Microsoft: We are Competing with Nintendo

Spong Write: But apparently only in Japan.

Microsoft's Shane Kim* has been speaking to Reuters about the Xbox 360, Christmas, the opposition and the future. In doing so, he's finally come out and said that the Xbox 360 is competing with Nintendo if only in Japan.

Kim explained that, "We continue to focus tremendously internationally, Europe in particular is a very big area of focus for us," before continuing, "Japan has always been an important market for us. That's an interesting challenge because you're competing with Sony and Nintendo on their home turf there".

[pwnsause]

***Facepalm***

[Rock Bottom]

It's Shane Kim, I'd pay money to see this guy doing stand-up comedy. :D

[InMyOpinion]

Twisting the headlines as usual.

Kim says: "Japan has always been an important market for us. That's an interesting challenge because you're competing with Sony and Nintendo on their home turf there".

Sony and Nintendo.

First they said MS and Sony were arrogant because they don't acknowledge Nintendo as a competitor. Now that MS are doing just that you still call them arrogant...

[Enigma_2099]

... is the fact that it took them HOW long to finally admit it?

[SaiyanFury]

Sure they are. That's why Nintendo buries them in console sales each month. I suppose technically MS is a "competitor" since they're selling in the same territory, but trying to spin that statement as being positive just doesn't seem to work when your competition has sold nearly 30 million and you've yet to even break 1 million.

[InMyOpinion]

Sony don't acknowledge either MS or Nintendo as competitors but instead of calling them arrogant you call them heroes.

[Danja]

Both Sony and M$ are competing with Nintendo...there's only one gaming market..and all 3 are competing..for market share...

what I also saw in the article...Shane stated that next gen consoles might take a Wii like path..I hope not...can't we have both..? ^_^

[CBaoth]

in respect to next gen systems from Sony and MS following Nintendo's lead. Is that a bad thing though? 1080p is the foreseeable standard resolution for TVs. 7.1 audio is good enough sound for another 5-7 years of gaming. Luxury options that made it a necessity for multiple SKUs this gen wont be needed as most will be cheap enough to be included as standard features. Basically, we've hit a temporary ceiling so to speak as far as consoles are concerned IMO. Both consoles struggle with native HD resolutions as it is now, with tons of software plagued w/ screen tearing, pop-in, and dodgy framerates. We wont see an exponential increase in memory either but 2-3 gigs would be ample RAM to run games in 1080p native rez @60FPS (and at a $399 initial price point too!).

Going back to the old NES days when Nintendo's Q&A was the gold standard is not a bad thing - it would be welcomed in my eyes. If I'm gonna play a turd, at least make it a polished one. We've spent so much time the last 3 gens worrying about hardware moreso than the games themselves. Focus more on gaming, less on the HW. That way we can get back to the days of criticizing games based on their merits, not the platform they appear on.

[ChickeyCantor]

if they go the same path, it doesn't mean they won't be pushing hardware to a new level by definition.

But more like in a sense that the casual crowd could enjoy the 360 too(a new controller maybe? Cleaner interface? more accessible...?).

Things won't change much, developer would still make those "core" games.

edit: also what ^ he said.

[AWBrawler]

Sidar gets it why can't you guys? I am Hardcore gamer, and I only own the Wii this gen, and I've found plenty of games I enjoy daily. I still play BWii, Brawl, Kart, and PES 2008 online daily. So please stop thinking Wii is anti-hardcore, cause thats a stupid assumption. You get the best of both worlds casual and hardcore.
Thats all I'm saying.

[YouNoob]

game sales figures of each system, shows clearly that MS and Nintendo are competing. Even the so called top games on the ps3 dont sell anywhere near to what the 360 and the Wii top titles turn around.

of course sony is competing as well in the gaming market(or let's say trying to) but their market share when it comes to games sold, is modest at best.

[Citizen Cook]

8 Million gap and widening!

PS3rd = 17 Million
360 = 25 Million

Time to concentrate on closing that Wii gap now. Forget Sony, let them compete with the gismondo or something...

[Darkseider]

Hey MS, good luck with that!

*Facepalm*

[ASSASSYN 36o]

Oh, I see what you did there.

[ultimolu]

...
...
...

*falls over laughing*

Good luck MS, you'll need it.

[Surfman]

Microsoft needs to learn something: closing its mouth.

[Surfman]

They dont even beat the PS2, how could they think they compete with the wii...

[ASSASSYN 36o]

Ps3 doesn't beat the ps2, xbox 360, and it doesn't have a chance against the wii.

[Surfman]

PS3 beats PS2 and 360 in japon. And the rest of the world. You can go back and play with your burning box.

[Captain_Sony]

PS2 also outsold PS3.. People like to bring that up but only bring up xbox and act like 360 is dead because it cant beat PS2 sales.. Well neither can the PS3, so it must be dead as well.

[Xbox Street Gang]

Lmao. 360 software sells like crap. All of there precious RPG's are here one week and gone the next week.

It's a wonder they are trying to compete in Japan. It's the holiday season, the 360's price cut was supposed to stimulate strong sales in Japan, investments in JRPGs, and yet it still gets outsold by OMG teh 600 dollar console. 35k>> 11k.

[Daver]

such arrogance

[InMyOpinion]

"It's also more straightforward than head of SCE, Kaz Hirai's statement in May that, "I feel that our competition is not Microsoft or Nintendo, but basically any form of entertainment that is competing for the consumers’ attention"

That's arrogance. And ignorance.

[Mr Fancy Pants]

If you think that's arrogance @Jenzo then you should look for the word in the dictionary and try using that brain to analyze the situation again because what you just said is plain stupid, there's no way to spin that into something bad.

In what way that statement from Sony presents arrogance? I'm not saying that Sony isn't arrogant and that they are saints because I know they sometimes make arrogant comments just like MS but, that statement you just used to try prove your point is totally stupid.

I find it pretty logical. The PS3 isn't just a video game console, it's is a movie player too, with movie downloads services, blu-ray so, it's competing in a wider range you know and with a higher price tag too. Not everybody's buying PS3's to just play games... Besides of me being a sony fanboy I bought it because of the blu-ray player if not I would probably had an X360 now.

See how one feature made me buy one over another?

[Says you]

I don't even think they even sold 25 million maybe 23 million yes but 25 heck they minus say they sold 33 million.

[theEnemy]

you can't/won't beat even in a hundred years ?

[T-Baggins]

Why is it they only say there competing with the Wii after they have a bunch of "We just sold a lot for one day" articles, its really sad.

[T-Baggins]

Do you really think the 360 is at 25 million, at the end of last year it was only at 20 million and Playstation was at 15 I can absolutely guarantee you that Sony sold more then the 360 so how could the system that sold more only sell 2 million while the system that sold less sell 5 million, learn some math.

Sony has outsold the 360 for 8 moths in the US with one month left to go, it has been beating the 360 in Japan since it first sold and its beating the 360 in europe as well.
Don't ask for proof or links if you want to figure it out use google.

[Jamaicangmr]

Don't it's a lost cause on some of these retards. They dare not use there own logic.

[ultimolu]

...Eight?

Are you sure?

[mirroredderorrim]

Oh, sh!t! it's Shane!

Last time, our adventures took us to a gay bar in San Fransisco, where we totally took a wrong turn at Albuquerque.

We were dancing through the night to such songs as "ever body was a kung-fu fighting" and "it's raining men"

Our significant others really got us for coming home late that night.
Both our asses hurt in unison, for some reason too...

[mirroredderorrim]

and getting owned into oblivion.

Why would they even say that?
It makes them look bad.

[xwabbit]

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this article is just 2 funny :). Not even with both PS3 and Box together can compete with the wii LOL

[Gr81]

There was an article that about why M$ and Sony don't "mention" the Wii...LOL

[kopicha]

when you really look at things closely. i personally do feel that Sony/M$ aint really competing with Ninty directly. Indirectly they are because all 3 are gaming platforms which would be sorta trying to get hold of the shares in the gaming industrial. however what i personally think is this. Sony n M$ are actually a more direct competitors rather than with Nintendo. reason is pretty simple. Nintendo's Wii is more about a different experience in gaming with WiiMote style while they are still running on an older hardware which is pretty much last gen gfx and its in SD and not HD. Also that games that are on Wii are usually in their own league which is usually very different from what Sony n M$ provides. so what i would say is that Wii games are usually more casual type which in general for everyone can pick up and play anytime just for some quick fun. but if given a real hardcore gamer they would be expecting more than just those casual games that Wii provide. they would look into getting another system. and thats where a deciding factor takes place between 360 n PS3. this are the 2 consoles that usually come off with the same offering in terms of games since most of the games these days are multiplatform. so the final factor comes down to who's exclusive actually appeal you more. for an extreme hardcore gamer they would eventually end up with all 3 consoles since each has their own offering althou 360 n PS3 are much closer to each other except they have certain exclusive which will never see the light on either platform. But as for general gamers they would most likely end up with either 1 of them only. so in short its not surprising for either a hardcore 360 owner or a hardcore PS3 owner to own Wii at the same time as compare to a hardcore PS3 owner owning a 360 and vice versa. when you look at it this way its indeed neither M$ or Sony are actually competing against Ninty's Wii. But rather the major competition actually evolves around M$ n Sony themselves.

[Product]

articles like this are hilarious...brings out the fanboys.
If there are articles about the wii.......sony and ms fans trash the wii.......now if there is an article about xbox/sony beating the wii....sony/ms fans rejoice and use the wii facts as ammo against xbox/ps3 fans.......
Why is this?who cares.Does saying "facepalm" really make you that happy?