Feature: Xbox-remote. What does it all mean?
By now, the majority of the gaming world will have read MTV News story about Microsoft developing their own version of Nintendos Wii-remote. While this news may have come as a surprise to many, there have been many hints over the past year or so that indicated Microsoft, and even Sony, would be willing to go down this path in an effort to curb some of Nintendos undeniable momentum since the launch of the Wii, with its unconventional control system. While MTVs story may still turn out to be untrue, if it is correct, what does it all mean to gamers around the world? More inside
Is it true?
When MTV News broke the original story on April 7 (US time), they quoted an unnamed source from an unnamed developer. Usually this kind of story is instantly condemned to message board mockery and forgotten except in rare cases when they become hilarious .gif images to be brought out whenever gamers wish to mock a certain news site but somehow, after the initial shock, most gaming message boards seemed willing to accept the story as true. Maybe it had something to do with the nature of the site which broke the story (it wasnt some unknown blog site that was looking for an increase in its traffic) or maybe it was just the fact that it makes so much sense, in a weird gaming-industry kind of way. It also doesnt hurt that the story has since been corroborated by one Jacob Metcalf, the writer famous for breaking the news that Bungie was going to become an independent studio.
Sadly not an April Fools Joke
Why are they doing it?
The $64,000 question really is why. Why does Microsoft want to copy what Nintendo is doing with the Wii? To answer this we have to look past the basic sales numbers and start to delve into what really makes a console successful.
On the face of it, Microsoft seem to have made a great start to their second attempt at a home console, improved hardware sales numbers and unprecedented software sales figures have resulted from launching a year ahead of the competition. The company continually posts press releases heralding each record they break for attach-rate, software revenue and third-party successes. Big, multi-platform third-party efforts have consistently sold better on the 360 than the PS3 and Microsofts exclusives have really stood out as landmarks in quality and sales. Anyone wishing to be recognised as a hardcore gamer has a 360, or is planning on getting one (well aside from those Sony or Nintendo fanboys who cant bear to buy a console from the competition). So why do they want to blatantly copy what Nintendo are doing?
Simply put, Microsoft are losing the console war, and losing it quite badly to a competitor that is offering a product which is hardly more powerful than their last-generation machine. They are also starting to lose to a competitor that has had anything but a smooth start to their consoles life-cycle, one which has had problems with pricing, content and format and a less than stellar reception from the hardcore gaming community. The console war is the dirty face of video games that has launched a million shipserr, fanboy fights and a debate for another day, but in short, the 360 is being severely outsold by the Wii and the PS3 in Japan and Europe and if recent sales figures are any indication, the tide is starting to turn in the United States as well.
The Wii is sitting pretty for now, but the 360 better watch what’s coming from behind.
Microsofts efforts to broaden the appeal of their console have been met with apathy from the mass market, who seem to be enamoured by the Wii and the simple, intuitive gameplay on offer from titles like Wii Sports and other casual games. The 360s unique selling point is the fantastic online service offered via Xbox LIVE, but the level of appeal this has for the casual market is minimal at best. Simply put, the 360 has no appeal for the Mum and Dad gamer, while the Wii has captured the mass market or casual gamer at almost 100 per cent. Also, with the recent end of the next-generation DVD format war, Sonys PS3, with in-built Blu-Ray drive, is suddenly a far more attractive option for parents and casual gamers, as even though they are not as interested in hardcore gaming, they are interested, or soon enough will be, in watching high-definition movies. Sony have also managed to build a tremendous amount of brand awareness and loyalty amongst the casual crowd with the ever-popular PS2, which sooner or later, with price-cuts and an increasing number of casual and sports games, has to translate into increased sales of the PS3. This leaves Microsoft with a console that appeals well to hardcore gamers, but has no selling point for anyone outside of that relatively small segment of the market. The Wii has already blown past the 360 in worldwide sales and sooner or later, with the PS3 approaching a more mass market price point and Blu-Ray becoming more popular, the 360 will be left behind.
This is why Microsoft are willing to go all out and copy what Nintendo have done with the Wii-remote. They need something that will help them appeal to the mass market. They have already made some tentative strides towards doing this with their Buzz-like version of Scene-It, but they obviously see a Wii-remote style controller as being another way of appealing to a market that has so far eluded them through more than five years of dabbling in the console market. By making a direct copy of the Wii-remote, they are giving casual gamers something they are familiar with and are giving developers something that they also are familiar with. Microsoft would love nothing more than a 360 version of surprise Wii hit, Carnival Games, and will be hard at work developing their own version of Wii Sports. They dont have the time to take a risk and come up with their own innovative solution to the mass market conundrum, because if it doesnt work, the horse will have bolted and they will have achieved nothing at a great cost in investment and in market share. Microsoft knows a copy of the Wii-remote will appeal to the mass market and it will appeal immediately.
On Reflection….
Are Sony doing it too?
The PS2 is the current poster child for gaming industry success, having captured not only the hardcore market, but also the casual market almost immediately from its launch. Sony were counting on the PS2 continuing to appeal and hold on to the mass market until the PS3 had the chance to come down in price. The Wii has disrupted this strategy and the gaming industry has been awash with rumours of Sony planning their own Wii-remote for the PS2. This is still a complete rumour, with less substance than the current story surrounding Microsoft. It is still very feasible though and Sony have a track record of copying controller innovations from Nintendo, including rumble and analogue control.
Will they succeed?
If why was the $64,000 question, then this one is worth at least $64,000,000,000. The Wii is currently racing away with this generation on a purely number-based comparison and it doesnt look like it is going to stop. Comments from some quarters saying Wii games are going to start looking dated and consumers are going to turn away seem to have been unfounded so far, especially considering that Wii games already do look dated and no one seems to care (well no one but the hardcore gamer crowd).
The biggest X against Microsoft or Sony succeeding against the Wii is the history of failed gaming peripherals. Put simply, if it doesnt come standard as part of the console, it will never reach the critical mass required to garner continued support from both first and third party developers. Why would any publisher fund a game that can only sell to a fraction of the installed base of the console?
Another black mark is that with the supreme popularity of the Wii, an alternative from Microsoft or Sony would simply be frozen out by the sheer volume of media attention and mind share Nintendo have gained. They have successfully captured the imagination of the mass market and even if the competitors do come up with a better controller, Nintendo have used their first-mover advantage so well that people will still prefer the Wii. Mass market media attention is not going to be anywhere near the level Nintendo have enjoyed. Why would anyone outside the specialised gaming media care if Microsoft of Sony have developed a controller that performs a little better than the Wii-remote. The story has already been told and, if the news media is anything to go by, it is fickle and always looking for a new story, not one that was told weeks, months or even years ago. No mass media coverage equals no mass market penetration.
Nintendo Fans, Angry. Or are they?
What do gamers think?
The general consensus among the online video game community was initially one of disbelief, with many claiming it had to be a late April Fools joke by MTV News. This soon changed though and a healthy debate started to emerge discussing the pros and cons of the move.
Among the numerous online video game forums, some quite interesting discussions took place, with some saying Microsoft needed to do more than just ask third-parties to port existing Wii games to the Xbox 360 with upscaled graphics. Others were adamant that if Microsoft were to offer an improved control experience over the Wii, they may just be successful in the same way that Sony were when they created to Dual Shock controller to compete with the N64s analogue control scheme. The continuing shortages of Wii hardware in Australia, the US and Europe was also seen by some as a huge opportunity for Microsoft, especially if they could offer a comparable experience. Overall though, the common theme of many discussions tended towards the negative with many pointing out flaws in Microsofts plan.
The future
So what does it all mean? Well, not much at the moment as the story is still considered a rumour at best. If it is indeed more than just speculation though, this has the potential to be THE defining moment of this console generation. Success for Microsoft will push Sony to the outer and almost surely deliver victory in this generation for the 360. It would also leave the Wii looking decidedly dated and probably ruin any chance of Nintendos early success continuing for a sustained period. Failure on the other hand could be disastrous for Microsoft, leaving the 360 userbase split, much the same way as the SEGA-CD/32X split the Mega-Drive audience to SEGAs detriment.
Without more concrete details than what we have seen so far, it is difficult to make more than vague predictions about the potential for success or failure. The early signs seem to point towards a hard road ahead for Microsofts attempt to enter the casual market, but the possibility of success is something that cannot be entirely written off just yet. The key would seem to be getting the device into as many 360 owners hands as soon as possible and establishing it as part of the standard equipment, much the same as Sony did with the Dual Shock. If Microsoft can do just that, they have the potential to establish the 360 as the next PS2, a mass market console with a captive hardcore gamer userbase, something that would most certainly equate to market dominance for Microsoft. If they dont and the 360 userbase is fractured too much, it could mean another early demise for Microsofts console for the second generation in a row.
Whatever the case may be, this years E3 will be another exciting event. If Microsoft are indeed creating such a device, there is no doubt they will be using the opportunity E3 presents to show it off to as much of the industry as possible.
Second Opinion from Sean Jones: Will this work in Microsoft’s favour if it comes to fruition? Hardly. It’s almost down right deplorable that Microsoft have even considered this course of action after their recent experience with their supposed iPod killer, the Zune. Sure, early adopters of the Zune are quite pleased with their product but as a competing product in a very harsh range of appliances the Zune is a disappointing failure. Regardless of my opinion towards the Xbox 360 (which is favourable I might add) the only approach Microsoft could take with this concept is one of extreme evolution. Tacking on the Wii-mote to the pre-existing Xbox 360 will not win over the casual audience. Microsoft will need to think outside the box, something Nintendo is notorious for.
Let’s face it, Nintendo didn’t stop at the Wii-mote. In fewer than three weeks Wii Fit, Nintendo’s latest innovation will release in Australia to high levels of public interest. It is hard to imagine Microsoft pulling this off and maintaining a vision of constant evolution without the regular assistance of Nintendo and therefore, a constant dependence on borrowing ideas already tested in the market. The Wii is Nintendo’s iPod. It’s almost to little too late for the Zune, ie Xbox 360, now. Will they make us believe? I doubt it.
Riot image via AP
