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The Xbox 360 may be popular but it can't be considered successful, says financial analyst Roger Ehrenberg. He believes the entire Xbox business has been a bomb for Microsoft and that "Ballmer's Boys" in Redmond need to own up to it. More within...
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(Link to GameDaily.com)
Judging from current sales trends (handhelds) in Japan, the console market isn't quite as lucrative there, as it once was.Quote:
Ehrenberg also claims that the Japanese market is vitally important to the success of any console and that a console's performance in Japan is often an indicator of how it will do on a worldwide basis.
"Success in the Japanese market is a key determinant of success in the worldwide market," he says. "In fact, one might say that is a necessary but insufficient condition for a globally successful console platform. Sony and Nintendo have absolutely thrashed Microsoft in Japan, and it shows in the global console sales figures. For historical reference, consider that over 19 million PS1s and 20 million PS2s were sold in Japan alone, close to the worldwide sales figures for the original Xbox console... an early read of the tea leaves does not bode well for the Xbox 360."
Eastern developed games, aren't quite as stong as they once were either. Looking back at the last generation's best selling games, besides Nintendo, the best selling games came from the West, with titles like GTA, Halo, God of War, Guitar Hero and Madden dominating. Meanwhile, the best selling games from the East were MGS2, Devil May Cry series and the Final Fantasy series.
Still, this guy is talking about MS' losses at $5+ Billion, but most of that can be attributed to the original Xbox.
No. Further reading.Quote:
"Making money, e.g., the creation of long-term shareholder value, has got to be the ultimate driver of Microsoft's gaming (and H&E) strategy, right?"