"I'll take it from here, Bill." 360 battle plan.

[Crayon]

In the new HDDVD addon thread, post number 42 I posted a joke dialogue between me an Bill Gates, where he calls and asks me for help with the 360. It was probably funny to noone but myself. And for that I am sorry. But I seriously have my own ideas on it. So after I hang up the phone, how would things go?

Assessment:
Our strengths here are the low and falling manufacturing costs of the 360. The modularity of the system. The availability of the system. The installed userbase. And the established and expanding network infrastructure.
Our weaknesses are a lack of features and services offered by the PS3 platform. Blue Ray, Wifi, Card Readers, peripheal support, web browsing, standard hdd etc.

Strategy:
Sony appears to be positioning the PS3 as a sort of premium multi-purpose media device. Let's not fight it. Let's roll with it. Let's help them position their product right out of the core gaming market's hands by sending an "everything you need, nothing you don't" message to consumers.

Tactic 1: Take a little bite out of the PS3 featureset.
-Find a way to achieve 1080p and start talking about it and don't shut up about it. 1080i through component and de-interlaced will do. Upgrade the UI to support it.
-Open up the machine to simpler media streaming from the pc.
ANY PC.

-Support usb keyboard and mouse support.

-Develop a web browser and a voice over ip chat system with voice messages. Be ready to support video chat for the camera whan it comes around. Pre-load this software on perpheal hdds. DO IT.

-Get the 360 logo off that damn HDDVD drive and replace it with a live logo. Market it as a device that can go on the 360, or on your PC. Emphasize taht it doesn't matter where it goes.

-Start an education campaign showing how the 360 can act as a media center node between the PC and HDTV. The HDDVD drive is a component that goes into the home media system.

-Start an add campain showing "Outside the box" that showcases real users and their bad ass HD-360-Vista platform home network setups and how they did it. How anyone can do it. Why have all that functionality stuck in one little box (PS3) when you can do it your way? Roll this right into the surely huge Live anywhere campaign.

Tactic 2: Pick up the torch for the 199 game console.
-Push the core SKU. Downplay the premium. Drive that price down down down....
-From a marketing standpoint, push the Core as a tidy package that contains everything you need for gaming. Emphasize it as a starting point. See one print ad showing the power user with the two 360s streaming HD content wirelessly from the Vista PC? Next page show just the lone xbox and the number "199". "It all starts here."

Tactic3: Start a hardcore gaming movement./Build Cred
-Get a campaign going that features long time adult gamers talking about their favorite games of all time regardless of platform. Get two or three of them a month. Print. TV. Web Radio.
-Set up a petition via XBox Live where users can use thier account info as an online signature to get these favorite game released via Live Arcade.
-Start a task force to scour the world for labor of love volunteer game projects being made in basements. Fund them. Market them. Distribute them on Live. Make those guys rich. Yell about it.
-Take a bunch of those homebrew-cum-sleeper hit games you helped produce and start filling those 40 dollar memory cards with them. Like little goodie bags.
-Tie the campaign together with the message that all a gamer needs is a display, a controller and a game. Show gamers talking about games and their game experiences. Let them show some passion. "I need it." "It's what I need."
-GET IN GOOD WITH SEGA. Don't go buy them. Pick them up, dust them off. Treat them well and help them sell alot of games. Give them second party status.

***Alright. Is anyone getting the total picture here? It's a two pronged attack. The idea is get it all happenning before PS3's are sitting n shelfs for walk-in sales. What do you think?

 

[Skrying]

Hell, I'd buy an Xbox 360 if I saw your marketing plans beinging used.

 

[Rolf N]

I suppose this isn't strictly about the HD-DVD addon?

Microsoft's core message has been "It's a wash" for a while. They should probably just stick to that until opportunities to differentiate ito gameplay come (Halo 3, Fable 2, that kind of thing), with a careful dosage of "Ours is cheaper" mixed in.

The HD-DVD addon doesn't matter either way. It's a pure me-too, a stupid idea yet followed through on because it makes a talking point. OTOH there couldn't be too much focus on it yet because of the mythical blue laser diode, which was/is still required for orchestrating some anti-PS3/anti-Sony-in-general FUD (remember the various BOMs from analysts, "cost vs price", Sony broke, Ken Kutaragi overweight, Phil Harrison bald, etc). The need for that will fade, so we may see more of the HD-DVD addon after the PS3 launches.

It wouldn't be so brilliant to focus too much on the media extender argument. It's ridiculously easy to shoot it down.

No offense, but if I had any love for Microsoft I'd wish that it's not people like you who run their marketing

 

[Crayon]

The HDDVD drive is an aweful idea. If it wasn't too late I'd nix it altogether. Unfortunatly, that boat sailed and it's my problem now.

The point of the media extender campaign wouldn't be to simply pitch it at people. First, we'd have to see what the practical application of it for real users are. Then show them how to do it.

I know that the first time I saw a properly implemented hacked XBox, I was elated. I think alot of users would love that functionailty. The potential is there but MS is just lettign it sit there.

And you're right. MS' message has been "it's a wash". That and just hoping people use kind synonyms for "cheap". It's BS. They've had the market all to themselves for a year and they've managed to be pretty much unnoticed. A whole year of gamers saying "Meh. Gears will be cool". It's bad. Who exactly are they targeting when they get Aston Kutcher to gush about the 360 on an MTV special? Cynical teens with no money of their own to spend anyhow? Meanwhile, the best feature of the whole package -xbox live- continues to only be seen by those who already bought the system.

My ideas probably wouldn't pass muster with an a legion of focus groups and market studies. But that's the problem with MS right now. No creativity.

They had Orange County Choppers build them a green bike for christs sake.

 

[Rangers]

I agree with most of your plans. A lot of them strike me as focusing on irrelevant issues though.

I agree Core pack needs to be pushed. I really dont like the two SKU strat. It's muddling the 360's price edge. If the HDDVD pack in europe is true they're just muddling things even further. You cant beat the PS3 on features, you just look stupid trying, so dont. It's basically fighting on Sony's turf.

Basically at this point I'd focus on price, price, price. As you say, focus like a laser on lowering it constantly. And as you say "it's a wash". That's the far and away main thing. I'd end the premium pack to better focus on price and not confuse people. I'd drop the HDD to $49. The rest of the peripherals can stay at gouge worthy prices if they want, but the HDD needs to be break even price at best, because it's crucial to online strategy. Then people could pick up a 299 core and 49 HDD for 349. And as said, price drop price drop price drop. The core needs to be 249 ASAP, and so on from there.

The other thing you've gotta do is games games games, with a focus on graphics. cheap isn't any good without flashy games. You cant control third parties, what you can control is first party. MS first party has really dropped the ball. With 360 they decided to focus on quality over quantity but the rate of games from them is dropping off the radar. I'd start ten ambitious, graphics heavy projects tomorrow, and so on. It's going to take a while to see fruit but once it's started keep a steady stream. Really doesn't matter so much what genre/s. This would be fairly expensive though because you need to hire more developers.

Next you really, really, need a big MMORPG. Get on it. This will be system seller.

Live, roll with the punches. Keep an eye out if it needs to be made free in response to Sony, which probably at some point it will.

And downloadable movies need to come to Live somehow. 3.99, after you download it sits on your HDD for three days or something like that. This would really be nice, and something I would use a lot. I dare say it could be a killer app. Imagine all the Dads who would rent movies through this, so the son's 360 gets a spot in the living room, or even pressure to buy one just for that feature. I'm sure they'rll be licensing and security issues, but work through them.

They have early downloadable movie setups already via a monthly fee, but the big issue is nobody wants to watch movies on a PC monitor. What does your 360 hook to though? Your Tv. Problem solved. Killer app I say. Imagine the size the library could be as no physical inventory is needed to be maintained. I often look for niche titles that aren't at the video store because they're more than a couple years old and weren't hugely popular. No problem anymore. And no more trips to the video store.

I do not think the HDDVD is a bad move at all. Just keep it as accessory. In fact if they want to have ANY chance at stopping Blu-Ray in the market it's a necessity. As long as it's just for movie playback, it doesn't hurt anything.
________
Ocean View Condominium Prathumnak

 

[Skrying]

- Make all online gameplay free. Charge a fee that gives the player access to at least 90% of map packs, etc that come out after game releases.

- Make it so that a person who buys a Core SKU can later upgrade their Core to a premium without making them spend a ton doing so. So like, you can buy a Core now and over time spend say about $110~$120 giving it the premium upgrades.

 

[scooby_dooby]

I agree with most of your plans. A lot of them strike me as focusing on irrelevant issues though.

I agree Core pack needs to be pushed. I really dont like the two SKU strat. It's muddling the 360's price edge. If the HDDVD pack in europe is true they're just muddling things even further. You cant beat the PS3 on features, you just look stupid trying, so dont. It's basically fighting on Sony's turf.

Basically at this point I'd focus on price, price, price. As you say, focus like a laser on lowering it constantly. And as you say "it's a wash". That's the far and away main thing. I'd end the premium pack to better focus on price and not confuse people. I'd drop the HDD to $49. The rest of the peripherals can stay at gouge worthy prices if they want, but the HDD needs to be break even price at best, because it's crucial to online strategy. Then people could pick up a 299 core and 49 HDD for 349. And as said, price drop price drop price drop. The core needs to be 249 ASAP, and so on from there.

The other thing you've gotta do is games games games, with a focus on graphics. cheap isn't any good without flashy games. You cant control third parties, what you can control is first party. MS first party has really dropped the ball. With 360 they decided to focus on quality over quantity but the rate of games from them is dropping off the radar. I'd start ten ambitious, graphics heavy projects tomorrow, and so on. It's going to take a while to see fruit but once it's started keep a steady stream. Really doesn't matter so much what genre/s. This would be fairly expensive though because you need to hire more developers.

Next you really, really, need a big MMORPG. Get on it. This will be system seller.

Live, roll with the punches. Keep an eye out if it needs to be made free in response to Sony, which probably at some point it will.

And downloadable movies need to come to Live somehow. 3.99, after you download it sits on your HDD for three days or something like that. This would really be nice, and something I would use a lot. I dare say it could be a killer app. Imagine all the Dads who would rent movies through this, so the son's 360 gets a spot in the living room, or even pressure to buy one just for that feature. I'm sure they'rll be licensing and security issues, but work through them.

They have early downloadable movie setups already via a monthly fee, but the big issue is nobody wants to watch movies on a PC monitor. What does your 360 hook to though? Your Tv. Problem solved. Killer app I say. Imagine the size the library could be as no physical inventory is needed to be maintained. I often look for niche titles that aren't at the video store because they're more than a couple years old and weren't hugely popular. No problem anymore. And no more trips to the video store.

I do not think the HDDVD is a bad move at all. Just keep it as accessory. In fact if they want to have ANY chance at stopping Blu-Ray in the market it's a necessity. As long as it's just for movie playback, it doesn't hurt anything.

Shit man, you nailed it, top to bottom

 

[Crayon]

Rangers, you're hired.

I don't know if you can just count on beating the first parties like an old rug and hoping good games will fall out! I'm looking at the 360 library right now, and it may seem a little dry, but it's obviously just coming out of a slow summer with no competition and it's going to ramp up.

Trying to get big blockbuster games with mind-blowing graphics - specifically, trying to get significantly more than Sony - Is an uphilll battle. I don't think pointing a team towards FF13 and telling them "do that, but better" is realistic or effective.

That's why I'd want to encourage indie development on the platform. We're going to get madden and need 4 speed and splinter cell on the 360 anyways. Geometry Wars is not just a fun diversion, it a great game. If we could get that message out and then step up that kind of development and have ten Geometry Wars for every FF13 they have, we'd be on the right track.

Overall, I think the "Playstation Too, but cheap" approach is a recipe for disaster*. I'm basically proposing Dreamcast 2.

*Not really. Mostly very boring to sit back and whatch. Hence this post.

 

[A176]

Some things I agree with, many I don't.

I do not agree with having mouse functionality, atleast, for gameplay. The controller has always been the icon of console gaming, and it should remain that way. (Wii's controller does mimic a 'pointer' like interface, but it goes much, much further than that)

I also do not agree with the 'simpler media streaming', that is, if you're referring to opening up all media formats to be streamed from a PC. It is wishful thinking for us home users; Microsoft is in no position to openly declare the support of Divx or xvid or etc, for reasons we all know of.

You do however pinpoint the exact reason and methodology that MS needs to go at if they want to take even more market share - marketing and campaigning. Hell, even their current commercials and amazingly vague and confusing, even potentially uninteresting. What is PGR3, a game about some talking aliens on xbox live? Don't even get me started on Jump In.

Like you've said, seriously, get to the point - and over exaggerate like there's no tomorrow.

 

[Crayon]

On the keyboard and mouse support I was considering their use for browsing/email/chat and other ancillary functions.

I think when people start getting PS3's home and realise all the little extra stuff they can do with it word is going to get around that it does alot of stuff that 360 doesn't. Movies is just one thing. KB/Mouse support would get MS in a postition to try and match functionality tit for tat. Or make that possible, at least.

You are correct about the streaming. Unfortunate. The 360 is so much wasted capability so far.