Xbox Series S/X: Thread 02

[dataDave]

I don't think Price is that important on launch myself.

[Team Andromeda]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6135452.stm

https://www.wired.com/2006/10/gamestop-sold-o/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6499841.stm

And the PS3 made the Saturn price look a bargain

[dataDave]

I also don't get people making out that the consumer will be confused with the naming of the systems. People don't know there's a difference between an LG B9 to a C9 TV, or a 5th gen intel i7 to a 7th gen intel i7?

Those are not general consumers that you're talking about though, are they? The general consumer will take advice from the sales clerk in the store over what TV to buy. A select few who go online and study the product will have better knowledge and how to select a product of their needs. How many people do you know that build their own PC?

This is exactly Miscrosoft's problem. They think that ALL gamers are like the PC Master Race who know everything intricate about the hardware technicalities inside out. They don't. Not one bit. You only have to read the comments of dedicated gamers within this thread to see that plainly.

What they're inadvertently doing is narrowing down their target audience into a very select subset of gamers who sit somewhere in limbo between PC Master Race yet still want console gamer conveniences, despite the fact that those conveniences don't really exist like they used to. The Series X/S messaging is not for your general punter/parent/consumer on the street.

Imagine being the general sorry twat working in GAME and having to explain these new Xbox variants to a relative deciding on a Christmas gift while they have scores of other shoppers behind them waiting on advice.

They're likely going to just go "Erm, yeah... PS5/Switch. NEXT!!".

[dataDave]

And the PS3 made the Saturn price look a bargain

Well that certainly helped Sega in the end, then!

[Neon Ignition]

MS is still stick in this mode then except they're the one on the left and Sony is the one on the right

[Team Andromeda]

Well that certainly helped Sega in the end, then!

SEGA shows that price or having better launch software makes no difference. Despite having the cheaper system by far the better launch software for the USA and UK and over £100 cheaper, the PS2 smashed it, same for the GameCube

There are various factors at play, and like Apple shows, you can charge the earth for their crap and its sell-by the bucket loads

[randombs]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6135452.stm

https://www.wired.com/2006/10/gamestop-sold-o/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6499841.stm

And the PS3 made the Saturn price look a bargain

I was going to point out the minor £25 difference between the Saturn and PS3 launch prices, but the Xbox 360 Premium was £280 - a whopping £145 cheaper than a PS3. Crikey!

Mind you, the PlayStation was £100 cheaper than the Saturn and wiped the floor with it when doing 3D. The 360 and PS3 were a lot closer in that regard.

[dataDave]

Apple is a 'status' line of products.

Xbox is not.

HUGE difference.

[Team Andromeda]

Those are not general consumers that you're talking about though, are they? The general consumer will take advice from the sales clerk in the store over what TV to buy. .

LOL people can't work out for themself's that they must be a reason for the £500 price difference between a C9 and B9. I guess average joe doesn't know there's a difference between a galaxy S10 to an S10e. I very much doubt you and your Nintendo mob had issues with the various range of Gameboy systems be that the Gameboy, the Gameboy Color or the Gameboy Advanced and was in the age before one could use google.

Even a sales rep is an outdated concept, you just google it.

[Team Andromeda]

I was going to point out the minor £25 difference between the Saturn and PS3 launch prices, but the Xbox 360 Premium was £280 - a whopping £145 cheaper than a PS3. Crikey!

You need to factor in inflation. And the PS3 launch price was astronomical and yet sold out at launch.

[Team Andromeda]

Apple is a 'status' line of products.

Apple is overpriced crap, but they're desirable and hence the price isn't an issue, people find the way to buy them.
There's more to how a system does than the price.

[fishbowlhead]

Those are not general consumers that you're talking about though, are they? The general consumer will take advice from the sales clerk in the store over what TV to buy. A select few who go online and study the product will have better knowledge and how to select a product of their needs. How many people do you know that build their own PC?

This is exactly Miscrosoft's problem. They think that ALL gamers are like the PC Master Race who know everything intricate about the hardware technicalities inside out. They don't. Not one bit. You only have to read the comments of dedicated gamers within this thread to see that plainly.

What they're inadvertently doing is narrowing down their target audience into a very select subset of gamers who sit somewhere in limbo between PC Master Race yet still want console gamer conveniences, despite the fact that those conveniences don't really exist like they used to. The Series X/S messaging is not for your general punter/parent/consumer on the street.

Imagine being the general sorry twat working in GAME and having to explain these new Xbox variants to a relative deciding on a Christmas gift while they have scores of other shoppers behind them waiting on advice.

They're likely going to just go "Erm, yeah... PS5/Switch. NEXT!!".

Absolutely spot on.

[Neon Ignition]

It was also a major factor that the X360 had a full year on the market before PS3 arrived, MS smashed it from every angle with that system whilst also being aided by Sony being in peak arrogance mode aided by the PS3's first year largely being something of disaster for the company as well.

[Team Andromeda]

It was also a major factor that the X360 had a full year on the market before PS3 arrived, MS smashed it from every angle with that system whilst also being aided by Sony being in peak arrogance mode aided by the PS3's first year largely being something of disaster for the company as well.

And yet the PS3 had sold better on the launch and for almost all of its life span in Europe and Asia. The main highlight for MS was the strength of the sales of the 360 in the USA, but even that wasn't enough in the end.

I expect MS to come out gunning this gen, They've made a better system, more powerful and it even looks better and I expect MS to also outgun SONY on price too, but a significant margin.

Can't wait and it's not long to go now

[Neon Ignition]

I think the EU/Asia success for Sony was more of a default win initially through momentum of the PS1/PS2. 360 didn't sell great there because Xbox universally has never done well there. It took years for Sony to right the PS3 ship and by the time it did they were ploughing through 360 sales (though again much of that was on MS's short term vision head of over indulging on Kinect and 'new markets')

I don't think Joe Public will think that Series X is a better looking console than PS5 (hence the vast ocean of gulf between hardware reveal popularity), MS has made the most powerful system but it's power that's blatantly not being tapped into at all either which will play hugely into public perception in the critical first year. I think Series X as well won't beat PS5 price by hardly anything either, MS might be willing to take a hit on it to undercut Sony by maybe £25 if PS5 comes in high enough but if it was going to slash through Sony's RRP the Series S wouldn't exist.

Hats off to them if they do make Xbox a big success though as they're coming off what is almost a standing start with the Xbox One and success for Series S/X would also defy convention of every generation whereby market userbase numbers mean someone has always suffered at the expense of others. Realistically Nintendo has already sewn up one of the successful console titles with the Switch leaving only one slot left, we've never had every platform owner come out with big success in a single generation bar maybe the Wii/PS3/360 years but lots of elements that don't apply now applied then.