Xbox Portable: why isn't Microsoft building it?

From the article: "there is much more room for Microsoft in the portable gaming domain because it only confronts two main rivals, Sony and Nintendo. Yes, those are powerful adversaries, with strong brands, huge install base and a lot more experience. But hell, they're only two, and their combined value doesn't even come close to Microsoft's ($276.88 billion), and it's not like the latter has no experience in gaming, right? Generally speaking, Microsoft owns the desktop (and laptop) market with the Windows platform, has a strong position in the fixed-console market, but obstinately refuses to come up with a portable gaming device, although it does have the money, the logistics and the people to invent it."

[Mr PS3]

Well quite simple really
They have'nt invented the small portable version of the RROD yet

[ruibing]

I think that touches on the weakness of MS's hardware development team. Take the Zune (1st gen) for instance, I won it a career fair raffle recently and found that it only has about 5-6 hrs of battery life even with all features disabled. They would really need to beef up their hardware development standards if they want to make a portable game console that will stand up the well established DS and PSP.

[The-Director]

i think people will have a hard time trusting Microsoft hardware again

if a console dies from heat "RROD" and dvd-rom failure , i think their portable system will crash just for pressing the buttons !!

[MrFurious]

Indeed the lack of reliable products at Microsoft should not encourage innovative and sepcific market developments. Making handhelds with latest CPU tech will be possible only if it is built as a pc for M$. i.e. go and buy a Asus EEE PC, then you have your M$ mobile device, not as advanced as a home XBOX360 but enought to play Oblivion in low res or GTA San andreas in good conditions.

[Capt CHAOS]

If MS decide to put two analogue controllers on it.

[mikeslemonade]

Many of the exclusive developers for the 360 aren't used to making handheld games and Microsoft doesn't have that vast 1st party support so they would have to spend even more money trying to sign other developers. And a handheld would be a losing proposition because they would be starting off from scratch like xbox 1. This will not sell in Japan and likely not sell in Europe.

[Chuck Norris]

I think they've finally grown a conscience. MS should just contend with ruining one console per generation.

[sloth4urluv]

wtf happened to the gamer zone already?
I believe they created this seperate section so you can looks at a comment without reading
RROD
Play B3yond
Xbot
Fandroid
and waitstation.

[Skerj]

Handhelds are a hard market to break into, Nintendo has the stranglehold on it and that doesn't seem to be a trend that will ever change. I'm happy and surprised that Sony has had such success with the PSP because I do think it's the best handheld ever.

[akaFullMetal]

i agree, with everything you can do, and now with skype, its pretty much a swiss knife of technology, and the games are awesome, cant wait for god of war, and ff7 cc

[TheTwelve]

Agreed. As much as I love the PSP, I too am pleasantly surprised that it's managed to come so far against the DS.

But the article mentions that Microsoft opted not to buy Nintendo in 2000. Sheesh...imagine if they did...

Master Chief would be in Mario Kart...lol!

12

[shotputking]

it's just too hard for microsoft to compete in this japanese dominated market... not only are they faced with japan only supporting their own products, but also americans who will buy japanese products simply because they are japanese. microsoft needs to focus on consoles and see how they are doing by the end of this generation before they decide to enter another tough to break into market.

[mighty_douche]

Well they left it far to late now. The DS has the casuals on board and for the more adventurous theres the PSP with all its homebrew/custom firmware options.

M$ should stick to what there good at (not sure what that is) or if all else fails, buy a smaller successful company.

[tatotiburon]

because it will be doom like the PSP. The modest succes of the PSP is thanks to dark_alex and the homebrew, without it the PSP doesn't exist.

[mighty_douche]

Without the PSP there'd be no Dark_aleX.

[Skerj]

So um Crisis Core's million plus sales in ONE territory, and all of the PSP system sales over the past few months have been due to Dark Alex? Riiiiiight. I guess it's a failure to sale 30 mil handhelds in a market that has been dominated by Nintendo. ..

[Black_Jack]

cudn't have put it better myself skirj, on top of that umd's are set to fail yet the psp has still had considerably strong sales.

[tatotiburon]

30 mil units wich right now have custom firmware, emulators and docenz of homebrew applications. The DS has R4 but it works only to play backup games, the PSP is all about the homebrew. If you want to play games, buy a DS but if you want to control your PC remotely or TV Set, to read PDF files, watch some movies, play snes, nes, master system, game boy games and others, run flash applications, acces to a custom firmware wich allow you to do anything you want..then buy a PSP.

[Shadow Flare]

It's one thing with your 360 breaking but its a bit different when the problem with your handheld console is the fact that its melted the flesh off your hands. Stay out the portable business microsoft, for the sake of human health

[P4KY B]

....you'd need oven gloves to play it.

[spandexxking]

thats hilarious!!

[bigjclassic]

(did I coin a phrase?)

Nintendo has the handheld market under tight grips, so it would be hard for another company to try and take market share. Sorry PSP is not a factor.

[Skerj]

Considering the PSP is selling damn well and has some pretty stellar titles this year, it's a factor sir.

[dilibau]

when Microsoft announced that it would build the Xbox, everybody said: "no, they can't do it, it's Sony's playground"...However, even with the PlayStation 2 around they still managed to sell 25 million original Xbox consoles until 2006, when that model was discontinued... Don't forget also that Microsoft has the money to buy Yahoo, a portable console would be a piece of cake...

[spandexxking]

yeah they could but its micrsoft itl have to be profitable for them to even begin. maybe when thee next gen of handhelds come but it would be pointless atm IMO. (when will they bring out the next gen handhelds, seems about time?)

[Ric Flair]

.

[Skerj]

They have the money in their coffers to do it but as stated earlier, it's a hard market to get into. Aside from the PSP no other handheld successfully stood against a Nintendo handheld for a substatial amount of time. A lot of them were technologically superior to Nintendo's offerings but they lacked developer support and brand recognition. I'm guessing that's why the PSP has had increased staying power.

For MS to do it they'd have to cater to the casual, and the hardcore, and the techwhore. Unless they secure some pretty good games from Japanese developers that caters to that market, they might as well forget launching it there. As far as the rest of the territories they'll need cutting edge technology AND games to go with it. As the first year of the PSP showed us, all the technology in the world won't save you from a bevy of lackluster games.

[Azures]

Handhelds are a two system race. Always have been, every time a third tries to muscle its way in it does embarrassingly bad; remember n-gage? gizmondo? You can't expect microsoft to try and challenge a 50 million user base of the DS at this point either, its impossible.

[The_Engineer]

learn how to build reliable full size consoles first before you get into an even bigger headache.

[ceedubya9]

They've actually made a name for themselves now in the console market, and they could carry over into the portable market. Of course, they would have to offer something comparable to the PSP as far as tech goes, but have to price it competitively launch with some good games from the start. Its very possible that it could catch on slowly like the PSP did. And maybe Japan will give a little more love to a portable.

[powerslide]

Even if i'm a sony fanboy i would really like an xbox portable. The thing is right now if you want a portable game with excellent graphics you must have a psp. I think the quality of the games for the PSP2 will increase if there is competition. Hopefully the next gen will be a 3 horse race (hopefully nintendo will get destroyed because we love to se nintendo fail like they did with the gamecube, don't we)

[bootsielon]

Hand Grenade.

[LJWooly]

More like an incendiary grenade.

Oven gloves will be needed.

[Skerj]

Or a Hedgehog grenade, it's attack of the Hales!!

[LJWooly]

I'd give you a bubble if I hadn't already, Skerj. You don't really need anymore anyway...

[Skerj]

Hah thanks, bubbles to both of you for making me laugh anyway.

[LastDance]

because eventually it would grow arms and legs and portable its as$ out of your house right?

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I think MS could make a pretty good handheld if they wanted to...but I am rather happy to see them focus on the console first. Xbox was its first entry and they did some great things there but really didnt get a big peice of the pie. 360 was a great leap forward for LIVE and the machine itself is decent enough but certainly there are some design flaws/short comings that we all know about.

I think MS's 3rd machine could be their sweet spot and hopefully will see them really nail it. I want to see them hit that mark first before venturing into the handheld market.

[Bonsai1214]

because it'd be the equivalent of carrying around a hand grenade with you...

[DrPirate]

I try my best never to take sides, but this reply made me bust a gut.

That one was awesome. You brought the laughs to this section that's for sure.

[jinn]

i wonder what color the ring of death will be

[Bruceongames]

There is convergence in mobile devices.
Currently I carry a Nokia 6300, A Canon 950 IS, a DS and a video iPod.
Soon they will be one device.
The iPhone has a good MP3 player and will become big in games over the next couple of years.
The Nokia N Series are getting nGage MK2.
There are loads of phones now with really good cameras or with good MP3 players.

Once you understand this you can see that Zune will be Microsoft's mobile gaming device. They will just add more functionality to it with each generation. Till eventually they have something better than my current 4 devices all in one handy machine. A machine that will be connected to Live and integrated with Xbox 3.

[Milky]

Sony are going to make a psp phone. or a sony ericcson handheld. Just you see....

[PlayStation360]

There is absolutely no sense for a PsPhone since the PSP already has Skype.

[heyheyhey]

because this time the RROD will be up close and personal

[Milky]

because you cant take flammable items on airplanes

[moujahed]

Simple, to avoid lawsuit... only thing a portable Xbox'll do is burn the skin off the users hands, and or blow them up.

[heyheyhey]

there are too many handheld devices around for anyone to care about whatever M$ would come up with

besides they have barely enough first-party studios (4) to make games for their main platform- if they split the workforce for the handheld then M$ would get pretty much no games for the 360 worth playing

and its not like they would get much 3rd party support- those have all settled down into making casual games for the DS and hardcore ones for the PSP

besides i already burnt my hands making some turkey

[Capt CHAOS]

I want those dual analogue controllers on it.. Yep, for FPSs.

[bigjclassic]

I know they have billions of dollars, but losses after losses
(i know they actually made a profit recently, whoopdie doo)
and a eventual 3rd place finish this gen, they should focus all of there money and time into making the next Xbox a real contender.

It will take Sony another gen (handheld wise) to even try to overtake Nintendo (which will NEVER happen). So they should let Sony waste their money on competing with nintendo.

[bigjclassic]

DS has waay more "hardcore titles" than the PSP will ever have btw.

[monkey602]

It has a whole lot of crap on it too though, like catz, dogz, horses, purr pals the list really does go on. I was amazed just how many useless games there are on the DS.

I'm not a fan of the DS though. My sister has one so I've played it from time to time. It has a couple of good titles but I just dont have an interest in it. The DS bores me. I'm a Wii owner too so I'm allowed hate the DS :D PSP is far better in my opinion, it just does so much more.

On topic of an MS handheld I honestly couldnt see myself buying another MS console until at least a year after release so I know what I'm getting into.

[Iron Man 2]

LOL It's because the Xbox handheld will cause just as much problems as both the Xbox and Xbox 360 combined...RROD Portable anyone?LMFAO!XD

[BestGamerAlive]

PSP

[Salvadore]

Rare and Mistwalker are owned by MS, right?

[bootsielon]

It's funded by Microsoft, and they are under contract, but eventually Microsoft can decide not to buy them, or they can decide not to be bought. Kind of like Eat, Sleep n' Play or Insomniac are for Sony.

[Bladestar]

One must crawl before walking... though Microsoft enjoys lots of success compared to the original xbox but let's be realistic... they are far from dominating... this generation things are going to be relatively even... which I think is great since no longer developers can simply ignore the xbox brand... The xbox brand is strong enough to give Sony a run for their money... but is not big enough to give the DS and the PSP a run for it's money... specially if noticed how long the DS and the PSP are in the market... if microsoft releases a portable game system it would be rendered obsolete by the new PSP or DS which are probably no far from their release... Also, what about Games? How can it compete against the PSP and the DS library in terms of games?

I think microsoft is preparing the grown for the mobile game thingy... by first accumulating a large number of games... if they make sure that all xbox live arcade games can run on this new game system... that XNA games run on it... that all those original xbox games they are adding to the xbox live marketplace are also available on this device via download... than that means the system would have a few hundred games on launch day..

I think that's microsoft strategy... for the handheld device and for the next xbox 720 or wherever is called... to eventually make most xbox and xbox 360 available via download so once these new device are release they have enough games to play...

[wageslave]

I think they'll have to do something. I dont know if it will be a Games Only device.

They could go the cellphone route by making a Games for Windows Mobile initiative. But Nokia has already failed with the cellphone/game.

Personally, I see them extending the Zune to be Zune Play or somesuch. They could make the Zune a XNA Target.

Its a natural move, they could do it very easily. What I dont see is them going for Mass Market in a head-to-head fashion with the DS.

Maybe a SideShow device?

[TwissT]

It would be cool to be playing a portable version of Bioshock or Gears in the palm of my hand but the handheld war is already to far down the road, so I think MS should release a portable system next handheld war.

[K33GAN]

it will be garbage

[Clinton514]

It would be a waste of marketspace.

[jacobdevos]

what owns the handheld market? Japan? how many 360 sold there? 600, 000... in 3 years? lol.
the japanese dont want it it wont happen

[skagrerrrr]

i wouldn't wanna mess with nintendo

[patterson]

Because they are primarily a first person shooter brand. To Microsoft's credit, they've tried to get out of that label by releasing a variety of games but their core consumer wants nothing else and let's face it, FPS don't translate well on a portable unit.

...AND LAWSUITS FROM EXPLODING IN PEOPLES HANDS LOL!

[Alcohog]

Because Microsoft has a very difficult time making hardware that works reliably. If only hardware could follow their same software philosophy: use the public as their beta testers and release upgrades for years to come.

[thisguywithhair]

The article says that the "red ring of death" is caused because MS rushed the XBox onto the shelves, but that is a poor reason (IMHO) because they have had all this to make sure that it doesn't continue. Instead they just keep releasing the same defective product over and over again no matter how many people tell them what is wrong and what can be done to fix it.

MS is just going to have to learn that while ALOT of people are loyal to them, a paying customer's only real loyalty is to their money and what they get from it. Even if the XBox only cost $50 I would not buy it just for the threat of the RROD (especially after learning that it was caused by how quickly the XBox was rushed into production).

[toaboa]

"there is much more room for Microsoft in the portable gaming domain because it only confronts two main rivals, Sony and Nintendo. Yes, those are powerful adversaries, with strong brands, huge install base and a lot more experience. But hell, they're only two, and their combined value doesn't even come close to Microsoft's"

Argument makes no sense, same problem that Microsoft faced back when launching the xbox1 - what more "red ocean" can any business plan be? Last 2 quarters Micrsoft finally has started to turn a profit on the 360, so they've clearly showed they are capable of doing it in terms of investment and management patience. As a coder I would love to see a unified development environment/pipeline, like XNA, spanning the 360, PC and a hypothetical microsoft portable.

[peacefulpony]

With the economy in a recession, or pretty close, a portable xbox seems very risky and highly unlikely. MS doesn't print money, they have to answer to shareholders eventually. They can't just keep burning money on their gaming division like people would like to believe. Vista, Zune, RRoD, this company is under serious threat from their recent blunders. How much longer will MS Office hold the fort?

[leon76]

...Because the x360 portable will explode in the hands of gamers....
"It's because the Xbox handheld will cause just as much problems as both the Xbox and Xbox 360 combined...RROD Portable anyone" - So true, man!!!!

[andron]

So I could have even more MS gadgets to ridicule ;)

On the other hand, MS might have reached a breaking point. If they are going to loan money, in a last effort to buy Yahoo and "dominate" the net.

[Lord_Ash]

MS will have trouble breaking into the market since most of the portable sales are in Japan, and I think the PSP and DS are fine, they complete each other, we don't need another handheld.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Because they want PS3 fanboys to sweat a little longer like they are in this post. :) lots of worried Droids in this room, thats for sure. look at em allllll lined up in a row, Like dominos... click! and watch them all fall down.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

They are dying like the dodo, everything from your cell phone, Ipod to pocket PC can play games. Portable games are made by a standard now, like cell phone games. It doesn't matter anymore what kind of cell phone you have, you can all pretty much download the same game. I bet anything The next line of portables Nintendo and Sony make will be gaming/pocket pc/cell phone, hybrids. The high end cell phones out now could easly play the games on the PSP or DS, Iphone comes to mind.

[thisguywithhair]

I think they will be more like laptops in the way that you will be able to connect to anyone, anywhere. Portable systems are becoming like their stationary brothers in terms of power. Just look at the interaction between the PSP and the PS3. Pretty soon they will be one and the same.