The game consoles around the new generation is not one either. It’s complicated. Very complicated, not only have the machines themselves. There are more hardware computer screens involving other divisions of the same company, exclusive must fight one by one and the content business, which like it or not eventually sink into the home console.
Because that house hold item seeks to be the real protagonist, and given this importance, this is a turn-based strategy game where every move is vital. And the events of the last few weeks we witnessed. Not to mention the associated unbridled passion to the game.
The Game of Cat and Mouse Again and Again
After a first presentation back in February of PS4, tremendously criticized for just a few touches left us, some games and the new Dual Shock, the chess game began.
Microsoft took a few months to respond to the initial position of the pieces by Sony, and in May, at an exclusive event just days before the E3, announcing the new Xbox One Sony Microsoft attacked wherever else had criticized few months before, teaching the actual console with all its details. The console war was served and time management gained importance.
But along the way, in part by the imminent need to have something saved for E3 2013 but also to see movements of competition, Microsoft also left in the air too important aspects, including highlights games would exclusively and how be permanently connected your console from which both had been talking. Do not rinse all here and was a serious mistake. Where they had agreed is to hide the price and availability, even if it was a surprise year-end output of a model and not the other.
The Treason or Masterstroke, You Decide
And with the key moment of the game in the beginning, we arrived at E3 2013 in Los Angeles. I played a move to Microsoft and stage put much power into their exclusives, a price promise and … fatal communication error with the game’s theme of second hand and internet connection.
Like more or less its risky bet, the only thing clear is that I have communicated its decision with a kind of repentance prior to guilt and even shame not help much And fascicles.
From the outside it seemed a decision they wanted to go unnoticed and with as few questions as possible. It was not to be, and the answers came from all sides, at different times and sometimes even leaving more questions than they solved. A communication mistake you have to solve soon.
At Sony, which rival watching Champions League tie of eternal enemy, I’m imagining the opening a bottle of champagne and preparing his final blow to the Xbox One Before you even hit the market.
So Sony in its presentation came a few hours later (we could finally see the console) and released two accurate shots. One, the price, I did not definitive. 100 euro difference with the Kinect accessory through the end left the margin at 50 euros. And the exclusives, likes and dislikes have much in this business.
With the stroke yes enjoyed, in the jaw of Microsoft, was the theme of the game second hand. With big mouth and knowing that the Xbox opposite staggered one of them (more out of fear than anything else) enjoyed every word to complete the phrase: with us, you pay, buy and sell games without limitations.
Goodbye to the Physical Format, But You Have to Believe It
With those words and funny video through Sony, people soon forgot the bold proposal that I think Microsoft had done: make the move to digital. But this had to change some traditional rules of play and risk. But they did it by halves. The physical disk still had presence and that complicated the transition.
Microsoft began to take hits from all sides, and to clarify for example the issue of the shared library with up to 10 users (family understood as players) finally became good news. Having a cloud gaming and up to ten friends can play it but not more than two at once? Microsoft What a great idea!
However, this had implied having to check that this constraint is met through the Internet connection. And the same with the sale of digital games and the transfer of the licenses License and not property that is the question, the key of the whole thing.
A clear example is with Steam. He enjoys the respect of the players he has managed to digital format with very good prices a reality. That is no second hand or buying and selling, but like. And going way of a proposal which I’m sure has to reach the general market consoles sooner rather than later: the system of rent / subscribe to games.
But to achieve it, we must stop thinking of the property and move to the license. But it must do so in a way that the consumer is harmed but benefited. And I think that it is now although not really know how to run much less how to “sell”. The key may be in the smartphone app stores, where there is no other option than digital.
When you can transfer / sell from one user to another or directly assign that license temporarily, will have reached equilibrium. It is basically what Microsoft wants to do with his Xbox One, but has now decided to let it go because he sees the future is unclear whether this path alone. And much less requiring a permanent connection for now the most direct way – almost – see that what we bought without physical form, not in more places than it should for its license.
In telecommunications has been until recently the same: the big three in Spain went hand in hand with subsidies. It seemed that the way to a system without them I would hand but Orange finally remained with the previous system.
The bet was risky, but I had to do something to try to improve their market position. And being different was the best option.
In this E3 has not been possible this change of letters, this to stop cracking step to greater competition to change a market that knows he has to do it, but nobody wants to take the first step.
