Phew: Microsoft Planning Ten Year Console Cycle

Source.

E3 2009: 360 to Stick Around Until 2015
Microsoft's Shane Kim suggests a 10 year life cycle for console, E3 win.
by Martin Robinson, IGN UK

UK, June 4, 2009 - The Xbox 360's recently unveiled motion control technology will help extend the console's life span into 2015, according to Microsoft executive Shane Kim.

Speaking frankly about the company's E3 showing in an interview with Venturebeat (thanks, videogaming24/7), Kim said 'We firmly believe that the Xbox 360 has a life cycle through 2015 (10 years after the launch). Project Natal is a great innovation. It will work with every Xbox 360 sold. It's not about pushing more pixels on the screen. It's about how to break down barriers that stop people from playing games.'

So impressive was Natal's debut that Kim believes it gave Microsoft the upper hand against its traditional rivals Sony and Nintendo. 'I think we won,' said Kim when asked how he rated the three company's E3 conferences. 'It's not just me saying that. It's pretty universal. We had something very special yesterday, starting with the games portfolio. We had a lot of content for a normal E3 briefing. But Project Natal doesn't come along every year, and it is very difficult to match.'

Kim also went on to reveal the origin of Natal's name, saying 'Natal is a city in Brazil, which is where one of our key development team members if from. Natal also means birth. We thought it was appropriate for what we are doing. This is the birth of the next-generation of home entertainment.'

Now as long as the Wii HD doesn't screw things up.

Actually, a Wii HD equal to or more powerful than the PS3 and 360 with likely better motion sensing/add-on #356A would be a sweet console, and probably a really successful one at that, if Nintendo beat both systems in graphics and motion controls. People associate motion controls as a brand with Nintendo. I think they have the biggest ground to work with.

Bah, Nintendo certainly won't plan a ten year console cycle; why make profits on one console when you can make profits on two?

Besides, their technology is already outdated and though it's standing up fine now, closer to 2015 it'll just look backward, especially when they no longer have a unique selling point.

As for 360, it is, I suppose, nice to give the Natal some breathing room without the release of a next generation console rushing up to get in its way. This way there is time for developers to make something worthwhile with it, and time for the price to go down to a reasonable level.

Nintendo can't just catch up on the HD basis, the reason they have so much of the market is because they managed to tap into a new market, they're going to go to the next step with the next one, yea it'll probably have HD, but there will be something on top of that to reel customers in.

Going by what they did this time round anyway.

I love the arrogance of "Natal won" when there was a huge backlash from their established base. It did the same thing Nintendo did with the Wii - alienated many parts of the fanbase.

It's not about pushing more pixels on the screen.

Can someone get those quotes from a few years ago when they were all about the graphics and laughed at the Wii for being 'last generation' ? Bunch of hypocrites.

Meh. All I care about is that this will allow developers a chance to catch up with the technology, and in the case of western developers, to catch up in areas where it matters more than a fresh coat of graphical paint: AI, physics, and so on.

[QUOTE=Mr. Wonderful;2867969Actually, a Wii HD equal to or more powerful than the PS3 and 360 with likely better motion sensing/add-on #356A would be a sweet console, and probably a really successful one at that, if Nintendo beat both systems in graphics and motion controls. People associate motion controls as a brand with Nintendo. I think they have the biggest ground to work with.[/QUOTE]

You're saying that Nintendo would have a successful console if they adhered to the age-old cycle of "MOAR horsepower" ?

No.

Originally Posted by Mr. Wonderful

Actually, a Wii HD equal to or more powerful than the PS3 and 360 with likely better motion sensing/add-on #356A would be a sweet console, and probably a really successful one at that, if Nintendo beat both systems in graphics and motion controls. People associate motion controls as a brand with Nintendo. I think they have the biggest ground to work with.

Sounds like a bit of a pipe dream to me.

Originally Posted by Crab Helmet

I love the arrogance of "Natal won" when there was a huge backlash from their established base. It did the same thing Nintendo did with the Wii - alienated many parts of the fanbase.

Yeah? Who?

Originally Posted by Nictel

Can someone get those quotes from a few years ago when they were all about the graphics and laughed at the Wii for being 'last generation' ? Bunch of hypocrites.

The Wii is last generation. It's a Gamecube with motion controls.

Originally Posted by Double A

You're saying that Nintendo would have a successful console if they adhered to the age-old cycle of "MOAR horsepower" ?

No.

Maybe Nintendo will have a successful console again someday and we can discuss this point further.

Originally Posted by Double A

You're saying that Nintendo would have a successful console if they adhered to the age-old cycle of "MOAR horsepower" ?

No.

You missed the part about a new add-on taking a console in a new way/better motion controls...

So No.

Personally, minus the fact of specific nintendo game selection, I do prefer the 360 over the Wii.
I assume due to the new DS release later this year or next year, the Wii will probably sit around, but designs for the next system won't be long, though it should be released about the same time as new MS and Sony systems as well.
I just find the controller in the 360 more comfortable, I suppose.
Thank god the 360's got some good time on it.

Originally Posted by Crab Helmet

I love the arrogance of "Natal won" when there was a huge backlash from their established base. It did the same thing Nintendo did with the Wii - alienated many parts of the fanbase.

Is this "huge backlash" made up?

I'm certainly not seeing Xbox fans getting pissed about it; in fact, alot of them are using this as fodder to laugh at the Wii and how it was marketing itself on the Wiimote gimmick alone. Not because Project Natal is seen as "revolutionary," but because it's a big "in your face" to Nintendo, showing them that they need to create technologically advanced, adaptable consoles instead of relying on gimmicks that can and will be copied and improved by competitors.

Natal hasn't proven that it can be utilized better than the remote/nunchuk combo or even PS3's motion controller, that it can draw developers away from the Wii/PS3, or that it can penetrate the market in the same way that the Wii has.

In other words, Microsoft hasn't done anything but follow a trend thus far. Once Natal shows the kind of impact it can have financially and in the software realm, then it can be considered an "in your face" to Nintendo for relying on motion control rather than hardware power.

If this generation has taught us anything, it's that the quality of something among the systems really isn't as big of a factor as it used to be. The PS3 is unquestionably the strongest of the consoles, but there hasn't been anywhere near enough representation of that as there should have been. The Wii should barely have sold **** last year because of its mediocre software lineup, but it remained an insane success.

Developers go where its most profitable. Consumers go where they're most familiar with.