Microsoft Was E3 2017’s Biggest Loser

Microsoft needs to stop saying and start doing for the sake of the Xbox brand.

Microsoft Was E3 2017's Biggest Loser
Going into this year's E3 press conference, there was no shortage of hype surrounding Microsoft. After a year of teasing its newest hardware offering, the manufacturer was set to take the show by storm, delivering the 4K Xbox One announcement everyone was waiting for to standing applause and cheers from the crowd.

It was very unfortunate, then, that none of this came true.

Boasting the tagline "the most powerful console ever", Microsoft failed to deliver where it mattered most to today's gaming consumer: the price. Setting up the Xbox One X at an initial price point equivalent to two times that of its base model evoked a "DOA" cry from gamers everywhere. How Microsoft neglected to read the countless user comments indicating this is behind my comprehension. In fact, Sony itself mentioned that there was no way it could sell its PlayStation VR higher than the PlayStation 4 when it first launched. To not go by the industry leader's logic in this case proved to be an unwise choice.


Of course, the issue of price would be less severe if there was reason to support the premium threshold, which the manufacturer – along with Sony last year – also failed to do at this year's presser. Microsoft gets more criticism for this simply because it was all talk and no show, hyping this momentous beast of a machine and in the end giving no one any reason to buy it. Again, it could have very easily learned from Sony's mistakes with the PlayStation 4 Pro reveal, but adamantly refused.

Then comes the games. Needless to say, proclaiming 20 exclusive partnerships and impressing with only a few will not sell a $500 console – especially if a lot of the titles shown don't fully realize the system's capabilities (Minecraft in 4K is a meme now). Now more than ever, the video game industry lives by the expression "show, don't tell." Microsoft needs to stop saying and start doing for the sake of the Xbox brand.

There's no doubt in my mind that the manufacturer can do this – it just has to start delivering. With negativity around the Xbox One since release and stumbles here and there (like the Scalebound cancellation), MS is in no position to be boastful.


In my opinion, it's for this reason that the company ultimately ended up being E3 2017's biggest loser. Capturing an industry's attention and then losing it over the course of just over 90 minutes is a failure both to your investors and to your loyal customers.

Microsoft need to get its overall strategy (hardware AND software) together in such a way that it rivals well with Sony's and Nintendo's increasingly threatening one. It needs to get the ball rolling and listen even more to consumers about what they want from the company, and needs to start investing in those areas. Activating your loyal consumers can prove to be a powerful thing, and delivering to them what they actually want will only future-proof the Xbox brand going forward.

The opinion expressed in this article is purely that of the author and is not representative of KeenGamer as a whole. Follow David on Twitter: @ZenoCreator125

22 Comments

  1. Avatar photo

    I have to agree. Microsoft, like Sony, are not doing a good job selling their powered-up consoles.

     

     

    But at least Sony has the exclusives, and put them in clear display at their conference.

     

     

    So yeah, the big loser of the three big companies is Microsoft. Sony is too strong, and Nintendo’s come out with Switch very strong too. And both have what Microsoft so lacks: exclusive games that make people want to play them.

     

     

    As far as the price go, its actually well priced for the technology it has. The problem is that the current environment will make it fail on arrival. If Sony’s Pro was also $500….but its not, and the difference is not seen. And Microsoft seems to mostly be leaving it to third-parties to showcase the difference…good luck.

    Reply
    • Avatar photo

      My thoughts exactly. It’s going to be a tough sell among consumers which, at the end of the day, are really what determine how well a console performs.

      Reply
  2. Avatar photo

    you can’t even built a PC under 600$ with spec like the X ….

     

     

    PU AMD FX-8300 (3.3GHz, 8-core)

     

    $90

     

    Motherboard ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0 ATX AM3+[3][4] $45

     

    RAM Patriot Signature 8GB DDR3/1600 (1x8GB) $47

     

    Graphics card Gigabyte Radeon RX 580 8GB Gaming 8G[5] $266

     

    Storage Western Digital 1TB Caviar Blue 3.5” 7200RPM HDD $50

     

    Optical Drive LG UH12NS40 Blu-Ray drive $43

     

    PSU Thermaltake SMART 550W 80+ Bronze[6] $35

     

    Case Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower $34

     

    OS Windows 10 OEM license $32

     

    Shipping Motherboard ($1), Graphics Card ($9) $10

     

    Total: $652

     

    Reply
  3. Avatar photo

    The price has to remain in order to make a profit thats a thousand dollar for half price, even now at this price point theyre not making much, I understand this needs to be viewed from a consumers perspective, however you have to see this from a business standpoint as well

    Reply
  4. Avatar photo

    Just the fact that it is running at 30 FPS is a joke!

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  5. Avatar photo

    Great article, absolute truth and complete fact. I love all the pathetic, illiterate, butthurt, crybaby, non-gaming Xbox sheep crying in the comments over their inferior, outdated, loser console.

     

     

    It was another embarrassing showing from Microsoft – a weak, underpowered, smoke and mirrors overpriced console with not a single game worth playing announced for it. The Microsoft fangirls can disagree all they like but they know it’s true and that’s why they’re refusing to buy the console they claim to love so much.

     

     

    Xbox fanbums are the most cowardly, hypocritical and two-faced fanbase in the world because they say they love the console but they don’t buy it when it’s available and instead they let it get outsold 2-1 worldwide by the PS4 and leave the Xbox to rot down in the bargain bin like the unwanted trash they know it is.

     

     

    Even Xbox fangirls know the Xbox is a trash console with no games worth playing and sales prove that! That’s why the same losers defending the Xbox in this comments section haven’t even bought the console….because they know it’s loser garbage!

    Reply
  6. Avatar photo

    I couldn’t disagree with this more

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    • Avatar photo

      Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion 😉

      Reply
  7. Avatar photo

    I don’t know about winning or losing but $500 is a drop in the bucket in the world of $800 phones. Adults with jobs are the gamers of today. It may not be for everyone but oh well.

    Reply
    • Avatar photo

      Except most people don’t just drop $500 on a phone. They get it subsidized on a phone contract.

      Reply
  8. Avatar photo

    Saying MS lost E3 ia a stretch I think, they didnt win clearly that was Nintendo this year, unbelievable I know but that handheld they have and Yes Nintendy fans its a handheld not a console. MS made a good showing and the Xbone X is impressive but I agree 500$ for the average consumer is too expensive. Ps4 Pro isnt selling well but is selling and with Ps4 base @ 250 Xbone S @ 250 all Sony has to do guys is drop Ps4 Pro to 350-300$ and MS is screwed unless they can start producing better looking true exclusive games why should anyone spend 500$? I dont see a reason. Im happy with my Pro and I saw nothing that suggested I need to part with 500$. I was open to buying an Xbone X if they showed me some worth purchasing but as I can get the same experience from my Pro ill keep my money.

    Reply
  9. Avatar photo

    Poor Xbox fanboys triggered over this article, lawl.

     

     

    Don’t worry guys, there’s always next E3, where Microsoft can disappoint once again!

    Reply
  10. Avatar photo

    Price is great, lower then a lot were expecting. As for games they showed a lot that took advantage of Scorpios power. Only thing I didn’t like was the name. To say they lost e3 is ridiculous as that honor goes to Sony who showed exactly the same games as last year’s e3, now Nintendo on the other hand surprised everyone and took this year’s e3.

    Reply
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      I agree that for its specs, the One X is pretty cheaply priced. Also yeah, that name is going to get confusing for retail associates lol

      Reply
  11. Avatar photo

    I guess no one remembers shelling out same price for day one console. Xbox dominated E3 with awesome 4K console release and they lost E3? Yeah… right. I hope you have an article on the ridiculous price of the pro as well?? PlayStation VR??? That’s the great thing about Microsoft. They keep things fresh by introducing things not yet done by any company despite the haters, such as this writer. It’s great we have free speech so everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it’s garbage. 500 bucks is the price of 5-6 new games. Want cheaper prices?? Trade in your old PS4 pro for credit towards the first true 4K console, the king of the console wars, Xbox X!!!

    Reply
    • Avatar photo

      Only xbox fanboys believe Microsoft won e3. Nintendo, cant believe Im saying this won E3 by a land slide having the best handheld available but the Switch is not a console. MS shown Forza in native 4k congrats but everything else was running upscaled just like Ps4 Pro except for Indies but Pro runs indies in 4k too. Now factor in just about every damn game they showed with execption of maybe a few are multiplat and for a few that werent they are available on win 10 also.

       

       

      While I wouldnt say Ms lost E3 its sure didnt win it.

      Reply
  12. Avatar photo

    This is a pretty lame article…

     

     

    Ur crying over $500 when it was made clear, who the target audience was for One X…

     

     

    How about this… what if people would have budgeted, for 18mos and when date arrives, they can decide if the $500 price point was worth it…

     

     

    It has been made pretty clear, that Microsoft isnt even makin a profit on Scorpio…

     

     

    If its that much of a problem.. buy a One S… plays the same games…

    Reply
  13. Avatar photo

    How do people become writers without anyone checking facts? MS never said 40 exclusives…they said over 20..they also said its a premimum system OPTION…the ps4 pro is an option. Just like xS is another option…this year ALL gamers have the widest choice in consoles. AC looks great, forza7 looks amazing, Athem looks awesome. And tge developers havent even started to utilize the xX power and most all have said it will take time. Its a great year for consoles and MS is pushing everyones expectations of the future

    Reply
    • Avatar photo

      I hate to break it to you, but buying any sort of hardware is an option – no one is pointing a gun at your head telling you you need to buy the Xbox One. Of course the Xbox One X is an option, this is just a piece reflecting on why I think (in MY OPINION) Microsoft failed to convince me to buy their “premium system option.”

      Reply
  14. Avatar photo

    yep

    Reply
  15. Avatar photo

    I agree totally with this. In fact, I am in the middle of writing why I think the Xbox One blew it. I somehow feel that their presser needed more AAA and less indies as the Xbox One X’s power should have been the main attraction.

    Reply
    • Avatar photo

      Yeah, especially with hardware as a focus of the press conference, there should have been substantial software to give people a better reason to pick up the One X.

      Reply

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