Five Things Wrong With Microsoft

Microsoft has held the distinction of being the market leader for most of the console race, until they were overtaken by the Nintendo Wii. Sporting a solid online service with Xbox Live (more on that in a bit) and a great slate of games that cater to the hardcore audience, the Xbox 360 has proven that Microsoft is a powerful force in this industry.

Yet, as with the Nintendo and Sony, I’ve got some problems with Microsoft. Detailed below are the top five.

5. Xbox Live

You might be expecting that I’m going to rail against Xbox Live because you pay a fee; think again. Until Sony can provide something of similar or superior service, the $50 a year is well spent, for the most part. That’s not to say that Xbox Live is not without some nagging problems. The service has been on shaky ground, though it isn’t as bad as it was just after Christmas. I’ve still had issues with connecting and reconnecting to the service, which is inexcusable when you are paying for a service.

Aside from stability issues, why are there ads on my game console? I’m not one to complain about in-game advertising, as I really don’t have a problem with it in general. However, I’m paying you $50 and you’ve got the guts to place ads in my face? Now, if you were willing to drop the price (or drop it all together) and place advertisements, then fine. Put your ads in, I don’t care. I might even look into one or two. Otherwise, get them off my dashboard, thank you.

4. Xbox 360 Ultra-Uber Gamer Hardcore Xtreme SKU

Forgive the title if you aren’t totally sure what the hell I’m talking about. Much like Sony has been doing, Microsoft is continuing to release SKU after SKU into the market that confuses gamers and casual consumers alike. To date, there have been: Core, Arcade, Pro, Premium, Elite and the special Halo 3 edition console. Six! Six different console configurations. I can understand and appreciate giving people choices, but I doubt consumers in the market are that segmented. Aside from that, look at the names for each of the system SKU. I consider myself a “core” gamer, as the marketing department would say, but Christ. Do they want their video game system to be that niche? Didn’t the name “Xbox” cement your “hardcore” cred? Jeff “Yo Dawg, Wuz Poppin” Bell didn’t cement the “hardcore” appeal?

3. Marketplace Redesign

I do love that there is so much content available on Xbox Live. Too bad the design of the Marketplace is so drab, dull and unwieldy that I usually don’t care to check what is up most of the time. Take Rock Band, for example, (before the in-game music store) and think how terrible that was. You first had to find Rock Band by scrolling through all of the titles, (or if it was more recent, it’d be “spotlighted”) finding Rock Band the game, and then scrolling through another list full of tracks to find the one song that you actually want. How about a search feature? I can’t imagine how terrible that could get by Christmas of this year.

Aside from the general unwieldiness of the entire system, could they have made a plainer design? The current setup is, for all intents and purposes, a text box. I’m trying to purchase your content Microsoft, not read a novel. Spruce the Marketplace up a bit, will you? Oh, while you’re doing that, could you please not charge us for “gamer pictures” and “themes” (also known as screenshots)? Thanks.

2. Price

Here’s another thing that Microsoft and Sony have in common with each other: Their system costs too much money. Sure, with Microsoft, you have the Arcade pack that goes for $279, but it’s not viewed or marketed seriously enough to actually make any sort of dent. The package that most individuals see as “the” Xbox 360 is the Pro package, which runs at $350.

The Xbox 360 has been on the market how long again? And it’s how much? If you want one of the reasons why the Nintendo Wii has been kicking so much Microsoft and Nintendo tail in the hardware sale charts, look no further than price. The fact that their system is still at such a high price, this far into the game, goes to show you how much video games have grown. But until the Xbox 360 reaches the $199-$249 range, they’ll continue to miss out on a huge market of gamers.

1. Recognizable Characters

Alright, so Microsoft might not have been in the game as long as Sony or Nintendo has. So what? They’ve got a grand total of one character on their entire platform that means much: Master Chief. (Yeah, you might all be screaming about Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad, but that’s Epic’s IP, people.) You look back at Sony and see characters like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Kratos, among others. Then you peer over at Nintendo (do I really need to go through the list?) and then you take a look back at Microsoft.

Why have the not been able to create memorable characters? Your guess is as good as mine. But for the people who have been clamoring for the off-and-on rumored “Xbox Portable,” look at this as the sole reason that you will not get one. If they were to even create an Xbox Portable, what would they even have in their line-up to make the transition? Answer: A lot of Halo, with a smattering of Ninja Gaiden and Viva Pinata. They simply do not have the characters needed to create a good foundation, and are relying too heavily on third-parties to provide it. Third-party support isn’t going to last forever, boys.
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