|
|
Forbes Xbox/PS2 article |
|
Forbes Xbox/PS2 article |
Forbes posted a very interesting article about Xbox and PS2 online facts and ambitions:
Microsoft's videogames have had more fits than starts. Its console, the two-year-old Xbox, loses something like $100 per unit sold, or a billion dollars a year. Xbox had a disastrous launch in Japan and still runs far behind Sony's PlayStation 2 in worldwide sales. But the game's not over. Witness the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, the gaming industry's annual confab in May. For the goateed and backpack-toting attendees, E3 is a big, honking sneak peek at the next killer games, and Microsoft had the best of them all: Halo 2, the sequel to its 2001 sci-fi action masterpiece. People waited hours in line just to see the eight-minute demonstration. "It's one of our most ambitious projects," says Robert (Robbie) Bach, the Microsoft senior vice president in charge of Xbox. "It's a title that will sell anytime, anyplace."
But it will play only on Xbox. And if you want to blast away online with far-flung friends you have to pay $50 a year to subscribe to Microsoft's new gaming network, Xbox Live. Halo is just the first of several new Xbox and Xbox Live exclusives, including sure hits such as Doom 3, Project Gotham Racing 2 and Counter-Strike. All of them, Bach says, play better online.
"This generation we were statistically out of the playoffs before we even laced up our shoes," concedes J Allard, vice president in charge of Xbox Live. "Next season, there won't be an 18-month head start. We'll be neck and neck right out of the gate, and Xbox Live will give us a huge online head start."
The Xbox Live network launched in November and passed the 500,000 subscriber mark in seven months, beating, by 80,000, the number of people registered to play PlayStation 2 games online, despite the fact that Microsoft has sold only 9.4 million Xboxes to Sony's 51 million PlayStations. Nintendo, with 9.6 million GameCubes sold, has limited online ambitions.
Microsoft has a habit of herding customers into its own technology corrals. Xbox Live is no exception, with Microsoft reaping nearly all of the financial benefits and exerting total control over the game network. PlayStation throws the gate open to allow any game developer to run its own player network. In May Electronic Arts, the world's biggest game publisher, shunned Microsoft and announced that through March 2004 its bestselling sports games will be playable online only with Sony.
News-Source: http://www.forbes.com
| |
|
|
|
Related Stories |
|
|
Most Popular |
|
|
|
Rate this Article |
|
| | |
| Xbox Download Stats | | | Site Statistics
| |
HQ Online Statistics Members: 2 | Guests: 1,341 | Xbox Live Tags: 4,376
| | | |
Forums Active Users: 854
| News Active Users: 104
| Your Account Active Users: 86
| Home Active Users: 54
| Xbox Games Active Users: 51
| Downloads Active Users: 32
| Private Messages Active Users: 27
| VIP Signup Active Users: 25
| Xbox Homebrew Active Users: 23
| Profile Active Users: 19
|
| View More Detailed Statistics |
| Popular Xbox Games | |
MVP Baseball 2005 Page Views: 294,593 Level the playing field with the EA SPORTS Hitter's Eye in MVP Baseball 2005. With unprecedented control of your at-bat, the ability to move in the batter's box and the power to read the pitch, master.. | | More Xbox Games | | HQ Network Affiliates | |
| Xbox-Hq.Com - Archived News | |
| Tuesday, April 23 | | Umbraclaw hits Xbox, PlayStation, Switch & PC published by: BigJ | Page Views: 16 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, April 22 | | Mars 2120 launches out of Early Access onto a published by: BigJ | Page Views: 38 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, April 18 | | GIC’24 Early Bird Tickets Now Available published by: BigJ | Page Views: 44 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, April 17 | | Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game laun published by: BigJ | Page Views: 49 | Comments: 0 |
| Epic Fantasy RPG 'Dungeons of Hinterberg' is published by: BigJ | Page Views: 48 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, April 16 | | Sleight of Hand launches Day One on Xbox Game published by: BigJ | Page Views: 65 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, April 15 | | Dune: Awakening Shows Off Stunning Unreal Eng published by: BigJ | Page Views: 97 | Comments: 0 |
| INDIE Live Expo Reveals First 2024 Showcase, published by: BigJ | Page Views: 77 | Comments: 0 |
Friday, April 12 | | Build Your Empire: 'Rise of Industry 2' Comin published by: BigJ | Page Views: 77 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, April 11 | | Perennial Order is set to bloom on Xbox Serie published by: BigJ | Page Views: 73 | Comments: 0 |
| Metro Simulator 2 is coming soon for Xbox and published by: BigJ | Page Views: 78 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, April 10 | | Terminator: Survivors announced for Xbox Seri published by: BigJ | Page Views: 93 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, April 09 | | TMNT: Wrath of the Mutants Hits XBOX, PlaySta published by: BigJ | Page Views: 71 | Comments: 0 |
| devcom announces new venue, call for speakers published by: BigJ | Page Views: 82 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, April 08 | | Space Invaders Deck Commander - The Board Gam published by: BigJ | Page Views: 80 | Comments: 0 |
| Demolish & Build 3 is coming to Xbox, PlaySta published by: BigJ | Page Views: 88 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, March 26 | | Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland coming soon f published by: BigJ | Page Views: 116 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, March 25 | | Sci-fi adventure 'Sky of Tides' announced for published by: BigJ | Page Views: 127 | Comments: 0 |
Friday, March 22 | | Planet Zoo: Console Edition arrives on March published by: BigJ | Page Views: 137 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, March 21 | | Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator Out Now o published by: BigJ | Page Views: 98 | Comments: 0 |
| Terra Memoria is set to launch on Xbox Series published by: BigJ | Page Views: 137 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, March 20 | | MLB The Show 24 launches on Xbox Game Pass published by: BigJ | Page Views: 128 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, March 19 | | Discover the Sound of Life in The Lullaby of published by: BigJ | Page Views: 156 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, March 18 | | FLIPGO: A portable dual monitor that you can published by: BigJ | Page Views: 166 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, March 14 | | Highwater launches this week on Xbox X|S, XB1 published by: BigJ | Page Views: 136 | Comments: 0 |
| JSAUX’S Black MODCASE for the ROG Ally Is Ava published by: BigJ | Page Views: 159 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, March 13 | | Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open coming to published by: BigJ | Page Views: 142 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, March 12 | | Night Slashers: Remake confirmed for XBOX, Pl published by: BigJ | Page Views: 162 | Comments: 0 |
| RuneScape developer Jagex joins CVC Capital P published by: BigJ | Page Views: 158 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, March 11 | | Dark JRPG Graphic Adventure 'Neon Blood' debu published by: BigJ | Page Views: 154 | Comments: 0 |
Friday, March 08 | | WWII-based strategy epic Classified: France ' published by: BigJ | Page Views: 183 | Comments: 0 |
| Sonic X Shadow Generations hits Xbox One, Xbo published by: BigJ | Page Views: 188 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, March 07 | | Explore the World of Ink Painting in Realm of published by: BigJ | Page Views: 133 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, March 06 | | Barton Lynch Pro Surfing Update v1.07 is LIVE published by: BigJ | Page Views: 132 | Comments: 0 |
| FALLEN LEAF Teams Up with STUDIOS EXTRAORDINA published by: BigJ | Page Views: 157 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, March 05 | | Goons: Legends & Mayhem: Meet the Cat Goon an published by: BigJ | Page Views: 135 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, March 04 | | Hauntii hits Xbox Game Pass for console and P published by: BigJ | Page Views: 173 | Comments: 0 |
| REVEIL launches this week on Xbox Series, PS5 published by: BigJ | Page Views: 143 | Comments: 0 |
Friday, March 01 | | Dark Atlas: Infernum launching on Xbox, PlayS published by: BigJ | Page Views: 179 | Comments: 0 |
| Towerful Defense: A Rogue TD confirmed for XB published by: BigJ | Page Views: 136 | Comments: 0 |
News Archive
| |
|
|