MS boss wishes PS3 was out for Xmas

360 News | Looking forward to the fight.

Like an impatient pugilist pacing the ring and punching air, Xbox boss Neil Thompson has told GamesIndustry.biz that Microsoft almost regrets the fact that Sony's console has been shunted back to March 2007 in PAL regions.

A strange regret, you may think - because, let's face it, a second Holiday period without the PlayStation 3 should be a heavenly prospect for the Redmond giant - but Thompson has his reasons. "In some ways it would have been good if it had [launched in 2006], because then people could have really made the comparison," said Thompson. "Sometimes it's worse when you're fighting a myth, than when you're fighting reality."

"In a lot of ways we'd like people to put the system side-by-side and see whether people want a platform where they're paying for Blu-ray straight away. Is Blu-ray that important to you that you want to buy into that platform right now and spend £500 doing that? Or do you want a gaming system that has more high-definition gaming content today, has a better online service and provides you the choice of whether you want to upgrade to the next-generation of DVD platform in the future? We would have quite liked to have gone head-to-head on those issues because we feel very strongly that we have an incredibly compelling offering," he concluded.

As for the Wii, Thompson was relatively calm over the prospect of competing with Nintendo. "It has the potential of taking consumers spend and wallet share away from us in general, but at a product comparison level it's not competing with us at all," said Thompson when asked about Ninty's latest hardware offering.

"It's an innovative, low-definition product. People will make a clear decision as to whether they want that sort of product - a kid's toy - or they want high-definition gaming and entertainment and all that it brings. They are only a competitor in so much as they'll take consumers pounds and I'd like to have as many of those as I can."

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20 Comments

Crestfallen

3 years ago

game politics used to interest me slightly but now it makes sick to stomach.

DrTim

3 years ago

^ True that!

Karai Pantsu

3 years ago

What a crock - "Yeah, I'd much rather that they were ready for a christmas launch period to take away a huge chunk of our market share. Yup. Not just saying that... not one bit..."

I don't even know why they bother with this BS anymore - the only people who actually bother to keep up with it just lose a little more faith with each word they read.

GroovySamurai

3 years ago

"It's an innovative, low-definition product. People will make a clear decision as to whether they want that sort of product - a kid's toy - or they want high-definition gaming and entertainment and all that it brings."

Thats a great quote and so very true. Im going to get the Wii eventually but thats only because I already own a 360.

Its kind of funny because the last generation was pretty well balanced, all the consoles performed rather closely and the Gamecube was such a great console - it put out the best graphics for sure. After playing RE4 on both consoles you really do notice the difference. But this time around Nintendo has pissed me of, I cant believe there charging so much for suchy a dodgy piece of hardware.

James Varoutsos

3 years ago

I read it, didn't get hal;f of it though. What I'm hearing here is "Since you little bastards can't seem to get the job done on time we're going to rub it in your face, futhermore I'm going to post time a timesheet for when you guys can expect us to slag the Playstation 3."
This is probably Microsoft's way of slagging their opponent during Christmas time, rub all their shortcomings in their face.

tootie_kicks

3 years ago

"Microsoft almost regrets the fact that Sony's console has been shunted back to March 2007 in PAL regions."

Meaning they don't really, but want to make it sound like they do.

James Varoutsos

3 years ago

tootie_kicks wrote

"Microsoft almost regrets the fact that Sony's console has been shunted back to March 2007 in PAL regions."

Meaning they don't really, but want to make it sound like they do.

"Here at Micosoft we love our competition, suddenly a macintosh employee crawls to his feet; "please save me from your security gaurds and excutives, they're going to kill me"."
Thwack! Thud...
"See here at Microsoft we're so compasionate that our employees will travel to other companies to negotiate with other companies in a non'hostile manner. Speaking of which here comes one of our own suits;"
"A man with a red face walks past wiping his mouth and chin"."

"So how did your negotiations with Sony go?
"Very well, not to messy...not messy indeed. He was very good..."

"...ok
It's so unfortunate that Sony can't join with us this Christmas season, we'd love to duke it out on the market so that I can feel better this year going without that plump...pay cheque"

"I'd love to stay and chat but I;ve got a meeting with Nintnedo about their new toy product"
Micosoft guy walks into a bordroom
"Hey I dropped the soap in here"

UGH!

David

3 years ago

I was actually with him there about wanting an actual comparison, it makes sense.

Until he described the Wii as a kids toy. What an un-diplomatic tool.

Jim Dash

3 years ago

Groovy, you just said in the 360 bundles topic that the Wii would be the first Nintendo console you won't be buying.

David, the comparison part is realistic, and it will be interesting, but I think he is seriously underestimating the Wii. Let him look at it as a kids toy - he will get a kick up the ass from it over the christmas period, I bet.

GroovySamurai

3 years ago

Jim Dash wrote

Groovy, you just said in the 360 bundles topic that the Wii would be the first Nintendo console you won't be buying.

Yeah the post I made here was before I read the debate between Spanca and David

Ive been thinking about getting a Wii for a while now but so far only Zelda and Smash Bros are enticing me and the price point isnt really helping. So yeah after reading and thinking more I probably wont invest in one, at least not yet.

realitybites

3 years ago

I only just said this in the forums the other day -

"It has the potential of taking consumers spend and wallet share away from us in general, but at a product comparison level it's not competing with us at all,"

Thats exactly the reason that is keeping MS on its toes. They know ultimately people will tell the difference between the hi def consoles and the Wii. Sony has a bet both ways with PS2 (which I think competes with Wii) and the PS3. But Sony are essentially giving MS another Christmas in the US market.

Jim Dash

3 years ago

I don't beleive a word he says - they would be so content with the current situation that its not funny. They get another Christmas to themselves.

OK, they've got the Wii, but we all know 360s have been selling really well and after this Xmas their installed fan base will be even larger, obviously.

Microsoft wishes you a very merry Xmas 360.

James Varoutsos

3 years ago

Microsoft are just playing the market, it's not that they're trying to put up this image that they care. They're just trying to play the market, earn their place in it and do as well as they can.

I'll definatly be buying a Wii at Christmas, after playing it I reakon it'll be a rather attractive product to families and single 30 year olds trying to cure constapation.

realitybites

3 years ago

Nintendo themselves have said the Wii isn't competition for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Nintendo said they didn't want to play the pretty graphics and 5.1 surround sound game.

Nintendo said they didn't want to do Hi Def movie play back.

Nintendo said they wanted friendly, buddy, female aligned and family oriented entertainment gaming machine. Hence the Wii remote.

So why is the MS guy wrong?

Why does the Wii remote make the Nintendo a next gen console? Is Nintendo trying to re-classify the term "next gen"? Is that in itself not a marketing ploy?

So why do people keep comparing the Wii to a Xbox 360/PS3? Its not an apples for apples comparison.

Wii is last gen graphics and Xbox 360/PS3 is this gen graphics.

Wii uses Dolby Pro Logic II (same as GC) while the Xbox 360/PS3 utilises full 5.1. Also I think (without checking) PS3 does true HD surround sound.

Karai Pantsu

3 years ago

Of course it isn't an apples to apples comparison - but that isn't the point. The point is that no matter what the CEOs say, all three consoles will be going up against each other for the same (general) market.

admeister

3 years ago

Jim Dash wrote

David, the comparison part is realistic, and it will be interesting, but I think he is seriously underestimating the Wii. Let him look at it as a kids toy - he will get a kick up the ass from it over the christmas period, I bet.

Quoted for truth!

How can they call it a kids toy, that is seriously arrogant! You don't see Nintendo calling the 360 a boring brick!

Also from the article:

"They are only a competitor in so much as they'll take consumers pounds and I'd like to have as many of those as I can."

Isn't that where it counts though? If Nintendo are taking in moeny that would have been spent on 360s, then that proves that they can put up a fight. I'd love to see that guy's face if the Wii outsells the 360!

realitybites

3 years ago

Karai Pantsu wrote

Yeah I know. I said that in my first post and have been saying the same thing for the last 2 months.

The point of my second posting was to remove this comparison scenario and maybe open the blinkers just a tad that Nintendo has slick marketing just like the other 2 guys. There is no "squeaky" clean so to speak from any of the 3 players.

Their goal is to get you to spend as much money on their products. Thats what these guys are paid to do. Whether Wii is last gen or not its money not spent with MS or Sony.

David

3 years ago

All three companies have said they are not competing with each other, and all three are lying!

Karai Pantsu

3 years ago

realitybites wrote

The point of my second posting was to remove this comparison scenario and maybe open the blinkers just a tad that Nintendo has slick marketing just like the other 2 guys. There is no "squeaky" clean so to speak from any of the 3 players.

Their goal is to get you to spend as much money on their products. Thats what these guys are paid to do. Whether Wii is last gen or not its money not spent with MS or Sony.

Oh, for sure. You'd be deluding yourself to think otherwise.
Sorry, I thought you were picking up the 'How can the Wii compete with 360/PS3 when it's so under-powered?' line