This is perhaps one of the more important elements that Microsoft ought to consider ahead of their next console. The American giant laid the blueprint for online gaming back in 2002 when they implemented Xbox Live into the original Xbox console. During its infancy, the newfangled feature offered an unprecedented form of play – including online friends lists and voice chat – but it was when the company upgraded the service to coincide with the launch of the 360 three years later that they established the definitive online gaming experience. Since then, Xbox Live has grown into a commercial behemoth. Buoyed by its online subscription model – which is available in different variants, with the most popular being the annual $60 fee – the service is now available in 41 countries worldwide and has a user threshold of approximately 21 million subscribers.
However, with such an immense reservoir of economic potential at their fingertips, Microsoft have increasingly shifted the focus away from what a gaming device should be all about. You know…games. Inundated with advertisements and being directed towards superfluous applications are common complaints among the Xbox fan base and with the user interface becoming a cluttered ecosystem; to many it seems as though the Xbox 360 has lost its gaming essence. As our current online society is increasingly driven by ad revenue, it’s understandable that Microsoft have favoured a committee-like approach to their gaming network. However, with an extensive category of streaming services – including Netflix, NFL and Sky – the Xbox 360 has mutated into a media device rather than retaining its core focus on the gamer.
Of course, its great to have these options and it’s merely a sign of the times that different forms of media are converging under one physical platform. Still, with the average household using the machine 84 hours per week and, according to Microsoft’s head of marketing, half of which is spent streaming content through the Xbox 360’s multitude of services, it’s unsurprising to see the majority of your friends list spending their playtime on Netflix.
With these statistics in mind, Microsoft has to swing the spotlight back to the gamer for the Xbox 720. The vast majority of people don’t buy consoles on the day of release for all their supplementary services; they buy it for the games. Sony have struck a chord with their audience with Playstation Plus – a service that requires an annual fee of $50 – which provides gamers with cloud storage, online discounts and even free games. Without trying to kick the volatile fan boy beehive, this is a formula that Microsoft could try to emulate for their next console.
Providing early access to beta tests and discounted games are the attributes that gamers want from their online subscription, not to see tedious advertisements every time they boot-up their system. In reality, Microsoft will most likely maintain a similar Windows 8-esque user interface with the Xbox 720, but the trick to balancing services with the core gaming experience is something they need to perfect for the next generation. NUad’s (Natural User Interface Ads) have been commercially successful for the company and will almost certainly persist onto the next-gen, but considering how they already charge users for their online service, one can’t help put question Microsoft’s rationale for multiple advertisements.
Putting that to one side, however, Xbox Live has established itself as a secure online universe where gamers enjoy all forms of entertainment, and that security has become a big selling point in the wake of Sony’s infamous PSN hack in 2011. But in order to entice gamers into their new way of play, Xbox 720 must boast a strong category of games. After all, the previous console generation – namely the PS2, Xbox and GameCube – sold 200 million units collectively, while the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii have sold 252 million units hitherto. Don’t let the hyperbole fool you, there will always be a demand for new console hardware, but it’s up to Microsoft to provide the gaming software that will justify people parting with their hard earned cash. Which segue ways into the next element…
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