Xbox 360 Kicks Off Next Generation

At long last, the next generation is here, but Microsoft faces tough challenges from the off.

The dawn of a new console generation is always an exciting time, but there has been much more negativity surrounding the Xbox 360 launch than you would expect. Microsoft debuted its console at midnight on Tuesday, welcoming to the so-called HD Era crowds across America - or at least those lucky enough to snap up one of the rare consoles.

More than 4,500 stores across the country swung open their doors at midnight to let in bleary-eyed gamers fatigued from defending their place in line.

The Bellevue Best Buy near Microsoft's Redmond campus in Washington hosted a major launch party, with Microsoft founder Bill Gates on hand to sell the first machine to, coincidentally, a Microsoft programmer who had been in line since Friday afternoon. He was one of the lucky ones.

As with most console launches, there won't be nearly enough stock to go around in the early days of the Xbox 360's life, and many retailers are reporting that they are expecting to have only a fraction of the consoles they'd need to cover even their pre-orders.

The Xbox 360 launched with 18 games in the US - there will be 15 games on day one, 2 December, in Europe - but it was Microsoft's in-house games (Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo: Elements of Power, and Project Gotham Racing 3) that were getting the biggest marketing push.

While no one is doubting the sheer brawn of the Xbox 360, there have been niggles from all corners about the quality of the launch games, very few of which are exclusive to the Xbox 360.

There's also the problem of the killer app - that key game that makes the system a must-buy for gamers. Tapping Halo: Combat Evolved at the original Xbox's launch was easy, but it's not nearly so simple this time.

Even Gates couldn't be cornered to pick the one game that should have would-be buyers taking to the streets.

"I wouldn't have picked right last time if you had asked me that question. So I won't pick this time," he told news service Reuters this week.

Gates isn't too concerned about the fate of Microsoft's bulging game division. He said that even if the Xbox 360 again failed to help Microsoft get a leg up over Sony and the PlayStation 3, the company would give it another go.

But despite the backup plan, Gates is unsurprisingly confident that Microsoft has what it takes to outdo Sony now.

"You won't really know that until a year from now, when people are talking about how the games on our machines compare to the games on Sony's machines."

"In terms of how we've balanced technology in the machine, we feel certain we've done a better job than Sony."

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games