Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has been on the market for two full years now and has created the a gaming experience for millions that has been memorable, unique, and damn fun. There is no question that the 360 is a powerful machine and can create some terrific games. However, with the launch of Halo 3, Microsoft’s own brainchild from Bungie, and the last of a great series, comes a time of sorrow. Although most gamers won’t notice this effect for about another year, it is happening. Let me explain.
The shear fact that Halo 3 was arguably the most anticipated sequel of all time, including all gaming platforms gives Microsoft a very high standard to live up to. Now that it has been released, a new question has been raised. Is the 360 past its prime and now working on the back nine?
Halo 3 has suffered some serious ridicule from a short campaign mode, to the disk actually corrupting the hard drive. Now, I’m not saying that the game is killing consoles, as this topic comes up with every major release and the forums tend to pack with “_____ bricked my 360”, but I am saying this, Halo 3’s graphics were not up to par for what they should have been, the games packaging showed signs of being rushed as thousands of gamers reported scratched disks right out of the box, and the fact that hundreds of reports keep flying in that the game locks up. So, with these things in mind, let’s focus on one, graphics. If Microsoft themselves can not surpass the technology of games like Bioshock or Heavenly Sword on their own console, with a completely in house development, that has been in the works for well over 3 years, how can one expect to see an increase in quality in games to come? The theory here, is that the Xbox has prematurely reached its potential. Instead of continuing to improve on games graphics and play over the course of the consoles life, they have hit a barrier on the limitations of the system. Graphically, Bioshock is as good as it gets at this point and the truth is, there are a lot of games that look very similar to it, graphically speaking, and they have been releasing them avidly over the last 6 months as the console war amplifies between the 360 and the Playstation 3.
Here is my thoughts, Microsoft, in an effort to stay on top of this console generation has pulled out all the stops, and has released many, if not most of their AAA titles at once, leaving them no where to go. This has worked to a point, as it has left a big gap between the two giants game wise. Microsoft has paid out millions of dollars to big name developers to gain exclusive first release rights as well as extra content, in other words, they have paid off the big guns to fight on their side. Sony, unwilling to do the same, will now see these titles 6 months to a year later in most cases and will suffer because of it. Now that all of this has happened, the real dilemma here is….why? If Microsoft’s machine can still muster up some great titles that will surpass those we have seen in the last few months, then why would they try so hard to make a title release on their system early and lose even more profit than they already have with the RROD problem? The answer is simple. The gates are closing on the machine and developers have reached its true potential. That is not to say that it will just roll over and die, I’m sure that some more really terrific games will come out and the console will run as much of its life span as possible, but they will not surpass what they have accomplished in the last 6 months.
I know this will come across as if Game Revolver is Sony oriented, and I want to ensure you that this is not the case, but Sony truly has taken a safe approach to gaming this time around. Every developer interview that has mentioned the PS3 at all has stated that they have come no where close to its full potential. It is harder to develop for as they have become adapted to the 360 as the base of their work, and port from there, but now, developers are beginning to look at the PS3 as their foreground, with the 360 as the port.
Bottom line, the 360 is not on its last leg, but it has matured in terms of gaming power and prowess. Let us all be thankful to the many marvels it has given us in the gaming world and hope that they can still make some awesome titles. Here’s to you Microsoft, may you figure out what the hell is going on before the gaming world does it for you.
This is EXACTLY what I have been preaching to a buddy of mine at work. EXACTLY. LOL
The system just doesn't work, and it's potential has been reached. Without Halo, X-box is NOTHING. I will bet any money that there is less than 1 percent of X-box owners that don't own Halo.
I have also been preaching to him to wait until Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Turismo 5 come out. PS3=ownage.
This is EXACTLY what I have been preaching to a buddy of mine at work. EXACTLY. LOL
The system just doesn't work, and it's potential has been reached. Without Halo, X-box is NOTHING. I will bet any money that there is less than 1 percent of X-box owners that don't own Halo.
I have also been preaching to him to wait until Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Turismo 5 come out. PS3=ownage.
I think you'll find a huge percentage don't own halo.
Microsoft has sold give or take 15 million units of Halo 1 and 2 for almost 30 million Xbox 1s out there. So since about 8 million of those are Halo 2, it's safe to say that less than 1 in 3 Xbox owners has actually bought Halo.
I don't think the article's author is right. It takes more than 2 years for developers to completely max out a system. Just look at the PS2, when people thought the graphics weren't gonna get any better they come out with gran turismo 4 and god of war. Same thing with the gamecube and resident evil 4.
What people should do is look at ratchet and clank TOD (which I think is the prettiest game this year for PS3) then imagine what PS3 games will look like 5 years from now.
I don't think the article's author is right. It takes more than 2 years for developers to completely max out a system. Just look at the PS2, when people thought the graphics weren't gonna get any better they come out with gran turismo 4 and god of war. Same thing with the gamecube and resident evil 4.
What people should do is look at ratchet and clank TOD (which I think is the prettiest game this year for PS3) then imagine what PS3 games will look like 5 years from now.
but ps2 is very diffrent, i agrre gears of war and bio shock max out the 360 especialy consider gears of war pushes the system and just playing a hd dvd pushes all 3 cores to 98% the only thing left for 360 is optimizng what little code they can
I think you'll find a huge percentage don't own halo.
Microsoft has sold give or take 15 million units of Halo 1 and 2 for almost 30 million Xbox 1s out there. So since about 8 million of those are Halo 2, it's safe to say that less than 1 in 3 Xbox owners has actually bought Halo.
I would say the majority of XBOX owners like myself have Halo, Halo 2.
I have the 360 and bought Halo 3.
It's a fun game, I don't see why some folks are so eager to piss on it here. I enjoyed Resistance Fall of Man and hate when XBOX fanboys piss on it as well. Is RFOM a perfect title? Nope. But I'd say it shares the same "core" gameplay that the Halo series does. I eagerly await a sequel for that as well. Let's hope in a year we have that the same way the 360 got Halo 3 in it's 2nd full year.
There are a lot of FPS players, but there are also people who don't like FPS. Japan for example seems to be resistant to the lure of FPS and are big on the IQ/puzzle and RPG games. Judging from how DS and Wii is selling, FPS also don't attract the casual gamers.
Otoh, the serious gamers do have a large percentage of FPS fans, meaning Halo3 will sell extremely well. As for why MSFT's xbox division seems to be plagued with a series of bad executions, their strength is as a software company, designing consoles or mp3 players were never their core competence, when they don't like what their customers and partners hardware design, to try to do the system production themselves (because they think they can do a better job) require a rather long commitment, lots of money as well as the usual learning curve (like the red ring of death).
If they stick with it long enough, they can make hardware system design part of their core competence, assuming they keep that knowledge in house and not simply outsource it with every new design they do.
when they don't like what their customers and partners hardware design, to try to do the system production themselves
Depends on the hardware. Their mouse & keyboard designs are and have been top notch for many many years. Even the 360 controller is a very good design (descended from their SideWinder heritage) and I was one of the few that appreciated the heft & layout of the original XBOX controller.
The 360 is a good design (externally), however it is a poorly implemented one (internally), due to being rushed to make that Holiday 2005 deadline. Given 6 months it would have been tweaked and refined so these issues could have been avoided. MS was also trimming corners to keep the budget down. Contrast with the PS3 which has a good design PLUS good internal layout which keeps it quieter and cooler. Unfortunately for Sony, they couldn't afford to trim costs (fortunately for us) which caused that much ridiculed launch price.
I would say the majority of XBOX owners like myself have Halo, Halo 2.
I have the 360 and bought Halo 3.
It's a fun game, I don't see why some folks are so eager to piss on it here. I enjoyed Resistance Fall of Man and hate when XBOX fanboys piss on it as well. Is RFOM a perfect title? Nope. But I'd say it shares the same "core" gameplay that the Halo series does. I eagerly await a sequel for that as well. Let's hope in a year we have that the same way the 360 got Halo 3 in it's 2nd full year.
i do not think that they are pissing on it. what i think is the idea the the info is getting people ready for the new next generation xbox that will be due out in 2010...
one only has to look at their life-cycle support system.
after the new system comes out its upto 2 years that MICROSOFT will contunue to support the previous system with the option of etending if they deem that it's continued support for and extended upto 5 years . neat and tidy (7 years total support)
where as sony's playstation systems are all on a 10 year support cycle....
HALO 3 is MONEY right now for the XBOX360 and will overcome RRoD losses, an online service subscription, and all other hurdles...next year will be Gears of War 2 Buzz. Let's stay consistent with standards of measure. If we choose to use the Nielsen ratings and hard numbers as instruments of truth for Blu-ray, then let's stick to the same standards when it comes to PS3 games, namely sales.
Does the PS3 have more potential as a gaming system? You bet it does. But potential gets coaches and CEOs fired and results gets them wins. HS was a nice start. PSHOME, KZ2, MGS4, LBP...these show awesome POTENTIAL as of right now.
It's obvious Sony's design for each console is a viability of approximately 8-10years vs. Microsoft's "hammer-it-till you lap the competition" 5 year per console plan. Sony wants to build the better product and Microsoft wants to use its resources over 20 years to virtually outpace the competition, technology-wise. Need proof that both strategies are in a dead heat? Here it is...
PS2 sales are in the tens of MILLIONS and still going strong. The XBOX is dead.
The 360 has outsold the PS3 to date with an earlier release and cheaper product and its software catalog (in terms of choice) is superior.
The PS3's future is going to be solidified (IMO) by Blu-ray saturation. Sony knew Microsoft's plan and decided to run a different kind of race. There is far more money to be made by the HD winner over the next 10 years than the Video Game winner...and if Blu-ray wins, Sony will have all the money it needs to fund a superior gaming experience.
The 360 was released too early. The core system lacks a hard drive and games have to fit on a 7GB DVD. All of this holds back game development potential.
Forgive my intrusion here,.. I know zip about halo,
But I did see special camo controllers packaged with little halo solder dolls today at best buy,..what age are they thinking they are marketing too?
-Brian
All ages. It's the collector they're after.
games have to fit on a 7GB DVD
Well, in retrospect thank God for that. Otherwise HD DVD may be enjoying the sales advantage that Sony with the PS3. It's a lot easier to buy software for something that you already have rather than go out and buy a relatively expensive attachment after the fact.
like honestly... i doubt that Halo killed the 360. it seems that its doing a PRETTY good job of dying out on people who didnt wanna drop the extra 200$ for a system that is actually not a piece of shit
The biggest reason I bought a PS3 (besides blu-ray) is because it has the ability to adapt well. Game makers have up to 50gb of disk space to deal with, and only have to worry about making it 9gb if their company wants to port to 360 (which I hate with a passion). Nine gb's is not enough for high def, why do they think it's high enough for hi-def games?
That and the 360 is returned/defects way too much!
Shame on all you 360 owners that are happy with this.
I don't think the article's author is right. It takes more than 2 years for developers to completely max out a system. Just look at the PS2, when people thought the graphics weren't gonna get any better they come out with gran turismo 4 and god of war. Same thing with the gamecube and resident evil 4.
What people should do is look at ratchet and clank TOD (which I think is the prettiest game this year for PS3) then imagine what PS3 games will look like 5 years from now.
And how long did it take developers to max out the first x-box?
While maxing out is prolly not appropiate, it does reflect Microsoft's different timescale approach to consoles.
I don't think the article's author is right. It takes more than 2 years for developers to completely max out a system. Just look at the PS2, when people thought the graphics weren't gonna get any better they come out with gran turismo 4 and god of war. Same thing with the gamecube and resident evil 4.
What people should do is look at ratchet and clank TOD (which I think is the prettiest game this year for PS3) then imagine what PS3 games will look like 5 years from now.
Yea Ratchet, I think, willl be the first true HD Next gen game and then Uncharted. They will use a BD50 disc to the max and that is the meaning of HD gaming.
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How Halo killed the 360.
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