubbed XBox One set to replace Microsoft 360.
Certainly the freshening of the franchise is necessary as gaming tastes
change and new uses are uncovered. With both voice and gesture
controls, XBox One seems to push a more interactive experience. And
whether gamers care or not, the box plugs into your cable box to enable
live viewing. It also features Skype controls, Blu-ray, and a whole new
variety of games to play.
Of course, to pull forward,
one must push away from the past and that means that old XBox 360 games
will not play on the new system. Unless gamers want to go cold turkey
on their old games to trade in their 360 box for the new system, they
will be working with two different boxes through the transition. Some
might not mind, others may be annoyed but will ultimately embrace the
new system should they find the game playing to be a better experience.
But
XBox, Wii, and Playstation all have to worry about the rise of tablets
and mobile game playing on these devices. Enabling better interactivity
between tablet and game platform will help. Still gamers are embracing
these casual games on handheld devices. And how many different
versions of shooting games can there be. Already, they try to push the
limits with more blood and sexual content in the games. Most games of
any interest to gamers get rated M for mature; a ratings system that
does little to stop younger gamers, 13 and under, from buying these
games. Tablet games seem to rely more on strategy and speed, less on violence and sex.
For
X-Box, this new console is a big change for the product line. For
Microsoft it means adding more functionality and a better experience for
the price point to encourage current users to upgrade and new users to
buy up into the new box. Once released, we will be able to better see
the execution of this Microsoft strategy.
