EpsilonX
07-14-2010, 09:20 PM
DFC Intelligence has issued a pessimistic outlook on Xbox 360’s prospects of cracking the mass market in the analysis firm’s most recent monthly brief.
While the platform holder hopes that upcoming motion and voice sensing device Kinect will extend Xbox 360’s lifecycle by an additional five years and greatly broaden its appeal beyond the core gamer demographic, DFC is sceptical of the peripheral’s chances of achieving these goals.
"In terms of changing the overall videogame hardware platform market share we see [Kinect] having a negligible impact," the firm said, according to Gamasutra. "The Xbox 360 has some good years left, but the platform is clearly on the downside of its lifecycle.
"In its business software, Microsoft has been successful in analysing what works for users of other products and incrementally incorporating those features into Microsoft products. The problem is developing hit entertainment products simply does not follow that model.
"...Microsoft is putting almost all its eggs into the Kinect as a way to appeal to the 'casual' consumer and expand its user base… Unfortunately, based on what we have seen, DFC continues to feel that Microsoft is going to struggle to expand beyond its core audience."
DFC: Xbox 360 “Clearly On The Downside Of Its Lifecycle | Edge Magazine (http://www.next-gen.biz/news/dfc-xbox-360-%E2%80%9Cclearly-on-the-downside-of-its-lifecycle)
While the platform holder hopes that upcoming motion and voice sensing device Kinect will extend Xbox 360’s lifecycle by an additional five years and greatly broaden its appeal beyond the core gamer demographic, DFC is sceptical of the peripheral’s chances of achieving these goals.
"In terms of changing the overall videogame hardware platform market share we see [Kinect] having a negligible impact," the firm said, according to Gamasutra. "The Xbox 360 has some good years left, but the platform is clearly on the downside of its lifecycle.
"In its business software, Microsoft has been successful in analysing what works for users of other products and incrementally incorporating those features into Microsoft products. The problem is developing hit entertainment products simply does not follow that model.
"...Microsoft is putting almost all its eggs into the Kinect as a way to appeal to the 'casual' consumer and expand its user base… Unfortunately, based on what we have seen, DFC continues to feel that Microsoft is going to struggle to expand beyond its core audience."
DFC: Xbox 360 “Clearly On The Downside Of Its Lifecycle | Edge Magazine (http://www.next-gen.biz/news/dfc-xbox-360-%E2%80%9Cclearly-on-the-downside-of-its-lifecycle)