How to sell next-gen consoles, Marketing, Positioning, and Pricing [2020]

[BRiT]

With how messed up this year has been, the best move for any company trying to sell to consumers is to do a major blow out event shortly before your product launch. It's where you show as much as you can even if it means reshowing things the enthusiasts will remember. The average consumer doesn't remember what happened last week let alone last month. Compile, remix, and step up everything you have. Do one major huge blitz. That's how to market to consumers in 2020.

 

[London Geezer]

I think they really just want to be "Apple/Beyonce cool". Apple with their "cool" launches of new products (using the term loosely here), and then releasing them 2 weeks after. And Beyonce with her "surprise album launches" out of the blue. Which is hilarious, it's a bit like watching your geeky uncle (Sony/MS) trying to rap and breakdance at your 9yo cousin's birthday party.

 

[iroboto]

it's a bit like watching your geeky uncle (Sony/MS) trying to rap and breakdance at your 9yo cousin's birthday party.

Please tell us more, we all know the story doesn't end there.

On topic: just seems like are trying to find a time to undercut the competitor in terms of pricing, but pricing can change. I'm not sure what the hold up is

 

[eastmen]

Yea. That’s all they’ve shown running on the hardware

well its my understanding their final dev kits went out later than sony. So that could be an issue for them. We will have to see what happens

 

[Jay]

well its my understanding their final dev kits went out later than sony. So that could be an issue for them. We will have to see what happens

Funny how that narrative flipped a few times. (not aimed at you)

• First Sony was ahead and ms was well behind
• Then ms does teardown with df and Austin so ms was at least level as they had actual hardware
• Then ms was ahead as Phil and others was taking actual hardware home.

In terms of dev kits its obvious Sony was always ahead, and by a fair bit by the looks of it.

Even though should be able to develop on pc, and as they say get it up and running on xsx in days/weeks.
Not factoring in the xcloud powered tech they gave devs to remote develop on dev kits.
Sony and 3P has been able to show a few titles even during covid times.

Gears and Minecraft was from the teardown, its amazing that's all we've seen.
Even halo wasnt on xsx.

I think gamescom would've been the time to at least show couple things since this months event fell through.
Makes me wonder if they had anything for this month at all ready, and halo delay is just masking that.

 

[eastmen]

Funny how that narrative flipped a few times. (not aimed at you)

• First Sony was ahead and ms was well behind
• Then ms does teardown with df and Austin so ms was at least level as they had actual hardware
• Then ms was ahead as Phil and others was taking actual hardware home.

In terms of dev kits its obvious Sony was always ahead, and by a fair bit by the looks of it.

Even though should be able to develop on pc, and as they say get it up and running on xsx in days/weeks.
Not factoring in the xcloud powered tech they gave devs to remote develop on dev kits.
Sony and 3P has been able to show a few titles even during covid times.

Gears and Minecraft was from the teardown, its amazing that's all we've seen.
Even halo wasnt on xsx.

I think gamescom would've been the time to at least show couple things since this months event fell through.
Makes me wonder if they had anything for this month at all ready, and halo delay is just masking that.

Could simply be timing. MS may have been getting enough units for internal testing but the bulk of what they should have had could have been delayed by the shut down in china and then the shut down in the US.

Anyway MS is big enough that they can do an event at any time. They still have to announce price. So they can do a preview of games leading into the price

 

[AzBat]

When Phil Spencer was on Gary Whitta's Animal Talking show on August 13 he confirmed he took home the final retail box of the Xbox Series X & did the full unboxing experience. That would have been August 9.

Clip is about this is about 4 minutes long...

Also, said he had been using the Series X at home for several months.

Tommy McClain

 

[milk]

Which is hilarious, it's a bit like watching your geeky uncle (Sony/MS) trying to rap and breakdance at your 9yo cousin's birthday party.

Nonsense, my geeky uncle has been part of the hip-hop scene since the mid 80's and participated of multiple b-boy competitions. Those little brats were only laughing because they can't apreciate anything that isn't some stupid fortnite dance move.

 

[zupallinere]

Seems uncharacteristic of a dominant market leader. I'm sure MS would love to drag the launch out to when Halo is ready again.

What is characteristic about what is going on besides bugnuttery?
I mean there is a reason they are both waiting although they may have different incentives and variations on a theme waiting to see what happens is the common one.
As for Sony messing with MS why not see how MS reacts as time goes on and see what that might say about their plans. Neither company is going to win or lose this just because they take so long to price the thing and Sony is in the driver's seat. Why not drive drama and hype when you have that kind of leverage.

 

[iroboto]

What is characteristic about what is going on besides bugnuttery?
I mean there is a reason they are both waiting although they may have different incentives and variations on a theme waiting to see what happens is the common one.
As for Sony messing with MS why not see how MS reacts as time goes on and see what that might say about their plans. Neither company is going to win or lose this just because they take so long to price the thing and Sony is in the driver's seat. Why not drive drama and hype when you have that kind of leverage.

There's a limit to tom foolery as the business still must report to shareholders. Shareholders want to see the stock move up, therefore, the products must be launched. Both must launch when their time is due.

 

[AlphaWolf]

There's a limit to tom foolery as the business still must report to shareholders. Shareholders want to see the stock move up, therefore, the products must be launched. Both must launch when their time is due.

I'm not certain profit on unit sales will affect shareholder confidence all that much at MS. If they can really see significant profit out of gamepass it will be subscriber numbers as more of a driving force.

 

[Jay]

Anyway MS is big enough that they can do an event at any time.

That's the same for all the console platform holders.

MS has been pretty big on supporting these types of shows, E3, VGA, Gamescon etc.
Back to twiddling fingers and waiting, even if it's only going to look like top end PC game

 

[eastmen]

When Phil Spencer was on Gary Whitta's Animal Talking show on August 13 he confirmed he took home the final retail box of the Xbox Series X & did the full unboxing experience. That would have been August 9.

Clip is about this is about 4 minutes long...

Also, said he had been using the Series X at home for several months.

Tommy McClain

Yea retail is done. I'm talking more about earlier in the year. If you look at the virus it shut down a lot of china towards the end of January but mostly Feb and March and just as that was ending there we were shutting down in the USA and Europe. So i wonder if that played a role in developers getting final kits late. It took a few weeks to get gears and minecraft running for MS. So a few month delay could have affected them greatly.

Tonight they are supposed to show off medium so we will see if its on pc or xsx that they show it off.

But more to the point does it matter what they show games off on ? we know the specs of the xsx and how it relates to a pc. What in the end is the diffrence unless people are implicating that its incapable of running games at all ?

 

[AzBat]

But more to the point does it matter what they show games off on ?

When it's 2 months away from launch & your competitor doesn't have a problem showing games running on their hardware. There has been a conscience effort by marketing to not show games running on actual working hardware. Is that because the games don't look good because they're not done? Or the hardware is not working well? Something is up.

Tommy McClain

 

[eastmen]

When it's 2 months away from launch & your competitor doesn't have a problem showing games running on their hardware. There has been a conscience effort by marketing to not show games running on actual working hardware. Is that because the games don't look good because they're not done? Or the hardware is not working well? Something is up.

Tommy McClain

Your competitor is showing off their games on the best platform they have. There are pcs that will be higher end then both ps5 and xsx.

We also saw games running on the hardware months ago.

like i said I don't really get the issue. LIke what we think the xbox can't run these games ? That the games wont be ready ? This isn't MS's first system launch.

 

[iroboto]

like i said I don't really get the issue. LIke what we think the xbox can't run these games ? That the games wont be ready ? This isn't MS's first system launch.

its like all of our issues with this launch:

• We know it's coming: but we don't know when
• We have an idea of price: but we don't know how much
• We know there is BC: but we have no details if there are enhancements and to what titles,
• And we know XSX power level should be, but we still haven't seen it
• There are games coming, but we don't have dates
• There's an unannounced console coming, we don't have specs or a name

We can keep adding to this list honestly.

< 90 days to go

 

[iroboto]

New Place Holder Prices from UK Retailer
499.99
59.99 for 3 different controllers

Place Holders for PS5 and PS5 DE are listed as
0.01 pounds each

 

[BRiT]

The Xbox Controllers are the only price I believe to be accurate.

 

[Shortbread]

Your competitor is showing off their games on the best platform they have. There are pcs that will be higher end then both ps5 and xsx.

We also saw games running on the hardware months ago.

like i said I don't really get the issue. LIke what we think the xbox can't run these games ? That the games wont be ready ? This isn't MS's first system launch.

You're missing the point. It's all about perception. You don't have to go no further than YouTube to understand 'why' many feel Microsoft/XBSX is lacking that buzz or excitement surrounding it's brand going into the next-generation. When your competitor is showing off major third-party software running on actual console hardware (not PC), and first-party games as well... then yeah, there's a problem with perception.

 

[eastmen]

its like all of our issues with this launch:

• We know it's coming: but we don't know when
• We have an idea of price: but we don't know how much
• We know there is BC: but we have no details if there are enhancements and to what titles,
• And we know XSX power level should be, but we still haven't seen it
• There are games coming, but we don't have dates
• There's an unannounced console coming, we don't have specs or a name

We can keep adding to this list honestly.

< 90 days to go

I mean you can say all that except the 3rd to last and the last for their competitor. It can even be argued that they showed off the power levels earlier than their competitor with minecraft and gears 5.