Its early, but here's my take thus far.
1. Nintendo didn't just under-power the Wii-U, but their online infrastructure will not support the wave of games that are multiplayer centric. Wii-U games look on par with the 360/PS3, and their third party support is terrible outside of B2. The Wii-U tablet controller isn't a selling point, and outside of Zelda and Metroid they just don't have the Western games appealing titles or multiplats to survive. The Wii-U should be replaced within 2 years by a truly next0gen Nintendo console IMHO.
2. There's nothing the PS4 has done thus far that has a been a mistake. They set out to make a simple, powerful gaming system at a good price, and for their fans who wanted that they have served them very well. It may not appeal to me due to its games and lack of features, but as a gaming console if you like Sony titles I think they have a great future ahead.
3. As I said in the Xbox Podcast, if Phil Spencer would have walked onstage at E3, dropped his pants, turned around to the crowd, and literally shit on stage, and then dropped the mike in the shit it would have been a better E3 for MS then what they endured. And for nearly six months after the tons of word vomit exiting the mouths of all who were supposed to be getting the word out was an epic failure of expressing so much promise that I do feel the One has. Rumor mongers like Cboat and Thuway tried to kill it on arrival, but none of there BS happened. Fast forward to today, March 7 - Sony has recently said they crossed the 6 million sales. MS last reported over a month ago around 3.3 million. I'm willing to bet by March 12, day after Titanfall, they will announce sales of 4 million. 2 million behind the PS4, but far from out of the race. The all-in-one gaming concept is one I enjoy daily, and can see the vision as I use the One to navigate TV, Xbox Fitness, Skype, Snap and damn sure will be using it for fantasy football this next season. Game wise securing Titanfall, and having very solid launch titles in Dead Rising 3 and Forza 5, and with Quantum Break, Sunset Overdrive, Halo 5, Forza Horizon, Killer Instinct season 2, Gears or War 4, and whatever other surprises MS has in store as Phil Spencer revealed more unannounced exclusives are coming, game wise the One will be served very well for years to come. MS has issues to address for certain, starting with the very much needed $100 worldwide price drop. After they, gotta figure out the 50hz thing for TV's in Europe (I think its addressed in the new update). They gotta launch in the other 19 territories and ensure all features are available at launch. Kinect is hated by some, loved by others. I truly enjoy it, and I don't want a One without it. But MS needs to be honest about what it will truly get from it.
Kinect-centric core games, I feel, will never work. Never. I could be wrong, but I do not think I will be proven so. What will work will be increased updating for Xbox Fitness and making Kinect-centric games family based. That's where the money and interest will be. Adult gamers will likely never embrace motion controls. But children do and Kinect should be centered around that IMHO. Add in Kinect options for Core games, as well as the ability to turn it off if people don't want it. Keep refining Kinect-centric apps like the new Twitch and do that for Netflix/Amazon Prime as well. That's how you continue to build and add value to Kinect. But do not drop it, as you need things that differ you from the PS4. Drop the damn price of the console A.S.A.P.
Baring magic being literally inside the One, or MisterX somehow being right and serving SDF/COWS the most end-of-the-world Biblical plate of crow that has ever been seen in the history of time, the One is simply not as powerful as the PS4 and will struggle behind it all gen long, even as both get better optimization going forward as all console do. MS needs to keep updating those SDK's and getting them in the hands of devs to get the most out of the One. But you're fighting a losing battle power wise, so you need to focus on securing/creating/buying the best games. Stand on that and you'll stand tall, along with again, I stress, drop the damn price. But I am a very happy Xbox One owner and looking forward to the future of the console. No matter where things end up in 6 years I think we'll look back and say it was a damn good success. If the PS3 wasn't dead in the water after 2 years, the One sure as hell isn't after 4 months.
To close, lol, this new gen is only the One and PS4, and I think its off to a great start thus far, and will only get better. I feel innovation is on MS' s side going forward, but that has to manifest itself. Graphics will get better, but this gen will be defined by more than that. I honestly think story and gameplay will trump graphics bigtime going forward.
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